John of Sahagún
Encyclopedia
John of Sahagún also known as Saint John of San Facondo, was a Spanish
priest who belonged to the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine. Pope Paul VI
set 11 June as his feastday, which had been on 12 June in the Roman Calendar from 1729 to 1969.
(or San Facondo) in the Province of Leon
, in the Kingdom of Castile
. He was the oldest of seven children of John Gonzalez de Castrillo and Sancia Martinez, both pious and respected parents.
John received his early education from the Benedictines of his native city. After receiving ecclesiastical tonsure
, according to the custom of the times, his father procured for him the benefice
of the neighboring parish of Dornillos. He was later introduced to Monsignor
Alfonso de Cartagena
, Bishop of Burgos (1435–1456), who took a fancy to the bright, high-spirited boy. Bishop de Cartagena had him educated at his own residence, gave him several prebends, ordained him a priest
in the year 1445, and made him a canon
at the Cathedral of Burgos
. All of this caused John many qualms of conscience.
Moved by Divine grace and out of respect for the laws of the Church, John resigned all and retained only the chaplaincy of St Agatha, where he said Mass
, preached and catechized
the ignorant. He now began to lead a life of strict poverty and mortification
.
With his Bishop's consent, he obtained permission to enter the University of Salamanca
, where for four years he applied himself to the study of theology
. During this time he exercised the sacred ministry at the chapel of the College of St Bartholomew (in the parish of St Sebastian), and held that position for nine years. He devoted himself to the care of souls. Owing to illness, he was obliged to undergo an operation for the removal of stones. He vowed that if his life were spared, he would become a Religious.
Upon his recovery in the year 1463, he applied for admission to the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, at the Church of St Peter, in Salamanca
. In the following year, on August 28, 1464, John made his solemn profession.
By the command of his superiors, he gave himself wholeheartedly to the salvation of souls, and with the best results, to preaching the "Word of God
." By his zeal he was able to effect the entire reformation of the city of Salamanca.
John made such progress in religious perfection that he was soon appointed master of novices
, and later in the year 1471, prior
of the community. He conducted the Religious under his rule more by example than by his words.
Great was St John's devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
, that at the celebration of Mass he frequently saw the Sacred Host
resplendent in glory. He was gifted with a special power to penetrate the secrets of conscience, so that it was not easy to deceive him, and sinners were almost always forced to make good confession
s. He was able to obtain wonderful results in doing away with enmities and feuds.
In many ways, St John was like a fellow Religious who lived nearly 500 years later, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, who also had the uncanny ability to discern the secrets of conscience.
In his sermons Saint John, like St. John the Baptist, fearlessly preached the Word of God and scourged the crimes and vices of the day, by which the rich and noble were offended. He soon made many enemies, who went so far as to hire assassins, but these, awed by the serenity and angelic sweetness of his countenance, lost courage. Some women of Salamanca, embittered by the saint's strong sermon against extravagance in dress, openly insulted him in the streets and pelted him with stones until stopped by a patrol of guards.
St John's scathing words on the "sins of impurity" produced salutary effects in a certain nobleman who had been living in open concubinage
, but the woman swore vengeance. It was popularly believed that she had caused the saint's death by poison (this statement is found only in later biographies).
Saint John died on June 11, 1479, in Salamanca
at the Convent of the Augustinian Hermits.
" spread throughout Spain
.
The process of beatification
began in the year 1525 under Pope Clement VII
, and in 1601 he was declared "Blessed
" by Pope Clement VIII
.
New miracles were wrought through his intercession, and on 16 October 1690 Pope Alexander VIII
entered his name in the list of canonized saints. In 1729 Pope Benedict XIII
inscribed his liturgical feast day in the Roman Calendar for 12 June, since 11 June, the anniversary of his death was occupied by the feast of Saint Bartholomew. In the 1969 revision of the Roman liturgical celebration was left to local calendars because of the limited importance attributed to him on a universal level. In the Roman Martyrology
, the official list of saints of the Catholkic Church, his feast day is 11 June the date of his birth to heaven.
St John's relics are found in Spain, Belgium
and Peru
.
St John's life written by John of Seville
towards the end of the fifteenth century with additions in 1605 and 1619, is the one used by the Bollandists in "Acta SS.", June, III, 112.
In art, St John is represented holding a chalice
and Holy host surrounded by rays of light.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
priest who belonged to the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine. Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
set 11 June as his feastday, which had been on 12 June in the Roman Calendar from 1729 to 1969.
Life
Saint John was born in the year 1419, at SahagúnSahagún, Spain
Sahagún is a town in the province of León, Spain. It is the main town of the Leonese section of the Tierra de Campos comarca.Sahagún is notable for containing some of the earliest examples of the mudéjar style of architecture. It lies on the Way of St. James.The initial town arose due to the...
(or San Facondo) in the Province of Leon
León (province)
León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
, in the Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
. He was the oldest of seven children of John Gonzalez de Castrillo and Sancia Martinez, both pious and respected parents.
