Saint John of Capistrano
Priest
(1386 – 1456)
St. John of Capistrano was born in 1386. He had a vison while a prisoner of war that made him long to enter religion.
In 1416 he joined the Franciscan Order, and was ordained in 1420. He began to preach throughout Italy. He was several times vicar general of the Order.
He preached in various countries of Eastern Europe against the Hussite heresy with great success, until the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453. He raised an army to fight the Turks in Hungary, and defeated them in 1456. He died later that year of the plague.
He was canonized in 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII.