Oct. 23 & 24: Two CA Missions

October 23 and 24: Two CA Missions

I previously wrote about St. John of Capistrano and Mission San Juan Capistrano on June first, prior to my Tuesday morning group (“Coffee with the Saints”) going on a “field trip” train ride to the Mission.

John of Capistrano, with armor over his habit and charging into battle, is something of an anomaly among Franciscans, at least as we picture them today. However, he and the earliest of the Franciscan martyrs, along with King Ferdinand, were all part of the historical “battle” against Islam. Francis is held as the ideal model in confronting the Sultan one-on-one, and Clare is depicted holding them off through the supernatural power of the Eucharist.  However, we have the involvement of Franciscans on all levels, primarily in preaching, but also engaging in the moral and spiritual support of the soldiers. The Crusades present a harsh reality in our history, which ended up pitting Christian (of the West) against Christian (of the East).

We can use these saints from the time of the Crusades to intercede on behalf of those engaged in dialogue between religious systems. As faithful witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ, such intercessors can join with us in prayers for peaceful coexistence, for conversion of hearts, for cessation of conflict and hatred, and for the promotion of the common good among all peoples.  

 

Oct. 24^th is the former date of Raphael the Archangel, and so I am posting about Mission San Rafael here. This is one of the northernmost establishments. For the September 29^th Tuesday morning group, I presented on all three Archangels and the three CA missions under their patronage. I waited until today to post the Mission San Rafael page from the Missions booklet for other readers of this blog.  

San Juan Capistrano -CA Mission

 

St. John of Capistrano/San Juan Capistrano (1368-1456)

October 23

            John studied law at the University of Perugia and became a lawyer in Naples. Appointed Governor of Perugia before he was 30, John brought peace and justice to that region. As a public fficial he was once thrown into prison during a civil war. There he reexamined his life and decided to become a Franciscan, which he did in 1416.

            He and James of the March, a fellow Franciscan saint commemorated on November 28, studied theology under Bernardine of Siena. After his ordination in 1425, he began a very successful preaching career in Italy. Large crowds heard him praise the beauty of God’s ways and expose the ugliness of sin. So great was John’s impact that cities petitioned the pope to send John to them. His nickname, “The Apostle of Europe,” was well deserved.

            Pope Eugene IV was especially grateful for John’s wise advice. When the schismatic Council of Basel elected an anti-pope, John worked vigorously against popular support for that choice. The Church sent John to northern Italy to counter heretical groups there and he went to Bohemia to reconcile the Hussites.

            John was a very significant influence within the Order. Because of his preaching many young men joined the friars. By 1443 he held the highest post among the Observant friars in Italy. John declined the bishopric of Aquila and later of Rieti.

            John’s period in history didn’t lack excitement. The Great Western Schism, the Hundred Years’ War, and the fall of Constantinople all occurred in his lifetime. At the direction of Pope Callistus III, John preached a crusade to save Western Europe from the Turks, who were advancing from recently conquered (in 1453) Constantinople, last outpost of the decimated Byzantine Empire.  The Christians won a decisive victory at Belgrade in 1456. Worn out from that crusade, John died in Hungary on October 23, 1456. He was canonized in 1690.

            John‘s tomb in Villach, Hungary, bears this inscription: “This tomb holds John, by birth of Capistrano, a man worthy of all praise, defender and promoter of the faith, guardian of the Church, zealous protector of his Order, an ornament to all the world, lover of truth and justice, mirror of life, surest guide in doctrine; praised by countless tongues, he reigns blessed in heaven.”

            A comment from Father Patrick McCloskey, OFM: "In John of Capistrano, Jesus found a very energetic man. No hardship was too great, no self-sacrifice was too costly if John could show more people the wisdom of God’s ways and the folly of sin. John used his talents tirelessly for the spread of the gospel. Perhaps his example can help us to find energy we have not previously tapped."