St John Capistrano

John’s father was a German knight and he died when John was very young. When John grew up, he studied in the city of Perugia in Italy and became a lawyer and governor of the city. A man called Sigismondo Malatesta started a war with Perugia and John was sent to Malatesta to try to make peace and end the war. Instead, John was sent to prison. During his time in prison, John began to study theology, which is all about trying to figure out the meaning of life. When he was released from prison, he gave up being a lawyer and governor and he joined a Franciscan community. St. Bernadine of Siena taught him about Jesus and encouraged him to start a devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary. He began to preach and share the Good News and everyone loved to hear him speak. He became a priest and traveled all over Europe, preaching about forgiveness and starting new Franciscan communities wherever he went. When John was 70 years old, the Pope asked him to lead a group of 70,000 soldiers to fight against the Turks who wanted to take over Rome. John led the group into battle and they won, keeping Rome and the Catholic Church safe. He died shortly after this battle after a life of service to Jesus.