November 24, 2019

Feast of San Giovanni della Croce

San Giovanni della Croce, ora pro nobis
November 24th is the Feast of San Giovanni della Croce (St. John of the Cross), Doctor of the Church and patron saint of contemplatives, poets, and mystics. A major figure of the Counter-Reformation, St. John was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and, with St. Teresa of Avila, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer to St. John of the Cross. The accompanying photo was taken outside St. Athanasius School in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn before it was replaced with a statue of Christ the King. Evviva San Giovanni della Croce!

Prayer to St. John of the Cross


Saint John of the Cross, in the darkness of your worst moments, when you were alone and persecuted, you found God. Help me to have faith that God is there especially in the times when God seems absent and far away. Amen