St. John Berchmans: Life and Legacy

Early life of St. John Berchmans

John Berchmans, the first-born child of the shoemaker John Charles Berchmans and his wife, Elizabeth, grew up in a deeply Catholic household amid religious strife in the Low Countries. From an early age, he felt drawn to a religious vocation. When he was thirteen, he entered the service of Canon John Froymont in Mechelen (Malines), enabling him to pursue his education despite his family’s financial hardship.

Inspired by St. Aloysius Gonzaga and the English Jesuit martyrs, he resolved to enter the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), even though his family opposed the decision. He began his Jesuit novitiate on 24 September 1616.

Studies and vocation in Rome

Having made his first vows in 1618, Berchmans was sent to Rome to read philosophy at the Roman College, now the Pontifical Gregorian University. He became recognised for his diligence, cheerfulness, humility and commitment to everyday responsibilities, expressed in his motto: “Not so much doing great things as doing well what one is told to do.”

Berchmans died in Rome on 13 August 1621, aged twenty-two, after becoming ill with fever and dysentery. Pope Pius IX beatified him in 1865, and Pope Leo XIII canonised him on 15 January 1888. His heart is kept as a relic in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium.

Legacy of St. John Berchmans

St. John Berchmans is venerated around the world, and numerous schools and churches bear his name.