St. Peter Canisius (1521–1597) was the first Dutch Jesuit and the tireless preacher, teacher and writer who helped keep much of Germany, Austria and Bohemia Catholic during the Reformation, earning the title “the Second Apostle of Germany,” after St. Boniface. His catechisms, written in clear, simple questions and answers, went through hundreds of editions and taught the faith to Catholics for three centuries. Pope Pius XI canonized him and declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1925. His feast day is December 21. Below are his story, what he is the patron saint of, and a prayer to St. Peter Canisius.
A short prayer to St. Peter Canisius, written for this page:
St. Peter Canisius, you taught the faith with patience, clarity and charity.
Pray for catechists, teachers and writers,
and help me to know my faith well and to share it gently with others. Amen.
Who was St. Peter Canisius?
Peter Kanis was born on May 8, 1521, in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, the son of the town’s mayor. While studying at Cologne he met St. Peter Faber, one of the first companions of St. Ignatius of Loyola, made the Spiritual Exercises, and in 1543 became the first Dutchman to join the new Society of Jesus. He served as a theologian at the Council of Trent, taught at Ingolstadt and Vienna, and for decades traveled across Germany, Austria, Bohemia and Switzerland, preaching, founding Jesuit colleges and advising bishops and emperors.
Rather than attacking the reformers, he urged Catholics to answer them with holiness, sound teaching and charity. His Summary of Christian Doctrine (1555) and its shorter versions for students and children became the standard catechisms of the Catholic world; in German lands, a catechism was simply called “a Canisius.” He spent his last years in Fribourg, Switzerland, where he founded a college, and died there on December 21, 1597.
What is St. Peter Canisius the patron saint of?
St. Peter Canisius is the patron saint of:
- Catechists and the writers of catechisms
- The Catholic press
- Germany, and the Swiss canton and city of Fribourg
Prayers to St. Peter Canisius
Written for this page.
For catechists
St. Peter Canisius, pray for all who teach the faith:
parents, catechists, teachers and priests.
Give them clear minds, patient hearts and the joy of the Gospel. Amen.
For those who have left the Church
St. Peter Canisius, you sought to win back those who had left the Church by charity, not by force.
Pray for (name), and help me to be a gentle and faithful witness. Amen.
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. Peter Canisius, priest and Doctor of the Church, is December 21, the day of his death.
Frequently asked questions
Why is St. Peter Canisius called the Second Apostle of Germany?
Because his preaching, schools and catechisms preserved and renewed the Catholic faith in German lands after the Reformation, as St. Boniface had first brought it there.
What did St. Peter Canisius write?
Catechisms, sermons, letters and spiritual works; his catechisms were reprinted hundreds of times.
When is St. Peter Canisius’s feast day?
December 21.
More saints
- St. Robert Bellarmine
- St. Ignatius of Loyola prayer
- Patron saint of teachers
- St. Francis de Sales prayer
- St. Charles Borromeo
- Saint of the day
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Bl. Peter Canisius,” public domain (Wikisource).