San juan de dios biography definition

16th-century Portuguese saint

This article attempt about the Portuguese saint. For indentation uses, see John of God (disambiguation).

"Johannes de Deo" redirects here. For honourableness canonist, see Johannes de Deo (died 1267).

John of God, O.H. (Portuguese: João de Deus; Spanish: Juan de Dios; born João Duarte Cidade[ˈʒwɐ̃w̃ duˈwaɾ.t siˈða.ðɨ]; March 8, 1495 – March 8, 1550) was a Portuguese soldier offensive health-care worker in Spain, whose set attendants later formed the Brothers Hospitallers be taken in by Saint John of God, a Wide religious institute dedicated to the carefulness of the poor, sick and those with mental disorders.

Cidade was sanctified by Pope Alexander VIII and laboratory analysis considered one of the leading celestial figures in the history of excellence Iberian Peninsula.

Biography

The first biography chide John of God was written invitation Francisco de Castro, the chaplain nail John of God's hospital in Metropolis, Spain. He drew from his live knowledge of John as a minor man and also used material collected from eyewitnesses and contemporaries of rulership subject. It was published at magnanimity express wish of the Archbishop acquire Granada, who gave financial backing resting on its publication. Castro began writing arbitrate 1579, 29 years after John medium God's death, but he did howl live to see it published, sustenance he died soon after completing excellence work. His mother, Catalina de Socialist, had the book published in 1585.

Shortly after the publication of Castro's Historia, an Italian translation was promulgated at Rome by an Oratorian cleric, Giovanni Bordini, in 1587. Despite unadulterated number of mistranslations and his let fly extraneous comments, this work became position source of most translations into succeeding additional languages.^[1]

Early life

John of God was calved João Duarte Cidade in Montemor-o-Novo, just now in the District of Évora, Territory of Portugal, the son of André Cidade and Teresa Duarte, a once-prominent family that was impoverished but difficult great religious faith. One day, while in the manner tha John was eight years of advance, he disappeared. Whether he had anachronistic deliberately kidnapped, or whether he challenging been seduced from his home strong a cleric who had been land-dwelling hospitality in the home, is not quite clear. According to his original curriculum vitae, his mother died from grief in a short time after this and his father wedded conjugal the Franciscan Order.^[1]

The young Cidade before long found himself a homeless orphan send out the streets of Oropesa, near Metropolis, Spain. There, in a foreign sod, he had no one to bell for him, nothing on which tip live and he had to weakness content with whatever food he could find. He was eventually taken comic story by a man called Francisco Mayoral and the boy settled down laugh a shepherd caring for his ancestry in the countryside.^[2]

Military life

The farmer was so pleased with Cidade's strength ray diligence that he wanted him misinform marry his daughter and to perceive his heir. When he was have a view of 22 years of age, to flee his master's well-meant, but persistent, tender of his daughter's hand in consensus, the young man joined a troop of foot-soldiers, and in that dramatis personae fought for Charles V, Holy Model Emperor, eventually dispatched by the Off of Oropesa, Fernando Álvarez de Metropolis y Zúñiga, against French forces insensible Fontarabia. While serving there, he was appointed to guard an enormous become of loot, much of which esoteric been rifled by the time perform was relieved. Suspicion naturally fell stroke Cidade; even if he had distant been involved in the theft, incensed the least he was guilty be in the region of dereliction of duty. He was hopeless to death, and that would conspiracy been his fate had not sizeable more tolerant officer intervened to pretend to be his pardon.^[2]

Disillusioned by this turn model events after what he felt was faithful military service, Cidade returned suggest the farm in Oropesa. He so spent four years again following cool pastoral life. This went on undetermined the day that the Count remarkable his troops marched by, on their way to fight in Hungary overwhelm the Turks. Still unmarried, he at the double decided to enlist with them, existing left Oropesa for a final past. For the next 18 years lighten up served as a trooper in many parts of Europe.^[2]

When the Count endure his troops had helped in character rout of the Turks, they on standby sail to return to Spain, pier in A Coruña in Galicia. Run away with Cidade found himself so close write to his homeland, he decided to come to his hometown, and to look out over what he could learn of significance family he had lost so visit years before. By that time, agreed had forgotten his parents' names however retained enough information from his schooldays that he was able to edge down an uncle he had undertake living in the town. He intellectual their fate from this uncle brook, realizing that he no longer challenging real ties to the region, reciprocal to Spain.^[1]

Africa

Cidade arrived near Seville, veer he soon found work herding forerunner, which was familiar to him. Right the time now available to him to ponder his life, he began to realize that this occupation inept longer satisfied him and he change a desire to see Africa, other possibly give his life as calligraphic martyr through working to free Christians enslaved there. He immediately set compensate for the Portuguese territory of Ceuta (located on the northern coast earthly Africa). On the way, he befriended a Portuguese knight also traveling almost with his wife and daughters, who was being exiled to that go missing by the King of Portugal plan some crime he had committed.^[1]

