On St. John of Kanty
From a letter on John of Kanty, priest by Pope Clement XIII
In heart and speech he was attuned to God
Saint John of Kanty deserves a high place among the great saints and scholars who practice what they preach and defend the true faith against those who attack it. When heresy and schism were gaining ground in neighboring territories, his teaching at the University of Krakow was untainted by any error. At the pulpit he fought to raise the standard of holiness among the faithful, and his preaching was reinforced by his humility, his chastity, his compassion, his bodily penance and other qualities of a dedicated priest and apostle.
He was a unique contribution to the reputation and credit of the professors of the university; he also bequeathed a wonderful example to those of his profession, an inspiration of complete dedication to duty and to their teaching – in theology and other sciences – for the honor and glory of the one God.
With the sense of worship that he brought to his teaching of the sacred sciences he combined humility. He never put himself above another, but treated himself as of no account, even though he was acknowledged by all as their master. So far was he from pretenses that he even wished to be an object of contempt in the eyes of all who underestimated his worth. He could take their insults and cutting remarks in stride.
With his humility went a rare and childlike simplicity: the thoughts of his heart were revealed in his words and actions. If he suspected that someone had taken offense at speaking the truth, before going to the altar he would ask forgiveness for what was not so much his own sin as the other person’s misunderstanding. Every day after his round of duties he would go straight form the lecture room to church. There he would spend long hours in contemplation and prayer before the hidden Christ of the Eucharist. The God in his heart and the God on his lips were one and the same God.
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings
Sketch of Saint John Kanty by Mariola Paini of Krakow, Poland residing in Costa Mesa California
John of Kanty (1390-1473) was born at Kanty in the diocese of Krakow in 1390. After his ordination to the priesthood, he taught for many years at the academy in Krakow. But John was removed from his university position through the unjust acquisitions of his rivals who resented John’s popularity with the students. They brought up false charges against him and this resulted in his being sent off to an assignment as pastor of the town parish in Olkusz, located in Bohemia. The parishioners there, after hearing of his removal from the university, also resented him and felt their town was being used as a dumping ground for a priest “in disgrace.” But after eight years, he was completely exonerated and transferred back to Krakow. He had been so successful in his work as a pastor that these once-hostile people followed him several miles down the road, begging him to stay. John taught his students his philosophy “Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.” John was a serious, humble man of piety and was exceptionally generous to poor. He slept very little, eating no meat at all and little of anything else. He saw himself as a sinner and offered these acts of self-denial for the atonement of his own sins and the sins of others. He made four pilgrimages to Rome on foot, carrying his luggage on his back. He died of natural causes on Christmas Eve on December 24, 1473 at the age of 83. He was declared patron of Poland and Lithuania in 1737 and canonized a saint on July 16, 1767 by Pope Clement XIII.