Man's Call To Salvation

John, son of a shoemaker, was born in a small town in Belgium in 1599. As a boy, John had a very great devotion to Holy Mass and the Rosary.

When John was only nine years old, his mother became ill. Every day after school, he gave as many hours as he could to the care of his suffering mother.

For three years, he was a pupil of a parish pastor who prepared boys for the priesthood. Then he entered the newly opened Jesuit College of Mechlin in 1615. A year later, he joined their novitiate.

After three years, eager to continue his studies, he journeyed to room on foot to enroll at the Roman College. This difficult journey took him ten long weeks.