Today we celebrate the feast day St. John of Avila! At the age of 14 (1513) he was sent to the University of Salamanca to study law but after a deep conversion withdrew spending three years in prayer before attending seminary. During this time his parents passed away and after being ordained celebrated his first Mass where they were buried. He later sold the family property to provide for the needy.
Crowds filled the churches at all his sermons, and he was later incardinated into the Diocese of Cordoba. He proceeded to establish many colleges and schools and was thought to have received the title of Master of Sacred Theology there.
He was named Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI on 10/7/2012, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, and was the first diocesan priest to earn the title. John explained that "Christian spiritual life, as a participation in the life of the Blessed Trinity, begins with faith in the God who is Love, is grounded in God's goodness and mercy as expressed in the merits of Christ, and is wholly guided by the Spirit".
“I pray God may open your eyes and let you see what hidden treasures he bestows on us in the trials from which the world thinks only to flee.”
St. John of Avila, Pray for Us!
Feast Day: May 10
Patronage: Andalusia, Spain and Spanish secular clergy
Birth: 6 January 1499
Death: 10 May 1569 (aged 70)
Canonized: 31 May 1970 by Pope Paul VI
