St. John Grande

St. John Grande, a Brother of St. John of God, was born at Carmona, Seville, Spain, on March 6, 1546 into a very devout Christian family, baptized in the parish church of San Pedro where he was educated from the age of seven to twelve as a choir boy.

He began work as a trader, but shortly afterwards he went into retreat in order to discern his vocation. At that time he took the name of "Juan Pecador" -- John the Sinner -- the name which stayed with him until his death.

In 1565 he started a new life in Jerez de la Frontera serving God through his work with prisoners, the poor and the incurably sick. To help them he begged for alms and founded a hospital which he called Our Lady of Candlemas.

In 1574 he joined the Order founded by St. John of God in Granada. His great energy and specific Hospitaller spirituality drove him on to live the Gospel as the Good Samaritan, practicing mercy, living in very close contact with the sufferings of the destitute and the incurably sick, sustained by a deep interior life, self-sacrifice and prayer while performing his extraordinary apostolate. He was outstanding for his love for the Passion, the Eucharist and Our Lady; he was a great mystic of Hospitality.

His hospital and his companions, whom he formed in accordance with "The Statutes of John of God" were the fruit of this deep apostolic/Hospitaller spirituality. With these companions he founded other Centres at Medina Sidonia, Arcos de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa María, San Lúcar de Barrameda, and Villamartín.

At the request of the Archbishop of Seville he carried out a root-and-branch reform of the health care services, reducing the number of hospital, reorganizing them and improving care for the poorest people. In doing this, silently be extremely efficiently, he proved himself to be a pioneer in rationalizing the health car system in Jerez and its environs.

When the town was stricken by great plague epidemics and emergencies he stepped up his care and charity work, as well as his prayer and acts of penance, and in 1600 he gave up his own life as a martyr of charity while caring for the victims of the plague.

Beatified in 1853 by Pius IX he was canonized by John Paul II on June 2, 1996, and his Feast will be celebrated on June 3, the date of his death. He is the Patron Saint of the Diocese of Jerez de la Frontera and his remains lie in the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Grande in the hospital of the Brothers of St. John of God that bears his name, in Jerez.


© 1996 The Brothers of St. John of God