John Berchmans

Saint John Berchmans SJ
Jesuit Scholastic and Saint
Born	(1599-03-13)13 March 1599 Diest, Seventeen Provinces (now Diest, Belgium)
Died	13 August 1621(1621-08-13) (aged 22) Rome, Papal States
Venerated in	Catholic Church
Beatified	28 May 1865
Canonized	15 January 1888
Major shrine	Sant'Ignazio
Feast	26 November (after 1969) 13 August (until 1969)
Attributes	Often depicted with hands clasped, holding his crucifix, his book of rules, and his rosary.
Patronage	Ateneo de Manila University Ateneo de Naga University Ateneo de Davao University Ateneo de Zamboanga University Sacred Heart School - Ateneo de Cebu Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

John Berchmans, SJ (Dutch: Jan Berchmans [jɑm ˈbɛr(ə)xmɑns]; 13 March 1599 – 13 August 1621) was a Jesuit scholastic and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church.

In 1615, the Jesuits opened a college at Mechelen, Belgium and Berchmans was one of the first to enroll. His spiritual model was his fellow Jesuit Aloysius Gonzaga, and he was influenced by the example of the English Jesuit martyrs. Berchmans is the patron saint of altar servers, Jesuit scholastics, and students.