John received his early education from the Benedictines of his native city. After receiving ecclesiastical tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
, according to the custom of the times, his father procured for him the benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of the neighboring parish of Dornillos. He was later introduced to Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Alfonso de Cartagena
Alfonso de Cartagena
Alfonso de Santa María de Cartagena was a Jewish convert to Christianity, a Roman Catholic bishop, diplomat, historian and writer of pre-Renaissance Spain....
, Bishop of Burgos (1435–1456), who took a fancy to the bright, high-spirited boy. Bishop de Cartagena had him educated at his own residence, gave him several prebends, ordained him a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in the year 1445, and made him a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
at the Cathedral of Burgos
Burgos Cathedral
The Burgos Cathedral is a Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral in Burgos, Spain. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is famous for its vast size and unique architecture. Its construction began in 1221, and was in use nine years later, although work continued on and off for two hundred years...
. All of this caused John many qualms of conscience.
Moved by Divine grace and out of respect for the laws of the Church, John resigned all and retained only the chaplaincy of St Agatha, where he said Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, preached and catechized
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
the ignorant. He now began to lead a life of strict poverty and mortification
Mortification
Mortification can refer to:*Mortification , theological doctrine*Mortification of the flesh, religious practice of corporal mortification...
.
With his Bishop's consent, he obtained permission to enter the University of Salamanca
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
, where for four years he applied himself to the study of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. During this time he exercised the sacred ministry at the chapel of the College of St Bartholomew (in the parish of St Sebastian), and held that position for nine years. He devoted himself to the care of souls. Owing to illness, he was obliged to undergo an operation for the removal of stones. He vowed that if his life were spared, he would become a Religious.
Upon his recovery in the year 1463, he applied for admission to the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, at the Church of St Peter, in Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
. In the following year, on August 28, 1464, John made his solemn profession.
By the command of his superiors, he gave himself wholeheartedly to the salvation of souls, and with the best results, to preaching the "Word of God
Books of the Bible
The Books of the Bible are listed differently in the canons of Judaism and the Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Slavonic Orthodox, Georgian, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac and Ethiopian churches, although there is substantial overlap. A table comparing the canons of some of these traditions...
." By his zeal he was able to effect the entire reformation of the city of Salamanca.
John made such progress in religious perfection that he was soon appointed master of novices
Master of novices
The master of novices or novice master is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer those religious to whom is committed the training of the novices and the government of the novitiate of a religious order or congregation...
, and later in the year 1471, prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of the community. He conducted the Religious under his rule more by example than by his words.
Great was St John's devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
, that at the celebration of Mass he frequently saw the Sacred Host
Sacramental bread
Sacramental bread, sometimes called the lamb, altar bread, host or simply Communion bread, is the bread which is used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist.-Eastern Catholic and Orthodox:...
resplendent in glory. He was gifted with a special power to penetrate the secrets of conscience, so that it was not easy to deceive him, and sinners were almost always forced to make good confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
s. He was able to obtain wonderful results in doing away with enmities and feuds.
In many ways, St John was like a fellow Religious who lived nearly 500 years later, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, who also had the uncanny ability to discern the secrets of conscience.
In his sermons Saint John, like St. John the Baptist, fearlessly preached the Word of God and scourged the crimes and vices of the day, by which the rich and noble were offended. He soon made many enemies, who went so far as to hire assassins, but these, awed by the serenity and angelic sweetness of his countenance, lost courage. Some women of Salamanca, embittered by the saint's strong sermon against extravagance in dress, openly insulted him in the streets and pelted him with stones until stopped by a patrol of guards.
St John's scathing words on the "sins of impurity" produced salutary effects in a certain nobleman who had been living in open concubinage
Concubinage
Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...
, but the woman swore vengeance. It was popularly believed that she had caused the saint's death by poison (this statement is found only in later biographies).
Saint John died on June 11, 1479, in Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
at the Convent of the Augustinian Hermits.
Veneration
Soon after St John's death, his "cultCult (religious practice)
In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings , its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is...
" spread throughout Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The process of beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
began in the year 1525 under Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
, and in 1601 he was declared "Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
" by Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
.
New miracles were wrought through his intercession, and on 16 October 1690 Pope Alexander VIII
Pope Alexander VIII
Pope Alexander VIII , born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was Pope from 1689 to 1691.-Early life:Pietro Ottoboni was born of a noble Venetian family, and was the son of Marco Ottoboni, chancellor of the Republic of Venice...
entered his name in the list of canonized saints. In 1729 Pope Benedict XIII
Pope Benedict XIII
-Footnotes:...
inscribed his liturgical feast day in the Roman Calendar for 12 June, since 11 June, the anniversary of his death was occupied by the feast of Saint Bartholomew. In the 1969 revision of the Roman liturgical celebration was left to local calendars because of the limited importance attributed to him on a universal level. In the Roman Martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
, the official list of saints of the Catholkic Church, his feast day is 11 June the date of his birth to heaven.
St John's relics are found in Spain, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
St John's life written by John of Seville
John of Seville
John of Seville was the main translator from Arabic into Castilian together with Dominicus Gundissalinus during the early days of the Toledo School of Translators....
towards the end of the fifteenth century with additions in 1605 and 1619, is the one used by the Bollandists in "Acta SS.", June, III, 112.
In art, St John is represented holding a chalice
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
and Holy host surrounded by rays of light.