JOHN
452
JOHN
John Capistran, Saint, b. at Capistrano, in the
Diocese of Sulmona, Italy, 1.3S5; d. 23 Oct., 1456.
His father had come to Naples in the train of Louis
of Anjou, hence is supposed to have been of French
blood, though some say he was of German origin.
His father tlying early, John owed his education to
his mother. She had him at first instructed at home,
and then sent him to study law at Perugia, where
he achieved great success under the eminent legist,
Pietro de Ubaldis. In 1412 he was appointed gov-
ernor of Perugia by Ladislaus, King of Naples, who
then held that city of the Holy See. As governor he
set himself against civic corruption and bribery.
War broke out in 1416 between Perugia and the
Malatesta. John
was sent as am-
bassador to pro-
pose peace to the
Malatesta, who
however cast him
into prison. It was
during this im-
prisonment that
he began to think
more seriously
al)Out his soul.
He decided event-
ually to give up
the world and be-
come a Franciscan
friai, owing to a
dream he had in
which he saw St.
Francis and was
warned by the
saint to enter the
Franciscan Order.
John had married
a wealthy lady of
Perugia immedi-
ately before the
war broke out, but
as the marriage
was not consum-
mated he obtained
a dispensation to
enter religion,
which he did 4
October, 1416.
After he had taken his vows he came under the
influence of St. Bernardine of Siena, who taught him
theology: he had as his fellow-student St. James of
the Marches. He accompanied St. Bernardine on
his preaching tours in order to study his methods, and
in 1420, whilst still in deacon's orders, was himself
permitted to preach. But his apostolic life began
in 1425, after he had received the priesthood. From
this time until his death he laboured ceaselessly for
the salvation of souls. He traversed the whole of
Italy; and so great were the crowds who came to
listen to him that he often had to preach in the public
squares. At the time of his preaching all business
stopped. At Brescia on one occasion he preached to
a crowd of one hundred and twenty-six thousand
people, who had come from all the neighbouring
provinces. On another occasion during a mission,
over two thousand sick people were brought to him
that he might sign them with the sign of the Cross, so
great was his fame as a healer of the sick. Like St.
Bernardine of Siena he greatly propagated devotion
to the Holy Name of Jesus, and, together with that
saint, was accused of heresy because of this devotion.
While he was thus carrying on his apostolic work, he
was actively engaged in assisting St. Bernardine in
the reform of the Franciscan Order. In 1429 John,
together with other Observant friars, was citctl to
Rome on the charge of heresy, and he was chosen by
St. John Capistran
A. Cassioli. Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, Jerusalem
his companions to defend their cause; the friars were
acquitted by the commission of cardinals.
After this, Pope Martin V conceived the idea of uniting the Conventual Friars Minor and the Observ- ants, and a general chapter of both bodies of Fran- ciscans was convoked at Assisi in 1430. A union was effected, but it did not last long. The following year the Observants held a chapter at Bologna, at which John was the moving spirit. According to Gonzaga, John was about this time appointed com- missary general of the Observants, but his name does not appear among the commissaries and vicars in Holzapfel's list ("Manuale Hist. Ord. FF. Min.", 624-5) before 1443. But it was owing to him that St. Bernardine was appointed vicar-general in 1438. Shortly after this, whilst visiting France he met St. Colette, the reformer of the Second Franciscan Order or Poor Clares, with whose efforts he entirely sympa- thized. He was frequently employed on embassies by the Holy See. In 1439 he w:\s sent as legate to Milan and Burgimdy, to oppose the claims of the anti- pope Felix V; in 1446 he was on a mission to the King of France; in 1451 he went at the request of the em- peror as Apostolic nuncio to Austria. During the pe- riod of his nunciature John visited all parts of the empire, preaching and combatting the heresy of the Hussites; he also visited Poland at the request of Casimir IV. In 1454 he was summoned to the Diet at Frankfort, to assist that assembly in its dehbera- tions concerning a crusade again.st the Turks for the relief of Hungary: and here, too, he was the leading spirit. When the crusade was actually in operation John accompanied the famous Hunyady throughout the campaign: he was present at the battle of Bel- grade, and led the left wing of the Christian army against the Turks. He was beatified in 1694, and canonized in 1724. He wrote many books, chiefly against the heresies of his day.
Three lives written by the saint's companions. Nicholas op Fara, Christopher of Varese, and Jerome op Undine, are given by the BoUandists. Acta SS., X. October; Wadding. An- nates, IX-XIII; GuERARD, .S7. Jean de Capistran ei son temps (Bourges, 1865); Jacob, Johannes von Capistran/) (Doagn, 1903): Allies, Three Catholic Reformers (London, 1872); Pas- tor. History of the Popes, II (London, 1891); Leo. Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of St. Francis, III (Taun- ton, 1886).
Father Cuthbert.
John Cassian. See Cassian, John.
John Chrysostom (X/)U(r6<rTOfios, "golden-mouthed ", so called on account of his eloquence), S.unt, b. at Antioch, c. 347; d. at Comana in Pontus, 14 Sep- tember, 407. John — whose surname " t'lirysostom " occurs for the first time in the "Constitution " of Pope Vigilius (cf. P. L., LX, 217) in the year 553 — is gener- ally considered the most prominent doctor of the Greek Churcli and the greatest preacher ever heard in a Christian pulpit. His natural gifts, as well as exterior circumstances, helped him to become wliat he was.
I. Life. (1) Boyhood. — At the time of Chrysostom's birth, Antioch was the second city of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. During the whole of the fourth century religious struggles had troubled the empire and had found their echo at Antioch. Pagans, Manichsans, Gnostics, Arians, Apollinarians, Jews, made their proselytes at Antioch, and the Catholics were themselves separated by the schism between the bishops Meletius and Paulinus. Thus Chrysostom's youth fell in troubled times. His father, Secundus, was an officer of high rank in tlie Syrian army. On his death soon after the birth of John, Anthusa, his wife, only twenty years of age, took the sole charge of her two children, John and an elder sister. Fortu- nately she was a woman of intelligence and character. She not only instructed her .son in jiiety, but also sent him to tlie best schools of Antioch, though with re- gard to morals and religion many objections could be urged against them. Besides the lectures of An-
