Saint of the day November 26: Saint John Berchmans. Catholic Saints

Every November 26, the Society of Jesus celebrates Saint John Berchmans, a Jesuit saint of Flemish origin born in 1599, who died at the age of 20 when he was a seminarian. The universal Church celebrates its feast day on August 13.

Juan Berchmans (1599-1621) is part, along with Saint Stanislaus Kostka (1550-1568) and Saint Louis Gonzaga (1568-1591), of the group of young saints who had a decisive influence on what is known as “youthful Jesuit spirituality.” ”.

With the impetus of youth

John was born in Diest, Duchy of Brabant (Belgium), on March 13, 1599, into a simple family. His father worked as a shoemaker and his mother dedicated herself to household chores as much as her strength allowed, given that she was in very poor health. Little Juan was, consequently, in charge of taking care of his younger siblings and helping his mother. At the age of 10 he got his first job, thanks to the help of a priest friend. With the money he earned he helped alleviate family expenses.

John later moved to Mechelen, Flanders, where he found work as a children’s tutor, employed by a canon. A Jesuit school would soon open in the city, which greatly excited the young preceptor. Determined, Berchmans applied to the newly founded institution and managed to be accepted as a student.

At school, Juan was impressed with Jesuit spirituality and began to consider the possibility of becoming “a son of Saint Ignatius.” His teachers viewed him with appreciation because he performed very well academically and was liked by his classmates. Although his father was not very happy with the idea of ​​his son becoming a Jesuit – at first he was strongly opposed to such a consideration – he was impressed by his determination and ended up agreeing to his decision.

“The Happy Brother”

While in the novitiate of the Company, Juan received the news that his mother was dying. Unfortunately, although he loved it with his heart, he could not return and go see her. A beautiful letter, full of spiritual consolation, then reached his father. It was John, remarkably expressing his hope in the midst of painful circumstances and the security he had in God’s promises. That letter was of great comfort to his father and a confirmation that his son’s vocation was very serious.

In 1618, John Berchmans was sent to the Roman College of the Jesuits, in the Eternal City, Rome. There he once again stood out for his love of studying and camaraderie. He had a special ability for languages ​​and became fluent in English, French, German, Flemish, Italian, Latin and Greek.

In the seminary they called Juan “The Happy Brother,” because he had a smile on his face almost all the time; He was kind, jovial and attentive to everyone. There were many who said that his presence was enough to make them happy. At the same time, Juan was exemplary in the most difficult matters of life together. He was one of those kids capable of humbly admitting his mistakes or his discomforts: more than once he admitted that sometimes it was difficult for him to live with people so different from him, but that he was not willing to make that an impediment.

Filial piety to Mary

Whatever good came from his heart, John attributed it to the Mother of God. He had a tender devotion to Her. He was convinced of the centrality that Mary has in the salvation of each person. Juan used to say with a fine sense of humor: “If I manage to love Mary, my salvation is certain; I will persevere in religious life, I will achieve whatever I want; In a word, I will be all-powerful.”

Those words were not even remotely verbal excess. They were born from the depths of Juan’s heart, immensely grateful to the Virgin. It was his way of paraphrasing Saint Augustine in his “Love and do what you want.” Thus, with his heart on fire, Juan repeated to himself every day: “I want to love Mary”; and he would make a solemn promise to Our Mother: “To affirm and defend everywhere the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.”

Final delivery

Suddenly, one day, after one of the competitions organized at the seminary, Juan had to be admitted to the infirmary due to headaches. His superior had already noticed months before a certain weakness or chronic fatigue, but like many others in the seminary, he had not taken it as a very serious sign. Berchmans was one of those who worked the hardest, always attentive to serving and fulfilling his duties.

His health continued unstable, until he suddenly became very ill. Berchmans left for the Father’s House on August 13, 1621, in the words of his friends, as a result of “total exhaustion.” It is very likely that his death was the result of some lung condition or infectious disease.

When he died, Juan Berchmans was only 20 years old. He was beatified in 1865 by Blessed Pius IX and canonized in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII.

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If you want to know more about San Juan Berchmans, you can read this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Juan_Berchmans.