Saint John of Sahagún

"... a preacher must be prepared in his soul to speak the truth, both in denouncing and correcting shortcomings and in praising virtue, to such a point that he is willing in that cause even to face death."
- Saint John of Sahagún (1419 - 1479)

Today is the feast day of Saint John of Sahagún. John was born John Gonzales de Castrillo in Sahagún,  Spain. As a youth, he was educated by the Benedictine monks of the Fagondez monastery. At the age of 20, John received a canonry from the bishop of Burgos, even though he already had many benefices. In 1445, John was ordained. After this, being concerned about the evil of pluralism, he resigned all his benefices except that of Saint Agatha in Burgos. He spent the next 4 years studying at the University of Salamanca and then began to preach. As time went on, John became well known for his excellent preaching and spiritual direction. In 1463, after a serious operation, John decided to become an Augustinian friar. During his time at the friary, John was made the master of novices, definitor, and the prior at Salamanca. He also experienced visions, performed miracles, and had the gift of reading souls. John denounced evil in high places as well and several attempts were made on his life. He died on June 11, 1479, in Sahagún. He was said to of been poisoned by the mistress of a man whom he had convinced to leave her. He was canonized in 1690. 

Saint John of Sahagún, pray for us!

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Quote From, Picture Of, And Information About Saint John Are Taken From:

http://faithofthefatherssaintquote.blogspot.com/2005/12/saint-quote-saint-john-of-sahagun.html#.Ubh6hhaffx4

http://augustinians.net/index.php?page=sahagun_en

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=694