John Berchmans
John Berchmans, SJ (13 March 1599 – 13 August 1621) was a Belgian Jesuit scholastic and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church.
In 1615, the Jesuits opened a college at Mechelen, Belgium and Berchmans was one of the first to enroll. His spiritual model was his fellow Jesuit Aloysius Gonzaga, and he was influenced by the example of the English Jesuit martyrs. Berchmans is the patron saint of altar servers, Jesuit scholastics, and students.
Patron saint of Ateneo de Manila University; Ateneo de Naga University; Ateneo de Davao University; Ateneo de Zamboanga University; SB College Changanasserry, Kerala, India; Sacred Heart School - Ateneo de Cebu; Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan
In the Martyrology
- August 13 Saint John Berchmans, Jesuit religious