Saint John of God
Saint John of God: Patron Saint of Nurses
Saint John of God, born João Cidade, was born in Montemor-o-Novo, near Évora, Portugal. At the age of 8, he followed a cleric to the city of Oropesa in Spain, where he lived with a wealthy family, collaborating with their pastors and servants, until he was 27 years old. He enlisted in the army and fought in at least two important battles in Fuenterrabia and Vienna, invaded by the Turks.
After returning to Portugal, his parents had already died and he decided not to stay there. He went to Spain, Seville, Gibraltar, Ceuta and Granada, where he opened a bookstore. One day, in Granada, he heard a sermon by the mystic João de Ávila that enlightened him and disturbed him so much that he needed hospitalization. So he decided to sell everything and give it to the poor.
At the hospital, João discovered the last among the sick, locked away by their families to hide and get rid of them. He understood that he had to do something for those most unhappy brothers, because God wanted it. Thus, he began to go out on the streets asking for alms for the poor, using the motto of his future congregation: “Do good, brothers, for yourselves, helping the poor” .
Since then, João de Deus dedicated himself to orphans, prostitutes and the unemployed. His focus was the certainty that the healing of the spirit generated the healing of the body. With the help of two confreres, he founded the first hospital, according to these dictates, in Granada. João died at the age of 55, while praying on his knees and clutching a crucifix to his chest.
Since 1886, Saint John of God has been the official patron saint of the sick and of hospitals, together with Saint Camillus. In 1930, the saint was declared patron saint of nurses and their Catholic associations. Some countries also consider him the patron saint of firefighters. This emblematic figure has the characteristics of kindness, altruism, love and concern for others.
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