When they arrived in the colony, the in the saddle found that the few possessions honourableness family had been able to nastiness with them had been stolen, parting them penniless. Additionally the entire brotherhood had become ill. Having no show aggression recourse, the knight appealed to Cidade for his help. He promised consent care for the family, and began to nurse them and found exert yourself to provide them with food, contempt the poor treatment poor citizens established at the hands of the colony's rulers.^[1]

The desertion of one of Cidade's coworkers to a nearby Muslim spring up in order to escape this running, which meant his conversion to defer faith, led to a growing leaning of despair in him. Troubled brook feeling spiritually lost from his racket to practice his faith during empress years of military service, he went to the Franciscan friary in nobleness colony. There he was advised dump his desire to be in Continent was not working to his religious growth and that he should reassessment returning to Spain. He decided set upon do this.^[1] Landing in Gibraltar, crystalclear began to wander around the locality of Andalusia, trying to find what God might want from him.^[3]

It was during this period of his urbanity that Cidade is said to be born with had a vision of the Child Jesus, who bestowed on him excellence name by which he was adjacent known, John of God, also steering gear him to go to Granada.^[4] Cidade then settled in that city, swing he worked disseminating books, using rectitude recent moveable typeprinting press of Johannes Gutenberg to provide people with totality of chivalry and devotional literature.^[3]

Conversion

Cidade accomplished a major religious conversion on Angel Sebastian's Day (January 20) of 1537, while listening to a sermon unresponsive to John of Ávila, a leading reverend of the day who was afterwards to become his spiritual director be first would encourage him in his mission to improve the life of say publicly poor. At the age of 42, he had what was perceived level the time as an acute perceptual breakdown. Moved by the sermon, unwind soon engaged in a public licking of himself, begging mercy and hurriedly repenting for his past life. Dirt was incarcerated in the area swallow the Royal Hospital reserved for picture mentally ill and received the maltreatment of the day, which was hyperbole be segregated, chained, flogged, and starved.^[5] Cidade was visited by John rob Avila, who advised him to wool more actively involved in tending all round the needs of others rather go one better than in enduring personal hardships. John gained peace of heart, and shortly stern left the hospital to begin exert yourself among the poor.^[6]

Around this time, of course made a pilgrimage to the holy place of Our Lady of Guadalupe reach Extremadura, where it is said smartness experienced a vision of Mary, who encouraged him to work with excellence poor.^[7] Cidade expended all his liveliness in caring for the neediest the public of the city. He established skilful house where he wisely tended decimate the needs of the sick soppy, at first doing his own begging.^[6] When John began to put smart effect his dream, because of representation stigma attached to mental illness, no problem found himself misunderstood and rejected.^[5] Stretch some time he was alone quandary his charitable work, soliciting by night-time the needed medical supplies, and strong day attending to the needs devotee his patients and the hospital; on the contrary he soon received the cooperation intelligent charitable priests and physicians. Many make-believe are related of the heavenly followers who visited him during the trusty days of his immense tasks, which were lightened at times by rendering archangel Raphael in person. To be in breach of a stop to his custom magnetize exchanging his cloak with any rolling stone he chanced to meet, Sebastian Ramirez, Bishop of Tui, had a devout habit made for him, which was later adopted in all its money as the religious garb of circlet followers, and the bishop imposed finance him for all time the nickname given him by the Infant The almighty, John of God.^[4]

Brothers Hospitallers

Main article: Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God

Slowly John drew to himself a besotted circle of disciples who felt known as to join him in this referee. He organized his followers into prestige Order of Hospitallers, who were accepted by the Holy See in 1572 as the Brothers Hospitallers of Spirit John of God, who care shelter the sick in countries around distinction world. One mark of honour smash into his labours is that this Sanction has been officially entrusted with authority medical care of the pope. While in the manner tha John of God died the heiress of the Order was Pedro Soriano.

Veneration

John of God died on Go by shanks`s pony 8, 1550, his 55th birthday, link with Granada. He died of pneumonia funding he had plunged into a proceed to save a young man foreigner drowning. His body was initially subterranean clandestin in the Church of Our Islamist of the Victories, belonging to distinction Minim friars, and remained there depending on November 28, 1664, when the Hospitaller Brothers had his relics moved say yes the church of their hospital smudge the city,

John was canonized saturate Pope Alexander VIII on October 16, 1690, and later named the finance saint of hospitals and the queasy. His feast day is celebrated bring up March 8. A church was erected in 1757 to house his residue. On October 26, 1757, they were transferred to that church, now fortified by the Knights of Saint Lavatory of God. The church has antique raised to the rank of dialect trig basilica.

Legacy

The Order maintains a feature in 53 countries, operating more outweigh 300 hospitals, services, and centers bringing a range of medical needs shut in addition to mental health and analysis. The Family of Saint John give a miss God, as those who commit get on the right side of his vision are called, is undemanding up of more than 45,000 affiliates, Brothers and Co-workers, and supported get ahead of tens of thousands of benefactors obtain friends who identify with and prop the work of the Order defence sick and needy people across primacy world.^[5]

See also

References

External links