St John (1542 – 1591) was born in Fontiveros near Avila, Spain. His father was from a rich heritage. However, when he married a lower class orphaned bride he was rejected by his family and forced to work as a weaver.
When St John was seven, his father died and at nine, his older brother died, probably from the effects of undernourishment. St John received a basic education in a school for poor and orphaned children. His school selected him to serve as an assistant at a nearby monastery. Thereafter, St John worked in a hospital and studied at a Jesuit school.
At 22, St John joined the Carmelites, studied Theology at the prestigious University of Salamanca and was subsequently ordained a Priest.
St John, deeply influenced by a vision he received of the Crucified Jesus Christ, became a major figure of the Counter-Reformation and a reformer of the Carmelite Order.
St John’s Feast Day is the 14th December. He is one of only thirty-seven (2023) Doctors of the Church.
St John of the Cross:
Pray that we will come to a full understanding of the gentleness and mercy of the Risen Jesus.
Glory be to the…
