St. John Berchmans

1. St. John Berchmans the not so saintly saints

2. basic information • Born on March 13, 1599, in Diest, Brabant • Died on August13 ,1621, in Rome • Beatified in 1865 • Canonized in 1888

3. childhood • He was naturally kind, gentle, and affectionate towards them, a favourite with his playmates, brave and open, attractive in manner, and with a bright, joyful disposition • When he was seven years old, M. Emmerick, his parish priest, already remarked with pleasure that the Lord would work wonders in the soul of the child.

4. He was but nine years of old when his mother was stricken with a long and serious illness. John would pass several hours each day by her bedside, and console her with his affectionate though serious, words. • When he lived with some other boys at M. Emmerick's house, he would undertake more than his share of the chores, selecting the more difficult tasks. • He was hardly seven years old, he was accustomed to rise early and serve two or three Masses

5. sainthood • John is the type of the saint who performs ordinary actions with extraordinary perfection. • John proposed to himself. "If I do not become a saint when I am young, I shall never become one". He would have preferred death to the violation of the least of the rules of his order. "My penance", he would say, "is to live the common life... I will pay the greatest attention to the least inspiration of God."

6. sources • http://ahscmo.blogspot.com/2009/11/st-john-berchmans.html • http://www.kiyu.com/stjohnschurch/ • http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08450a.htm • http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FyiCRbnW5WU/SigbtwzYz_I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/bnaUiEamAAo/s320/giveThanks300.gif • http://teachers.emints.org/FY07/rosters/images/thanks.gif

7. thank you for listening!!!