Saint John of God (Spanish: San Juan de Dios; Portuguese: São João de Deus) (March 8, 1495 – March 8, 1550) was a Portuguese-born friar andsaint, who has become one of Spain's leading religious figures.
St. John of God was born João Cidade in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, into a once prominent family that was impoverished but had great religious faith. His mother died when he was only a small child, and his father joined a monastic order.
As a young man, St. John worked as a shepherd for a farmer, who was very pleased with his strength and diligent work. John had an offer to marry the farmer's daughter and become heir to the property; he refused because he wanted to pursue a spiritual life in the name of the Lord.
He moved to Spain, where he served as a heroic soldier under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and fought in a few battles. After many heroic exploits, he worked disseminating religious books, using the recent Gutenberg moveable-type printing press to provide people with the word of the Lord.
He experienced a major spiritual conversion on Saint Sebastian's day (January 20), while listening to a sermon by Saint John of Ávila, the man who was later to become his spiritual mentor and would encourage him in his quest to improve the life of the poor. He then went temporarily into what appeared to be a state of madness brought on by the Lord and was subsequently thrown into an insane asylum, where he recovered after a visit from Blessed John of Ávila and realized that the poor and needy deserved better treatment than he had received. He decided to devote the rest of his life to caring for the sick and the poor.
Settling in Granada, Spain, he expended all his energy to caring for the neediest
He died on March 8, 1550, his 55th birthday. He was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII on 16th, October 1690, and later named the patron saint of hospitals, the sick, nurses, firefighters, alcoholics, and booksellers. St. John's feast day is commemorated on March 8.
The order have a base in Celbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, helping people with disabilities in the area.
St John of God is the patron of the mentally and physically ill. He also assists those who are writers and who have heart problems.
He also assists with the following issues:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Healing
- Heart Ailments
- Hospitalization
- Joy, increasing
- Space Clearing
- Spiritual dedication
John of God was many things in his long life: a shepherd, a soldier and mercenary, a book seller, a servant, and a hospital administrator. Everything he did seemed a little crazy. He ran away from home when he was very young, he ran away from being a shepherd to join the army, he reformed his life overnight after he fell off his horse, he decided to help an exiled family by being their servant the first day he met them, he started a hospital to take care of all the sick and poor in the city.
His motto was: "Labor without stopping. Do all the good works you can while you still have the time." Because he could make up his mind so quickly to do the right thing and follow God, John of God can help us when we need to do the right thing, especially when we need to decide quickly. Whether it's to smile at the kid in class who was mean yesterday, or to let your little sister have the first pick of cookies, John of God will always help us when we ask. He'll jump to help us!
John teaches that everything is possible and even in the crazy moments we can still serve our highest purpose. Follow your heart and in doing so everything becomes a part of service and assistance. This month he reminds you, life does not have to be conventional. We do not have to confirm to the worlds perception of what is right for us. Be honest in all your dealings but stay true to your souls purpose. It sometimes may involve taking risks but life would be boring without them.
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