---
title: "St. Peter Canisius: Feast Day December 21 · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-peter-canisius/
description: "St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church. Remembered on December 21, died 1597. Read their life in Bless."
---

Priest and Doctor of the Church · Remembered on December 21

# St. Peter Canisius

St. Peter Canisius is remembered on December 21 in Bless’s calendar of saints.

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Remembered on | [December 21](https://blessbible.app/saints/december/#21) |
| Title | Priest and Doctor of the Church |
| Died | 1597 |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Monday, December 21, 2026](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-peter-canisius/#calendar) |

## Life

The Dutch Jesuit who almost single-handedly held the German lands for the Church — forty years of preaching from Vienna to Fribourg, founding colleges, attending Trent, and writing the catechism that went through two hundred editions in his lifetime. He assured the overburdened that with God’s help they would find time to do it all.

## In the calendar

The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Peter Canisius. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.

| Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Monday, December 21, 2026](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2026/12/21/) | Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent | Violet | Song of Songs 2:8-14 · Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21 · Luke 1:39-45 |
| [Tuesday, December 21, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/12/21/) | Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent | Violet | Song of Songs 2:8-14 · Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21 · Luke 1:39-45 |
| [Thursday, December 21, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/12/21/) | Thursday of the Third Week of Advent | Violet | Song of Songs 2:8-14 · Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21 · Luke 1:39-45 |

Readings

Reading citations through May 31, 2027 are as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar. Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

[December 20 St. Dominic of Silos](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-dominic-of-silos/) [December 22 Sts. Chaeremon and Ischyrion](https://blessbible.app/saints/sts-chaeremon-and-ischyrion/)

[All the saints of December](https://blessbible.app/saints/december/) [Born on December 21?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#12-21) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/)

Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here.

St. Peter Canisius

Remembered on December 21

On this page

1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-peter-canisius/#life)
2. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-peter-canisius/#calendar)

In the app

Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.