Peter Canisius, defender of the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation

Of Dutch origin, Peter Canisius was one of the first members of the Society of Jesus, founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, of whom he was a friend. Ordained a priest, he led an exceptionally intense Christian life, devoting all his time to evangelising his contemporaries, especially those from working-class backgrounds. His Catechism remains a masterful reference, the perfect response to the Protestant theses then in vogue in Western Europe. Proclaimed a saint in 1925, he was elevated to the supreme rank of Doctor of the Church on 21 May of the same year.

St Peter Canisius in the stained glass window of the Dreifaltigkeitskirche / © Shutterstock, Renata Sedmakova.

Les raisons d'y croire :

Canisius carried out an extraordinary evangelisation work across several countries (Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, etc.), in rudimentary material conditions and in an unfavourable political and religious context: since the 1520s, Protestantism had been gaining ground in Europe.

He was a scholar and spiritual leader of the first rank: master of arts, professor of rhetoric and Latin, theological adviser to the Council of Trent, he preached at the court of the German emperor Ferdinand I... But Peter Canisius was also humble, charitable, profoundly kind (starting with Lutherans and Calvinists), and approachable.

His knowledge of the Bible, the Fathers of the Church and the Catholic tradition as a whole was astounding. He successfully opposed the best Protestant theologians of his time (including Melanchton). In 1556, as a councillor at the Diet of Regensburg (Germany), he succeeded in defeating the Protestant theologians, who were forced to withdraw.

His Catechism led countless people to learn about and deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith. It is recognised by the highest authorities of the Catholic Church as a model of synthesis of Catholic doctrine and a definitive refutation of Protestant theses; it was translated into almost every European language until the middle of the 20th century. Only one hundred and thirty years after its publication, this work went through four hundred successive editions.

In 1892, a Protestant author and biographer of the saint spoke of the Catechism in these terms: "The presentation [is] a model of lucidity and clarity, without parallel among Catholic books".

The Holy See has always honoured Peter Canisius, recognising him as an exceptional apostle: as early as 1549, Pope Paul III sent him to teach at the University of Ingolstadt (Bavaria); in 1562, he intervened at the Council of Trent on the question of communion under both species; and he served as Apostolic Nuncio to Poland.

His work within the Society of Jesus is also incredible: in just thirty years, he alone founded eighteen Jesuit colleges across the continent, and taught in several of them.

In his general audience on 9 February 2011, Pope Benedict XVI referred to the saint as "a very important figure of the Catholic 16th century", whose work of evangelisation, which seemed impossible at first sight, was achieved "through the power of prayer [...], that is to say, through a deep personal friendship with Jesus Christ".

His mystical life was of a rare and extraordinary richness: all his pastoral work was based on the person of Christ, with whom he spoke at length every day. On 4 September 1549, he wrote in his diary: "You, at the end, as if you were opening to me the heart of the Most Holy Body, which I seemed to see before me, commanded me to drink from this fountain, inviting me, as it were, to draw the waters of my salvation from your springs, O my Saviour".

Synthèse :

Born in Nijmegen (Netherlands) to a father who belonged to the wealthy local bourgeoisie and was the city's burgomaster, Peter lost his mother, Ægidia van Houweningen, shortly after his birth. He received a solid and broad intellectual and religious education. In 1536, he went to Cologne (Germany) to study law and the liberal arts. He was a brilliant student, with a perfect command of Latin and a thirst for knowledge.

He was also a prayerful man. His faith took precedence over all other considerations, and young Peter was determined to enter God's service as soon as he could. In the meantime, he took up what was to become one of his specialities: Sacred Scripture and the Fathers of the Church, whose works he read with great passion. A student at the University of Louvain (Belgium) in 1539, he was awarded a Master of Arts the following year in Cologne (Germany).

From that moment on, young Peter was in the midst of Christian and humanist Europe, torn apart by the Protestant question. He quickly realised that a number of sovereigns and faithful would convert to Protestantism if the Church did not provide them with arguments to respond to the reformers and demonstrate the truth of the Catholic faith. He soon became convinced that the Lord was asking sincere believers, including himself, to commit themselves to the defence of Catholicism. He understood that Europe needed to be evangelised once again.

In 1543, he met Peter Favre, the first companion of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It was a revelation. Gradually won over by Ignatius' charism, Canisius began the Spiritual Exercises, which lasted thirty days, at the end of which he decided to join the newly-formed Society of Jesus. He was admitted shortly afterwards, not far from Mainz (Germany). From then on, he devoted his days and nights to praying to God, meditating on the Gospel, continuing his countless patristic readings and helping the poor he met along the way. The Carthusian monks of Cologne provided him with a great deal of spiritual help: it was through their contact that he deepened his understanding of the solitary life, obedience and humility, and explored Rhenish mysticism and the "Devotio moderna", two religious currents that have played such an important role in Europe since the end of the Middle Ages. A master of secular culture of the highest order, the young saint was also a keen student of sacred history. It was from the combination of these two facets of culture that he drew the elements he needed to evangelise the people of his time. In a prophetic sign, he founded the first Jesuit house in history in Cologne. At the age of twenty-eight, he was an esteemed academic, rector of a faculty, translator of the Fathers of the Church and an exemplary Christian.

