Joseph Calasanz
Joseph Calasanz was born on September 11, 1557. See ranking, bio blurb, and everyone else born that day.
About Joseph Calasanz
Joseph Calasanz (Catalan: Josep de Calassanç; Spanish: José de Calasanz; Italian: Giuseppe Calasanzio; September 11, 1557 – August 25, 1648), also known as Joseph Calasanctius and Josephus a Matre Dei, was a Spanish Catholic priest, educator and the founder of the Pious Schools, which provided free education to poor boys. For this purpose he founded the religious order that ran them, commonly known as the Piarists. He became a close friend of the renowned astronomer Galileo Galilei. Joseph is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church, following his 1767 papal canonisation.