HEART AILMENTS: JOHN OF GOD

 1495-1550                                      FEAST DAY: MARCH 8

 A Portuguese mercenary who fought in several wars, sold slaves, and lived hard, John was known to “think with his heart” by acting impulsively. While a book dealer in Grenada, he heard a sermon that changed his life, driving him to temporary madness. Upon his recovery, he devoted the rest of his life to the sick and destitute. He leaped into a river to save a drowning man and died himself from an overexhausted heart.

 Other Patronages: Dying; Hospitals, Booksellers, Nurses, Printers

 Invoked against: Alcoholism