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Article: October 23 + Saint John of Capistrano

October 23 + Saint John of Capistrano - VENXARA®

October 23 + Saint John of Capistrano

It has been said the Saints are the world’s greatest optimists. Not blind to the existence and consequences of evil, they base their confidence on the power of Christ’s redemption. The power of conversion through Christ extends not only to sinful people but also to calamitous events.

Imagine being born in the 14th century. One-third of the population and nearly 40 percent of the clergy were wiped out by the bubonic plague. The Western Schism split the Church with two or three claimants to the Holy See at one time. England and France were at war. The city-states of Italy were constantly in conflict. No wonder that gloom dominated the spirit of the culture and the times.

John Capistrano was born in 1386. His education was thorough. His talents and successes were great. He studied law at the University of Perugia and when he was 26, he was made governor of Perugia. Imprisoned after a battle against the Malatestas, he resolved to change his way of life completely. At the age of 30 he entered the Franciscan novitiate and was ordained a priest four years later.

John’s preaching attracted great throngs at a time of religious apathy and confusion. The largest churches could not hold the crowds, so he preached in the public squares — in Brescia in Italy, he preached to a crowd of 126,000. He was instrumental in reviving a dying faith and devotion.

When the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, John was commissioned to preach a crusade for the defense of Europe. Gaining little response in Bavaria and Austria, he decided to concentrate his efforts in Hungary. He led the army to Belgrade. Under the great General John Hunyadi, they gained an overwhelming victory, and the siege of Belgrade was lifted.

Worn out by his heroic efforts, John was an easy prey to the bubonic plague after the battle. He died on October 23, 1456.

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