SAINT PETER CANISIUS

SAINT PETER CANISIUS
Confessor and Doctor of the Church

Peter Canisius (1521-97) was drawn to the Society of Jesus by the preaching of Bl. Peter Faber, the first disciple of St. Ignatius. Peter Canisius realized that in the Germany where Luther had recently been preaching heresy, many Catholics had no clear knowledge of their religion. He wrote a catechism that was of incomparable value to the heroic missioners of the Catholic Counter Reformation. He was a pioneer of the Catholic press, and founder of many Catholic colleges in Germany, Austria, and Bohemia. According to the Catechism of Petrus Canisius, 'the veneration of the Virgin Mary, is the best way to Jesus Christ and His Church.'

Mass of a DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, except

COLLECT
O God, You made the blessed confessor Peter a bulwark of virtue and learning in the defense of the Catholic Faith. May his example and teaching lead the erring back to the path of salvation and strengthen the faithful in bearing witness to the truth. Through Our Lord . . .

SECRET

O Lord, let the blessed confessor and doctor Peter always help us, and through his intercession accept our offering and pardon our sins. Through our Lord . . .

POSTCOMMUNION

O Lord, may this sacrifice bring us closer to our salvation through the intercession of your blessed confessor and illustrious doctor Peter. Through our Lord . . .