Joseph Calasanctius
| St. Joseph Calasanz, Sch.P. | |
|---|---|
The Last Communion of St Joseph Calasanz, by Goya (1819)
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| Religious, priest and founder | |
| Born |
September 11, 1557 Peralta de la Sal, Kingdom of Aragon, Crown of Aragon |
| Died | August 25, 1648 (aged 90) Rome, Papal States |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | August 7, 1748, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Benedict XIV |
| Canonized | July 16, 1767, Rome, Papal States, by Pope Clement XIII |
| Major shrine | San Pantaleone, Rome |
| Feast | August 25 August 27 (General Roman Calendar 1769-1969) |
| Patronage | Catholic schools |
Joseph Calasanz, Sch.P. (Spanish: José de Calasanz; Italian: Giuseppe Calasanzio), (September 11, 1557 – August 25, 1648), also known as Joseph Calasanctius and Josephus a Matre Dei, was a Spanish Catholic priest, educator and the founder of the Pious Schools, providing free education to the sons of the poor, and the Religious Order that ran them, commonly known as the Piarists. He is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Calasanz was born at the Castle of Calasanz near Peralta de Calasanz in the Kingdom of Aragon, on September 11, 1557, the youngest of the eight children, and second son, of Pedro de Calasanz y de Mur, an infanzón (minor nobleman) and town mayor, and María Gastón y de Sala. He had two sisters, Marta and Cristina. His parents gave him a good education at home and then at the elementary school of Peralta. In 1569, he was sent for classical studies to a college in Estadilla run by the friars of the Trinitarian Order. While there, at the age of 14, he determined that he wanted to become a priest. This calling, however, met with no support from his parents.
For his higher studies, Calazanz took up philosophy and law at the University of Lleida, where he earned the degree of Doctor of Laws cum laude. After those studies, he began a theological course at the University of Valencia and at Complutense University, then still at its original site in Alcalá de Henares.
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