December Holy Hero – St. Peter Canisius tells his story Feast day December 21

Hello! You may not have heard of me so let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Peter Canisius and I am known as the second apostle of Germany, after St. Boniface. I was born in the Netherlands in 1521. I began to study law as my father wished but soon realized I would never be happy in that life. God was calling me to something greater. I heard the preaching of Peter Faber, a Jesuit priest, and knew that my happiness would be found serving God in this way. I loved to study and spend time thinking about our wonderful Catholic Faith! The founder of the Jesuit order of priests, St. Ignatius, sent me to Germany to teach the true meaning of the Catholic faith because at this time in history there was much misunderstanding about our faith. Prayer time and writing down thoughts of the faith was an important part of who I was. I wrote many books to teach the faith to people from all walks of life. The Lord placed in my heart a passion for the truth and many people came to the churches to hear me preach the Good News of the Gospel. I worked many years and traveled thousands of miles to bring back those who had been confused by false teachings. Again, I wanted the TRUTH of the Gospel to be known! My passion for the truth was a gift given to me from God. Each one of us has a special gift that God gives us. Some are big, some are small. It is up to us to develop and use those special talents for the good of God’s Kingdom!

*St. Peter Canisius also taught in Universities and established colleges and seminaries. He produced two Catechisms that explained the Catholic faith in a simple way that common people could understand, which was a great need at that time. He still found time to visit and work with the sick and imprisoned. He died in 1597 and was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1925.