St. John Kanty

St. John Kanty, also called John Cantius, was born on 24 June 1390 at Kęty in Poland and studied at the University of Kraków, where he spent most of his life as a priest and professor of theology and the sacred sciences. A scholar of great learning and a diligent teacher, he was equally renowned for the simplicity and humility of his life, giving away his goods and even his clothing to the poor and keeping only what he needed.

Many tales are told of his charity and gentleness, and of his counsel to his students to "fight all false opinions, but let your weapons be patience, sweetness, and love," for harshness, he taught, harms the soul more than it helps the cause of truth. Devoted to prayer, he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Rome on foot several times. He died in Kraków on 24 December 1473 and was canonized in 1767. A patron of Poland, of Lithuania, and of teachers and students, he is celebrated on 23 December.