St. John of Capistrano (1386–1456) was a brilliant lawyer and governor of Perugia who, after being thrown into prison, gave up his career and his marriage plans to become a Franciscan friar and one of the most famous preachers of fifteenth-century Europe. At seventy he marched with the crusading army that saved Belgrade from the Ottoman siege of 1456, carrying a banner of the Holy Name of Jesus. He is the patron of military chaplains and of jurists, and the famous California mission of San Juan Capistrano is named after him. His feast day is October 23. Below are his story, the prayer of his feast, and a prayer to St. John of Capistrano.
A short prayer to St. John of Capistrano, written for this page:
St. John of Capistrano, you turned from worldly success to preach Jesus with all your strength.
Pray for military chaplains and for all who serve in the armed forces,
and give me courage to fight the good fight against sin. Amen.
Who was St. John of Capistrano?
John was born in 1386 in Capistrano, in the Abruzzi region of Italy. He studied law at Perugia with great success, married, and in 1412 was made governor of the city. During a war between Perugia and the Malatesta family, he was sent to negotiate peace but was thrown into prison. There, he began to think seriously about his soul, and after his release he entered the Franciscan friars of the strict Observance in 1416, his marriage having been dissolved by mutual consent before it was consummated.
A disciple of St. Bernardine of Siena, he became a tireless preacher of penance and of devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, preaching to crowds of thousands across Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and Poland. Popes sent him on missions of reform and diplomacy, and he worked to reunite separated Christians with Rome. When the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II besieged Belgrade in 1456, the seventy-year-old friar recruited and led an army of crusaders alongside the Hungarian general John Hunyadi, and the city was saved in July. A few months later he died of the plague, on October 23, 1456, at Ilok in present-day Croatia. He was canonized in 1690.
The prayer of his feast
From the 1916 daily missal:
O God, who through the blessed John didst cause thy faithful people to triumph over the enemies of the cross by the power of the most holy Name of Jesus, grant, we beseech thee, that overcoming through his intercession the snares of our spiritual enemies, we may deserve to receive from thee the crown of justice. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
St. Paul’s call to spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:11–13, Douay-Rheims):
Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.
Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect.
What is St. John of Capistrano the patron saint of?
St. John of Capistrano is the patron saint of:
- Military chaplains, named by Pope St. John Paul II in 1984
- Jurists and lawyers
- Belgrade and the people of Hungary
The Spanish mission of San Juan Capistrano in California, founded by St. Junípero Serra in 1776, is named after him and is famous for the swallows that traditionally return each year on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19. See the patron saint of soldiers and the patron saint of lawyers.
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. John of Capistrano, priest, is October 23, the day of his death. Before 1969 his feast was kept on March 28.
Frequently asked questions
Who was St. John of Capistrano?
An Italian lawyer turned Franciscan preacher who helped save Belgrade from the Ottoman siege of 1456.
What is St. John of Capistrano the patron saint of?
Military chaplains and jurists.
When is his feast day?
October 23.
More saints
- St. Bernardine of Siena
- Patron saint of soldiers
- Patron saint of lawyers
- Most Holy Name of Jesus
- Feast of St. Francis
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. John Capistran (March 28), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
- Ephesians 6:11–13 (Douay-Rheims).
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. John Capistran,” public domain (Wikisource).