Rev. William Reany D. D.

A Champion of the Church is a good basic biography of St. Peter Canisius, who helped lead the charge to restore Catholicism in much of the German-speaking world after the Reformation. An educator and theologian, Canisius, who was born in what is now the Netherlands, became one of the foremost leaders of Counter-Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire and Switzerland. He was also the first Dutch Jesuit (not that he necessarily would have thought of himself as thus). All in all, Canisius a very interesting man who lived a very interesting life.

The book suffers a bit from age. It follows the very old-fashioned method of using French versions of German place-names (Treves instead of Trier, etc.), which can be confusing for those who don't know their French geography. But beyond that, it makes for a good read for those interested in the Counter-Reformation and those who fought it.… (mere)