He was one of the most important figures in the Catholic Counter-Reformation in Germany. His was such a key role that he has often been called the second apostle of Germany in that his life parallels the earlier work of Boniface.
Although Peter once accused himself of idleness in his youth, he could not have been idle too long, for at the age of 19 he received a masters degree from the university at Cologne. Soon afterwards he met Peter Faber, the first disciple of Ignatius Loyola, who influenced Peter so much that he joined the recently formed Society of Jesus.
At this early age Peter...