In 1546, he was ordained a priest and went to Italy shortly afterwards. He was quickly accepted into episcopal circles and, the following year, he took part in the Council of Trent for the first time, as an adviser to the Cardinal-Bishop of Augsburg, Mgr Othon Truchsess de Waldbourg. He spent his novitiate at the side of Saint Ignatius. In the spring of 1548, he was sent to Messina (Italy, Sicily), where, along with a dozen companions, he founded the first college of the Company. He founded seventeen more before his death, spread throughout most of Europe.

In 1549, Pope Paul III asked him to teach at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria. There, he discovered the extent of the Protestant question, with the seduction that Martin Luther's theses exerted on ruling and working-class circles. He realised that many converts to Protestantism were in fact doing so out of ignorance. Remedying this ignorance would be an excellent way of bringing German believers back into the fold of the Church. His intuition proved to be very accurate. For some thirty years, he worked tirelessly to win back souls. In Central Europe, he deployed superhuman energy, which he drew from prayer and the sacraments.

After taking his solemn vows in Rome at the hands of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, he obtained a doctorate in theology. In 1550, he was elected rector of the University of Ingolstadt. His popularity grew. Sent to Austria by Saint Ignatius, he preached at Saint Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna and at the imperial court. He was offered the archbishopric of Vienna, but turned it down several times out of humility. He was nevertheless forced to accept the post of administrator of this archdiocese for a time. All his tasks and travels were devoted to the evangelisation of Germany. In 1555, he took part in the Diet of Augsburg, alongside Emperor Ferdinand I. Then, by papal decision, he took part in the Diet of Worms (Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate). This was a form of consecration. In his eyes, it was a way of influencing German rulers tempted to switch to the Protestant Reformation. His contemporaries, Catholic and Protestant alike, pointed to his charity towards all, regardless of social status, gender or age. The gentleness and patience with which he dealt with the Lutherans were extraordinary.

In 1556, he prevailed theologically against the most brilliant representatives of German Protestantism, including Melanchthon. Defeated, the latter left Worms. For his part, Saint Ignatius observed his brother in religion, realising that he was an exceptional person. He entrusted him with increasing responsibilities within the Society: provincial superior of Upper Germany, founder of colleges, teacher of theology, Latin and rhetoric in several European establishments... These years were an intellectual and spiritual high point for the saint.

Alongside these countless activities and functions, in just three years he wrote his famous catechism, which in reality comprised three texts covering and explaining the entire Catholic faith, each intended for a particular audience: the Summa doctrinae christianae (1555), or "Great Catechism", addressed to an audience of literate, Latin-speaking people with a solid grasp of history; the Minimus (1556), adapted for young people, with a collection of prayers and a Latin grammar; and, finally, the Parvus (or Minor), with illustrations, for children. Printed in 1558, the catechism was available in Vienna and Antwerp the following year, in Rome in 1560 and in Krakow shortly afterwards. A new German edition was published in 1564. In addition to the great theological and spiritual quality of this work, its unique pedagogical dimension should also be noted: in the version intended for the youngest readers, the text, which is easy to memorise and supported by duly chosen illustrations, is perfectly assimilated by children, even going so far as to invent a reading technique for the youngest readers, by dividing the longest words into syllables. Our times still marvel at the didactic qualities of the catechism.

In 1580, Peter Canisius moved to Fribourg (Switzerland). He spent his last years there. There he founded a new Jesuit college, a Marian congregation, in the church of Notre-Dame, and constantly perfected his catechism. He returned to God on 21 December 1597. His body was laid to rest in the church of Notre-Dame in Fribourg. Pope Pius IX beatified him in 1864. He was included in the catalogue of saints in 1925 by Pius XI, who shortly afterwards proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church.

Patrick Sbalchiero

Au-delà des raisons d'y croire :

The tree is judged by its fruit: this expression is admirably suited to Saint Peter Canisius, whose work continues to enlighten the Catholic world - and beyond - 427 years after his death. A university lecturer at the age of twenty-eight, a rector and a fine specialist in patristics, he was undoubtedly one of the greatest intellectuals of his time, whose will and intelligence were matched only by the fervour of his faith. Familiar with the greatest people in the world, as the 7,550 pages of his correspondence testify, and close to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, before whom he took his religious oath, he was above all a friend of the little ones, the voiceless, and particularly of children, for whom a large part of his famous catechism is intended.

Aller plus loin :

Saint Peter Canisius by James Patrick Brodrick S.J., Jesuit Way; Reprint edition (March 16, 1998)

En savoir plus :

O. Braunsberger, Petri Canisii Epistolae et Acta, I. Freiburg im Breisgau, 1896.
Mgr Léon Cristiani, Le Bienheureux Pierre Canisius Paris, Gabalda, 1925.
Xavier Lecœur : Saint Pierre Canisius, second apostle of Germany, La Croix of 19-20 December 2015.
YouTube video: " La miséricorde chez Pierre Canisius ", lecture by Father Pierre Emonet, s. j.