English Translation

Canisius, worldly name Peter d e H o n d t, born on 8.5.1521 in Nijmegen, entered the Jesuit order in 1543 as the first interpreter in Cologne and became court preacher and confessor of Ferdinand I in Vienna in 1552. He worked with great success for the spread of the Order and for the suppression of the Reformation in Germany, especially in Cologne, Bavaria and Austria. His catchsims are widely used for all the stands that are still in use in Germany today. He was canonized in 1864 for his extraordinary earnings around the counter-reformation. The work of Drews, "Petrus Canisius, the first German Jesuit", published at the end of the 19th century, covers his merits for the counterreformation in detail. After his arrival in Prague, Canisius refused the gift of houses, but demanded the Dominican monastery of St. Clemens near Charles Bridge. After the Domi- nicans had been removed, canisius took possession of the monastery with 11 other Jesuits of German descent. There he soon opened a high school and later a philosophical-theological high school. Here he placed particular emphasis on the education and education of the maturing youth. In order to win as many pupils as possible, the teaching was fundamentally indispensible for children of all stands. Through his relations with Ferdinand I, Canisius managed to preserve the estates of the Order of Celestine in Oybin b/Zittau and the possessions of Dobrilugk Monastery as a gift to the Jesuit order in 1556. Furthermore, a new church and seminary for poor students was opened from state resources. The most important factor for the beginning of recatholicization in Bohemia was the teaching activity carried out by the Jesuits in the subsequent period. In a rapid consequence, colleges were formed in all the larger places, which had excellent teacher succession.