April 23, 2023 - "Peter Kanis"

Peter Kanis—Canisius is the Latin form of his surname—was born on May 8, 1521, in Nijmegen, Holland.  His father was the burgomeister, or chief magistrate or executive of the town.  While he was a student at the University of Cologne, he would regularly visit the Carthusian monks in that city, and he would associate with other devout men who cultivated the spirituality of the so-called devotio moderna (modern devotion). This was a movement of religious reform calling for apostolic renewal through the rediscovery of pious practices such as humility, obedience, simplicity of life that had begun in the late fourteenth century and came to an end during the Protestant Reformation.
 
Peter entered the recently formed Society of Jesus on his twenty-second birthday after having undertaken a course of the Spiritual Exercises under St. Peter Faber, one of the first companions of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  Peter once accused himself of idleness in his youth.  I find that hard to believe because he received a master’s degree from the university at Cologne at the age of nineteen.  As a young Jesuit he became widely known for his editions of the writings of Saint Cyril of Alexandria and St. Leo the Great.  He developed a regular routine of study, reflection, prayer, and writing to which he remained faithful throughout his life.  He served in Sicily, Rome, Bavaria, and Vienna before being named the first Jesuit provincial of South Germany.  Peter was later called the “second apostle of Germany” because of the success of his efforts there.  In 1580 he was assigned to the Catholic city of Fribourg, where he founded a famous university (one of many that he would eventually establish in Europe).  Peter almost single-handedly preserved the Catholic presence in Switzerland.
 
In the early years of the Protestant Reformation both Catholics and Protestants were guilty of vicious defamation toward each other.  Peter Canisius did not believe that was the way to go.  Instead, he maintained a tone of charity, generosity, and respect toward his opponents.  He declared to Rome that the majority of Germans who switched to Protestantism were blameless.  Peter believed that the best response was for the Church to clean its own house, present the faith in a clear and attractive manner, and present the living witness of an authentic piety based on the Gospel.
 
Peter wrote a catechism in such a way that common people could understand it.  He was one of only a few among the Catholic reformers (in contrast to Luther and other Protestants) who appreciated the power of printed media.  In every city where he was stationed, he promoted Catholic printers and publishers.  Peter was well regarded as a popular preacher who would pack churches with those who were eager to hear him expound upon the Gospels.  He was a skilled diplomat who was able to serve as a reconciler between disputing factions.  Peter was also a prolific letter writer who offered words of wisdom and counsel to people from all walks of life.  Furthermore, he was not afraid to speak truth to power—offering criticism to leaders of the Church when he thought this was necessary and appropriate.  He always did this in the context of a loving and sympathetic concern.
 
When Peter was seventy, he suffered a paralyzing stroke but carried on his work of preaching and writing (with the help of a secretary) until his death six years later on December 21, 1597.  Beatified by Blessed Pius IX in 1864, Peter Canisius was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI who also named him a Doctor of the Church. 
 
At the end of his Angelus Address on February 2, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI summarizes the abiding significance of the life and teaching of St. Peter Canisius:
 
At the same time, the example that St. Peter Canisius has bequeathed for us, not only in his works but especially with his life, is ever timely and of lasting value.  He teaches clearly that the apostolic ministry is effective and produces fruits of salvation in hearts only if the preacher is a personal witness of Jesus and an instrument at his disposal, bound to him closely by faith in his Gospel and in his Church, by a morally consistent life and prayer as ceaseless as love.  And this is true for every Christian who wishes to live his adherence to Christ with commitment and fidelity.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John