St Peter Canisius

Peter Canisius is one of the great Catholic reformers because he rebuilt as much as he defended. A Jesuit of learning, tact, and endurance, he spent himself teaching, preaching, writing catechisms, advising bishops and rulers, and traveling wherever the faith was weak or under strain. His work was never merely controversial. It was positive and constructive: schools, instruction, organization, patient explanation, and the steady rebuilding of Catholic confidence in German-speaking lands.

The catechisms alone gave him an influence far beyond his own journeys. He remains attractive because charity and moderation never diluted his firmness. They made it last.