John Berchmans
| Saint John Berchmans, SJ | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Jesuit Scholastic and Saint | |
| Born |
13 March 1599 Diest, Seventeen Provinces |
| Died | 13 August 1621 (aged 22) Rome, Papal States |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 1865 |
| Canonized | 15 January 1888 |
| Major shrine | Sant'Ignazio |
| Feast | 26 November (until 1969) 13 August (after 1969) |
| Attributes | Often depicted with hands clasped, holding his crucifix, his book of rules, and his rosary. |
| Patronage | Altar Servers, Jesuit scholastics, and students |
Saint John Berchmans, SJ (Dutch: Jan Berchmans) (13 March 1599 – 13 August 1621) was a Jesuit scholastic and is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He is the patron saint of altar servers.
John Berchmans was born 13 March 1599, in the city of Diest situated in what is now the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, the son of a shoemaker. His parents were John Charles and Elizabeth Berchmans. He was the oldest of five children and at baptism was named John in honor of St. John the Baptist. He grew up in an atmosphere of political turmoil caused by a religious war between the Catholic and Protestant parts of the Low Countries. When he was age nine, his mother was stricken with a very long and a very serious illness. John would pass several hours each day by her bedside. He studied at the Gymnasium (grammar school) at Diest and worked as a servant in the household of Canon John Froymont at Malines in order to continue his studies. John also made pilgrimages to the Marian shrine of Scherpenheuvel, some 30 miles east of Brussels, but only a few miles from Diest.
In 1615, the Jesuits opened a college at Malines (Mechelen) and John Berchmans was one of the first to enroll. Immediately upon entering, he enrolled in the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin. When John wrote his parents that he wished to join the Society of Jesus, his father hurried to Malines to dissuade him and sent him to the Franciscan convent in Malines. At the convent, a friar who was related to John, also attempted to change his mind. Finally as a last resort, John's father told him that he would end all financial support if he continued with his plan.
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