St. Peter Faber

St. Peter Faber (Pierre Favre) was born on 13 April 1506 into a peasant family at Villaret in Savoy (in modern France), and died on 1 August 1546 at Rome. As a student in Paris he shared a room with Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, and under Ignatius's guidance he found his vocation, becoming the first of the little band who would form the Society of Jesus to be ordained a priest — and the one who led the others through the Spiritual Exercises.

He spent his short life in constant travel across Europe on the Church's business during the Reformation, and was esteemed above all for his exceptional gift of spiritual direction and for giving the Exercises, drawing many, including future saints, closer to God. Gentle in temperament, he counseled meeting those estranged from the Church with charity, prayer, and friendship rather than hostility. Long venerated for his holiness, he was declared a saint by Pope Francis in 2013.