John Berchmans
Catholic Jesuit saint
Feast: 13 August (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
John Berchmans was born at Diest on 12 March 1599, the first of five children of a Flemish tanner. When he was ten his mother fell gravely ill and he was sent to relatives and then to a boarding house, already set on becoming a priest.
Reading the life of Aloysius Gonzaga, he understood where God wanted him and joined the Society of Jesus. Loved by all for his sincere piety, frank charity and constant cheerfulness, he met death calmly after a short illness in 1621.
The miracles
The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A cheerful young Jesuit who became holy in the faithful doing of ordinary duties.
Connected on this site
- Aloysius Gonzaga Saint“His spiritual model was his fellow Jesuit Aloysius Gonzaga, and he was influenced by the example of the English Jesuit martyrs.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Giovanni Berchmans
- Wikidata Q724169 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — John Berchmans (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.