Saint John of the Cross, Carmelite - Feast Day Celebration

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St. John of the Cross, a 16th century saint, is most well-known for working with St. Teresa of Avila at reforming the Carmelite orders of priests and nuns. John of the Cross received his Carmelite habit in 1563. Upon obtaining his habit, he immediately asked to live a more austere life than his fellow Carmelites of the day. John sought to live a life more in line with the original meaning of being a Carmelite. In John’s day, the Carmelites had grown accustomed to the amenities of the 16th century. By living a more austere life, John of the Cross believed he lived a life more like the life of Christ.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1567, he met St. Teresa of Avila shortly thereafter in 1568. Together they worked tirelessly to reform the Carmelite orders of priest and nuns, bringing back the austerity of what it meant to walk with Christ.

In 1577, the Carmelite Order ordered St. John of the Cross to return to Medina. He refused, noting that he believed... Read more... 

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