Captain in Charge of a Vital Army

 On the Feast of St. John Berchmans, Patron Saint of Altar Boys

One of those young men blessed from the beginning, it seems, with the disposition to become a Religious, John Berchmans was born in 1599 to the family of a shoemaker in Diest, Belgium. The oldest of five children, he learned service and sacrifice at a young age at the bedside of his chronically ill mother, caring for her and keeping her company with cheerful tenderness, while also helping tend to his siblings. His challenging home life was not his only school of character, though; Catholics of the Flemish low country were struggling through the confusion and discord of the ongoing Protestant revolt at this time, as well, but young John remained close to his faith and family, and with the prudence of a pious child with good Catholic counsel, sought his first job as a servant in the house of Canon John Froymont. Happily, this position was not only in a wonderfully edifying environment, but it also enabled him to continue his studies -- something unusual for boys of his age and social standing in the early 17th century.  

When John was sixteen years old, the Jesuits opened a college in the town of Mechelen, about sixty miles away - and John, with the blessing of the canon and his parents, became one of its first students. Strongly influenced by his Jesuit teachers, he quickly developed the aspiration to follow them into the Society of Jesus, but, as often seems to be the case in many saints' lives, his path to his vocation was not made easy. His parents, for some reason, and one of his closest advisors counseled him away from the Jesuits, and his father, most indisposed to the order, threatened to remove any financial backing if he persisted in his plan to join. But, of course, our saint followed the calling of Christ, and joined the Society of Jesus, receiving his first vows in 1618. Afterward, he studied philosophy in Antwerp, then traveled to Rome for two years of study at the Roman college. He had begun his third year of philosophy studies in 1621 when he was pleased to participate in a philosophical roundtable at the Greek College there at the university. It was later noted how well and impressively he comported himself, entering into the discussions with clarity and wisdom, but no sooner had he left the Greek College than he was seized with a fever, dying shortly thereafter, on August 13th, 1621, at only twenty-two years and five months of age.

Amazingly enough, the piety of this young man had already become widespread knowledge in Rome, and a crowd formed nera his rooms shortly after his death, with the faithful wishing to view his remains -- already as if they were holy relics -- and pray for his intercession. And he did intercede.  His miracles were boutiful. Unsurprisingly, the process for his canonization began almost immediately. The miracle that cinched his canonization occurred at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Coteau, Louisiana, in 1866. A young novice, named Mary Wilson, ill to the point of death, and unable to consume food for 40 days prayed for the intercession of  St. John: "Being unable to speak," she later wrote, "I said in my heart: 'Lord, Thou Who seest how I suffer, if it be for your honor and glory and the salvation of my soul, I ask through the intercession of Blessed Berchmans, a little relief and health. Otherwise give me patience to the end." She went on to describe how St. John Berchmans  then appeared to her, the moment at which she was instantly healed. The precise documentation of this miracle entered into the cause for St. John filled the requirements for his entry into the canon of saints.

* Interestingly, in honor of this miracle, the academy in Louisiana named its boys' school (opened in 2006) after St. John Berchmans -- making it the only shrine in America where a shrine exists at the exact location of a confirmed miracle.

Fr. Philip (then Frater Philip c.2015) teaching
his two youngest brothers how to serve at the altar.

Like St. Therese of Lisieux, St. John Berchmans is known for being a "saint of the little way," attentive to striving for perfection in the small simple things. He is described as having been  charming and outgoing with a particular tender kindness that endeared him to all who met him.  He had one "grand hope" for his life: he wished, after his ordination, to become an army chaplain, in the hope that he might be martyred on the battlefield. Such a holy and manly desire, not just to die for God, but to die for God while assisting others in the faith! It was not to be, however. God chose to take St. John Berchmans to Himself before he could try for this possibility, before he could even be ordained. As always, God's plan was bigger and better: instead of an army chaplain, St. John was put in charge of the army of young men who would assist in all future generation at the great battle for souls: his soldiers are the altar boys who serve daily at Holy Mass. 

* Other Notes of Interest *

* St. John Berchmans was declared Blessed in 1865 and canonized in 1888. In his iconography, he is most often seen with his hands clasped, his crucifix, rosary and book of rule held near to his heart.

We are blessed to have been gifted with a 
relic of St. John Berchmans. A wondrous 
thing, as we have six altar boys in the family.

* Considering that he had a particular devotion to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, it is no accident, to be
sure, that St.  John Berchmans' chief relics are entombed in the left transept of San Ignazio Church in Rome, while St. Aloysius is entombed just across the aisle in the right transept (with St. Robert Bellarmine!). At the time of his death, however, his heart was returned to the church at Louvain, his home town in Belgium. It can be venerated to this day where it rests on a side altar in the church in a silver reliquary.

* You are not likely to find the Feast of St. John Berchmans on many calendars, as his feast day has never been entered into the official General Roman Calendar, but it was added into the Missae pro aliquibus locis (prior to John XXIII)of the Roman Missal as a provision for its being celebrated on either August 13th or November 26th. Since it marks the day of his entrance into heaven (dies natale), the day of St. John's death, August 13th, is most usually recognized as his feast day, but the Society of Jesus apparently observes the November date. (Not sure why or for how long this has been a practice.)

St. John Berchmans, pray for us! Bless and help all our altar servers to crave the nearness to Our Lord throughout their lives that they experience while assisting their priests at the altar. Amen.