Saint John of God was born March 8, 1495 in Portugal. His family had once been a well respected family of the country, but had fallen onto poor fortunes and was suffering at his time of birth. Saint John of God and his family were all extremely faithful to God though. His father joined a monastery after his mother’s passing when John was still very young. Due to works later in Saint John of God’s life, he is remembered as the patron saint of firefighters.
When John was old enough to hold a job, he worked in his father’s fields as a shepard. His father was very proud of John and his dedication and care for his work. John was given an offer by a local farmer to marry his daughter. This would have given John the rights to the property of that farmer. Saint John wished to devote himself to God though, so he declined the offer of marriage.
Saint John moved to Spain at this point and served in the military there. Once the war was finished, John began working on his writing and spreading the word of God through print. The newly invented printing press helped him do this.
Saint John had a great realization of what he should be doing with his life during Mass one day. Saint John of Avila was preaching and he realized he was meant to help the poor. John lost his mind after this Mass though. His madness is said to have been brought on by God. The people in town were frightened of John, so they had him sent to a mental institution.
Saint John of Avila heard of John’s troubles and came to see him in the mental institution. After a long talk with John of Avila, he came back to his senses. Saint John made his point clear to John of Avila, which was that his life was to be dedicated to helping the poor from that point forward.
Saint John of God moved to Grenada, Spain after his release from the mental hospital. He spent all of his time and efforts helping the poorest people in the city. Saint John gained many other followers who wished to do the same as him, so he organized them into an order. He named the order the Order of Hospitallers.
Saint John passed away in March of 1550 at the age of fifty five. In 1690, John was canonized a saint by Pope Alexander VIII. His feast day falls on March 8th each year.
