Peter Faber was Ignatius' first recruit. He was born on April 13, 1506, in the village of Villaret, Savoy, France. As a youth he shepherd his father's flock in the high pastures of the Alps. He was endowed with an extraordinary memory. His mind was so active, he longed to go to school, but his family was poor. Hearing his late night weeping, his parents decided to send him to a small school seven miles away. Peter, a brilliant student, quickly graduated and made his way with the aid of scholarships to the college of Sainte-Barbe at the University of Paris in 1525.

It was here that his real vocation became clear to him, in quite an unexpected manner. Faber became a very intimate friend of roommates, Francis Xavier and Ignatius. It was Ignatius who guided Faber through the Spiritual Exercises, which was a turning point in Faber's life. He decided to become a priest, and was ordained in 1543.

Faber was one of Ignatius' dedicated and most trusted followers. He excelled in preaching and teaching, and had a particular flair of giving the Spiritual Exercises. He amazed everyone with his knowledge in the defense of the catholic faith and was one of the leading theologians of his day. Owing to his qualities, he was quickly sent to distant towns to preach and help reform the church, and help contain the protestant onslaught.

He laboured for many years in Germany in the defense of the Catholic faith. He traveled extensively, giving his best in discussion, preaching, at the confessional, or even visiting the sick in hospitals. At Speyer, Ratisbon and Mainz, he gave the Spiritual Exercise with such tact that many people found their way back to God. This only demonstrated how efficient a shepherd Faber was in caring for the flock entrusted to him by God. From Germany, he was spent to Spain and later back to Germany. His stopover at his home country of Savoy, brought about the conversion and change of heart of many. In gratitude, the people of Savoy still regard Peter Faber as their patron saint.

After his second innings at Germany, he was sent to Portugal to establish the Society of Jesus there. The Pope once more wanted Faber to represent him at the Council of Trent. He makes his way to Rome en route to Germany. In Rome, he fell sick, from overwork and exhaustion. In all these undertakings, Peter Faber had committed himself wholeheartedly. The ardent zeal with which he engaged himself in the above various tasks are really amazing. He traveled extensively, criss-crossing Europe several times. He never recovered from this illness. He died in the arms of Ignatius on August 1, 1546 in Rome.

Richard D'Souza SJ