St. Peter Canisius Research Paper St. Peter Canisius Peter Canisius was born in Nijmegen, Holland to a wealthy household in 1521.
His male parent was Jakob Kanijis, an teacher of the princes tribunal in the tribunal of Duke Lorraine. He was a well-thought-of adult male, being appointed nine times as city manager of his native town. ( McGraw-Hill ) Although Peter’s female parent died at an early age, he had a loving step-mother who stressed instruction and raised him to fear God. Although Peter accused himself of blowing his young person, by the clip he was 19, he had already earned a maestro of humanistic disciplines degree at Cologne University.
As a adolescent, Canisius began to happen himself.;Though giving in at first, he resisted his male parent ; # 8217 ; s forcing him to go a attorney and alternatively followed a way of analyzing divinity. ( Thurston and Attwater ) At Cologne, Peter foremost started composing earnestly, something that would tag the singularity of his full calling. Besides, he made familiarities in a circle of devout priests who worked to derive reforms within the Catholic Church.
Soon, after go toing a retreat headed by Peter Faber, one of the first six comrades of Ignatius Loyola, he joined the Society of Jesus. By going a Jesuit, he began the important portion of his life. He rapidly rose the ranks of the Jesuit hierarchy. Within old ages, he became renowned for his cognition of the Bible and his ability to acquire to the Black Marias of people.
Over his calling, he was shuttled from location to location, largely in Germany, antagonizing the Protestant motion which had virtually destroyed the Catholic Church in many countries. He is frequently referred to as the Second;Apostle of Germany. From 1549 to 1580, he established 20 Jesuit colleges all over Europe, all of them marked by excellence and all of them bring forthing strong Catholic political and religious leaders. ( Eliade ) At the nucleus, though, the qualities that made him great were his authorship, his cognition of the Bible, his passive reasoning manner and his work ethic.
Peter Canisius was among the members of the elite when it came to comprehension of religious affairs or anything pertaining to God. He could ; # 8220 ; duke it out ; # 8221 ; with any of the Protestant theologists who were in general far more knowing than the theologists of the Catholic church. He could establish his statements for philosophy on Bible merely every bit good as any Protestant. ( Bentley ) It was non this alone, though, that caused others to follow him into Catholicity.
It was the manner in which his statements were effected.Canisius was austere towards the leaders and propagators of Protestantism but he was soft in his statements. When reasoning for Catholic philosophy, he thought it was of import to non emphasize things the Protestants were leery of such as confession, purgatory and indulgences. Alternatively, ; # 8220 ; their demand, as that of kids, is for milk, and they should be led gently and bit by bit to those tenets about which there is a dispute.
; # 8221 ; He didn ; # 8217 ; t contemn or call on the carpet those who had been born into or drifted towards Protestantism. He felt that they were headed in the incorrect way, but it wasn’t because they were malicious or even because they were cognizant of the way they were traveling. They had simply been misguided. Therefore he felt it was his occupation to demo them the right way that he felt was Catholicism.
This was non an alibi to be discourteous or to call on the carpet. Rather, it was a clip to be soft and polite.( Thurston and Attwater ) Peter’s soft manner of debate led to much success. He revived the Catholic church and sustained it in many countries including Ingolstadt, Vienna, Augsburg, Innsbruck, and Munich.
In all of these topographic points he taught and preached, but was ne’er excessively forceful. This is non to advert the other work he did while on location. He anointed the sick. He visited captives and attended to those who had been struck with the pestilence.
It is estimated that he covered 6,000 stat mis in three old ages on horseback and pes. Peter Canisius was an tireless adult male. He had a work ethic that wouldn & # 8217 ; t quit. He said, & # 8220 ; If you have excessively much to make, with God & # 8217 ; s aid you will happen clip to make it all.
Despite all these accomplishments, the work that Canisius is best known for is his authorship.He was the first Jesuit author. Despite holding written from a reasonably early point in his life, Peter was non the greatest author in the universe. He didn & # 8217 ; t compose anything that was truly new and he didn & # 8217 ; Ts have any literary aspiration but his authorship was still clever.
What makes his plants intriguing is the unheard of degree of understanding that he acquired. His most celebrated Hagiographas were three catechisms, each with their ain particular intent. The first catechism was entitled the Summa Doctrinae Christianae. It contained 213-223 elaborate inquiries and replies about Catholic philosophy.
It was designed as a collection for universities and graduating categories of Jesuit schools. The 2nd catechism was called Summa doctrinae christianae per questiones tradita et ad captum rudiorum accomodata. It asks 59 inquiries on Catholic philosophy and gives short, but concise replies. It was intended to give initial spiritual direction to kids.
The 3rd catechism was entitled Catechismus Minor seu parvus Catechismus Catholicorum. This 3rd catechism includes a elaborate calendar with banquets and saints in add-on to 124 inquiries and short replies. This catechism was intended to be a text edition for secondary Jesuit schools. All of these plants were typical of Peter’s character.
They were detailed, concise and comprehensive.They clearly explained the Catholic church’s positions and were mass produced until the nineteenth century. These catechisms were so helpful to Catholics of the twenty-four hours that they were translated into tonss of linguistic communications. Wholly, there were about 200 editions of the catechisms put out, even while he was alive.
( McGraw-Hill ) By 1591, Peter was making old age. It was in this twelvemonth that he suffered a paralytic ictus. This brought him to the threshold of decease but he managed to retrieve to the point where he could compose once more, with the aid of a secretary. This was the beginning of the terminal, though for Peter Canisius.
He died on December 21, 1597. In 1925, he was canonized. At the same clip he was declared a Doctor of the Church for his catechetical surveies. St.
Peter was an unforgettable figure for the Catholic church in the 1500’s. Through his cognition, prophesying and authorship, he saved Catholicism in Germany. Were it non for him, Catholicism could perchance hold been non-existent throughout much of eastern Europe. His gentle attack to supporting Catholic philosophy was really of import in footings of drawing back Protestants who had been misguided to the Catholic church.
He was a indefatigable adult male to whom the Catholic church will ever be indebted.
