St. John Berchmans was a Jesuit priest, confessor, and patron saint of altar servers. The eldest son of a shoemaker, John was born in Diest, Brabant, and entered the newly founded Jesuit college at Malines, in 1615. In 1618, he was sent to Rome and became known for his intense holiness. He died at the age of twenty-two after displaying heroic fidelity as a religious. Many miracles were reported after his death, and he was canonized in 1888.