Saint John of Kanti

Priest and Doctor
(1390–1473)

Saint John of Kanti, known in Polish as Jan Kanty, was born on June 23, 1390, at Kanti near Oswiecim in Poland and received an excellent education at the University of Krakow, where he was ordained a priest and became a professor of theology. He was a man of great learning who combined intellectual distinction with a personal holiness that manifested itself in extreme simplicity of life, tireless charity to the poor, and an unfailing gentleness in all his dealings with others.

He endured a period of exile from his academic post, being replaced by other professors who envied his position and preferred to have him removed. During this period he served as a parish priest in Olkusz, where the parishioners initially treated him with hostility that gradually turned to admiration and love as they came to know his holiness. He was recalled to Krakow and restored to his professorial chair, where he remained for the rest of his long life.

He lived in extreme poverty, giving away almost everything he possessed to the poor, and made four pilgrimages on foot to Rome. He was known throughout Krakow for his readiness to give away his cloak, his shoes, or any other necessity of life to those in greater need, and stories of miraculous provision for his own needs are associated with his charity. He was also known for his patient endurance of personal injury without complaint or resentment, teaching his students that if struck or insulted they should not respond in kind.

He died on December 24, 1473, at the age of eighty-three, having spent over forty years teaching at Krakow. He was canonised by Clement XIII in 1767 and is venerated as the patron of Poland and of Lithuania. His feast is celebrated on December 23rd.