Cancellier was born in Dunkirk in 1580 and entered the Abbey of Dunes in 1597.
He went on to serve as bursar, and on 30 July 1610 was elected abbot in succession to the late Andreas du Chesne.
The monastery had been badly damaged in the Dutch Revolt, and Cancellier attempted a renovation of the remaining buildings, financing it by selling off parts of the medieval ruins as building materials.
[1] He was instrumental in convincing the magistrates of his native Dunkirk to establish a Jesuit college in the town.
[3] His biography, by Charles de Visch, was published in Bruges in 1655 and reprinted in Brussels in 1660.