thumb|Tomb of Saint John Cantius.<br>Church of St. Anne, Kraków, Poland.

John Cantius (; or ; 23 June 1390 – 24 December 1473) was a Polish Catholic priest, scholastic philosopher, physicist and theologian.

Biography

John Cantius was born in Kęty, a small town near Oświęcim, Poland, to Anna and Stanisław Kanty. He attended the Kraków Academy at which he attained bachelor, and licentiate. In 1418 he became a Doctor of Philosophy. Upon graduation he spent the next three years conducting philosophy classes at the university, while preparing for the priesthood.

Upon his ordination, he became rector at the school of the Canons Regular of the Most Holy Sepulcher in Miechow. Ninety-one years after his beatification, John Cantius was canonized on 16 July 1767, by Pope Clement XIII.

The Roman Breviary distinguishes him with three hymns; he is the only confessor who is not a bishop to have been given this honor in the Catholic liturgy.

St. John Cantius is a popular saint in Poland. A number of churches and schools founded by Polish diaspora communities throughout North America are named in his honor, in cities as far-ranging as Cleveland, Ohio; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Rolling Prairie, Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; St. Cloud, Minnesota; Wilno, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Erie, and Windber, Pennsylvania; New York City and Buffalo, New York.

"John Cantius" has been used as a first and middle name&mdash;see, for example, John Cantius Garand.

Feast day

When St. John Cantius's feast day was first inserted into the General Roman Calendar in 1770, it was initially assigned to 20 October, but in the calendar reform of 1969 it was moved to 23 December, the day before the anniversary of his death, which occurred on Christmas Eve 1473.

See also

  • Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius
  • St. John Cantius Church (Chicago)
  • St. John Cantius Church in the article on Wilno, Minnesota
  • Saint John Cantius, patron saint archive

References

  • Biography from the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius
  • Bull of Canonization (1767) by Pope Clement XIII
  • Novena to Saint John Cantius
  • Biography at The Catholic Forum
  • Patron Saints Index: Saint John Cantius
  • The Saints: A concise Biographical Dictionary, (ed. John Coulson), Hawthorn Books, Inc. 1960