December 21 : Saint Peter Canisius

Peter was born in Holland in 1521. When he was 19, he went on a retreat led by St. Peter Faber and decided to join the Society of Jesus—the Jesuits. He continued to study and teach and was ordained a priest in 1546. St. Ignatius of Loyola was his spiritual director. During Mass one day, Peter received a vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which moved him to focus his work on this perspective of divine love. Because he was a brilliant scholar and theologian, Peter provided the Church with invaluable theological counsel—he even attended a few sessions of the Council of Trent. Peter was a great resource for the Church as the Church instituted sweeping reforms across Europe, in response to Protestant reformers. Peter became known as the “Second Apostle to Germany”. Peter was offered the opportunity to become Bishop of Vienna, but he turned down that position in order to continue traveling to the communities who he felt needed him. Everywhere he went, Peter preached constantly. For his work spreading and defending the faith, St. Peter Canisius was named a doctor of the Church, a title given to thirty-six saints who are honored for elucidating the Catholic faith by their words and example. St. Peter Canisius was canonizedby Pope Pius XI in May of 1925.