Thomas à Kempis
German canon regular
Feast: 25 August (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Thomas Haemerken of Kempen, son of artisans, went at thirteen to the schools of Deventer, where he was welcomed by the Brothers of the Common Life.
He became a canon regular at Mount St Agnes and is the author of The Imitation of Christ. He died on 25 July 1471.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia records that efforts were begun to introduce his cause, but little more than a beginning was made.
Why that counted as sanctity
The author of The Imitation of Christ.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Thomas à Kempis
- Wikidata Q220976 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Thomas à Kempis (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.