Saint John of Kanty was born on June 23, 1390 in Kanty, Poland. He was brilliant and studied at the University of Krakow; he became a priest and a professor of theology at the University of Krakow. He was falsely accused and ousted by university rivals and at age 41 he was assigned as a parish priest in Bohemia, but was terrified of this new position, even though he took it very seriously and he did his best. It took his parishioners a long time to warm up to him, but eventually they did and he won their hearts. After several years in the parish he returned to Krakow and taught Scripture for the rest of his life.
He slept very little, ate no meat, and was a humble man. He made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and wanted to be martyred by the Turks. He made four pilgrimages to Rome and he carried his luggage on his back.
He died on December 24, 1473 on Krakow of natural causes. He was so well loved that veneration began immediately. His doctoral gown was worn for years by graduates receiving advanced degrees on the University of Krakow. He was declared the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania in 1737, thirty years before his canonization; he was canonized in 1767.
"Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause."
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