St John Berchmans

John was the son of a shoemaker; he had 4 brothers and sisters. His mom and dad raised their children to know Jesus and 3 of them gave their lives to Jesus as religious (priests and nuns). John knew he wanted to be a priest from the time he was a little boy. He became an altar server and helped at every Mass he could. When he was 7 years old, his mother became sick and John spent many hours beside her, keeping her company and praying for her. When he was 16 years old, he joined the Jesuit College and started to study to become a priest. He was sent to Rome to continue his studies. He lived his life doing everything with great care, making sure it was all for God’s glory. In his 3rd year of studying to become a priest, he was asked to speak at a meeting at a Greek College, to tell people about the Catholic faith. After giving a wonderful speech he came home to his college and became sick with the Roman fever, a terrible illness that he could not overcome. He died when he was only 22 years old. St. John loved the Blessed Virgin Mary very much, and he left us the Chaplet of the Immaculate Conception, which he prayed every day so that Mary could help him to be pure his whole life. The Rosary has 3 groups of four beads, with a large bead separating them, and a medal of the Immaculate Conception is attached to remind us of Mary’s purity. On the large beads we say, “Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and then we pray the Our Father and Glory Be. On the 4 small beads we say the Hail Mary. Try finding or making a Chaplet like this and asking Mary to help you be pure for Jesus too.