Peter Faber

About Peter Faber

Peter Faber was born on 13 April 1506 at Le Villaret in Savoy. His family gave him his early religious formation, and he later traveled to Paris for university study. There he met Francis Xavier and Ignatius of Loyola. The three became part of the small circle from which the Society of Jesus arose. Faber's path from a Savoy village to the Paris schools shows how study, friendship and religious commitment converged in the first Jesuit generation.

On 15 August 1534, Faber and his companions made vows at Montmartre. The papal decree describes him as a priest who offered spiritual guidance to the early group and helped others encounter Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises. He was valued for listening and accompanying people. Such descriptions come from the Jesuit and Catholic memory of his ministry, but the central actions—vows, priesthood and direction of others—are stated in the canonization record.

After attempts to travel to the Holy Land failed, Faber and the others moved to Rome. From 1538 he offered himself for papal service. Pope Paul III sent him on assignments that included teaching at the Sapienza and work in Parma. There he preached, encouraged confession and communion, and worked with priests. The repeated moves were part of the young Society's way of serving wherever it was sent.

In 1540 Faber was sent to Germany for religious discussions, and he later served in Portugal, Spain and Italy. The decree presents him as seeking reconciliation amid the disputes of the Reformation; the Jesuits' account likewise emphasizes his patient approach to opponents. His personal journal, the Memoriale, records his prayer and discernment. These sources support a portrait of sustained spiritual practice alongside a demanding itinerant ministry, without requiring a claim that he settled the conflicts he encountered.

Called to Rome for the Council of Trent, Faber died there on 1 August 1546.

Pope Francis extended his veneration throughout the Catholic Church on 17 December 2013.

The Jesuits celebrate his feast on 2 August, a day after the documented death date.