As we get close to our celebration of Christmas, we hear of Mary traveling to visit her cousin Elizabeth, for them to support each other when both of them were journeying into the unknown with the will of God calling them to a specific vocation as mothers of important figures in the history of salvation. We, too, often have to follow God’s will into the unknown. Germany was the center of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, led by Martin Luther, who had been an Augustinian monk. Peter Canisius born in that same era. Although he was born in the Netherlands, he spent most of his priesthood in Germany. He is now known at the second Apostle of the Germans, the first being St Boniface who originally brought Christianity to that region of the world. We celebrate Peter Canisius’ feast day today. As a young man, Peter met Peter Faber, a close friend of St Ignatius of Loyola. Canisius joined the Jesuits as a priest, a religious order of priests founded in the era of the Protestant reformation whose members pledged a particular loyalty and allegiance to the Pope. As a young priest, Peter could often be found visiting the sick or imprisoned, even when his assigned duties in other areas were more than enough to keep most people fully occupied. After attending several sessions of the Council of Trent, Peter was later assigned to implement the decrees of that council in his native country of Germany. He taught in several universities there and was instrumental in establishing many colleges and seminaries. In addition, he wrote a catechism that explained the Catholic faith in a way that common people could understand, which was greatly needed in the era of the reformation. Dying in 1597, he was canonized a saint and named a doctor of the Church in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. In the midst of our Advent journey, may we unite our prayers with Peter Canisius.
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