The first words of the “Hail Mary” came from the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation and the greeting of Elizabeth at Mary’s visit to her. Then the name Jesus was added to identify the “fruit of her womb.” Our saint for today, St. Peter Canisius, is credited with having added “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners” in 1555, and the Church concluded it with “now and at the hour of our death.” What a great contribution did St. Peter Canisius give to our Marian prayer! How he loved to pray the Hail Mary! St. Peter was a renowned Jesuit Catholic priest. He was born in 1521 in Nijmegen, Netherlands. He studied at the University of Cologne, earning a master’s degree at the age of 19 in 1540. There, he met Fr. Peter Faber, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, and through him Peter Canisius joined the Jesuits in 1543. He became a very influential preacher of his time, debated and taught in German-speaking Jesuit colleges. In 1562, he founded a college which became the University of Innsbruck. Because of his accomplishments and the many difficulties, he encountered in this mission, he became known as the ‘Second Apostle of Germany,” St. Boniface, being the First. During his time, Protestantism had progressed well in Germany since many intellectuals adopted it, thus Catholicism seemed to be the religion of the ignorant. Peter’s work was very tiresome and dangerous. He taught in the colleges, preached in the city and the neighboring towns and debated. By his debates, Peter showed that the Protestants were mistaken in their belief. Peter became known for his strong support of Catholicism in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the British Isles. The restoration of the Catholic faith in these countries is largely attributed to the Jesuits led by Peter. His lasting contribution were his three catechisms which he published in Latin and German which became very popular. They were translated into almost every language in Europe. Poland had also become largely Protestant. Thanks to Peter and the other Jesuits, it turned back to the Catholic Church and continues to sustain its faith until this modern era. Having a special devotion to the Virgin Mother of God, he explained that the Hail Mary is the basis of Catholic Marian piety. He wrote Marian books and promoted the sodalities of Our Lady and the Rosary associations. He defended Catholic Mariology and traced the historical document of Mary’s perpetual virginity. He explained the dogma of “Mother of God” and her freedom from sin. He justifies the devotion to Mary in the Catholic Church. When Peter left Germany, the Society of Jesus in the country had already become a large group and a powerful band to refute Protestantism. He spent the last twenty years of his life in Fribourg where he founded the Jesuit College Saint-Michel, a famous university for career education. When he was 70 years old, Peter suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed but he continued to preach and write with the aid of a secretary until his death on December 21, 1597 at Fribourg, Switzerland. He was initially buried at the Church of St. Nicholas. His remains were later transferred to the church of the Jesuit College, which he had founded. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 21, 1925 and was proclaimed as a Doctor of the Church.
