What extraordinary stories the lives of the saints tell. They devoted themselves entirely to God’s service, often wearing themselves out in the process. It was his fiery love for God that drove St. John to deeds far beyond what a human being is normally capable of. The mystery of God is revealed!
John of Capistrano was born in Naples in 1386 and was on his way to a distinguished secular career. However, due to political tensions, in which he had actually intended to mediate as an advocate for King Ladislaus of Naples, he was captured and thrown into a fortified tower. Though his treatment was cruel, God used it to lead John to realize that he should serve the heavenly King and renounce the world.
John was released and decided to join the Franciscan Order.
There, he soon became friends with his novice master, St. Bernardine of Siena. After being ordained a priest around 1418–1420, he spent some time with Pope Martin V while the pope was staying at the palace of the Gonzaga dukes in Mantua. John then became the vicar of the Observants in Abruzzo.
With astonishing self-sacrifice, he devoted himself to the monastic life, surpassing most others in fasting, vigils, prayer, and penance.
The following account is taken from The Book of the Saints by Otto Bitschnau, O.S.B.:
His superiors entrusted him with the office of preacher of penance and fasting. For nearly forty years, he traveled throughout most of Europe, preaching to the faithful, the erring, and the unbelievers. His work was blessed, but also required unspeakable self-sacrifice. From Capistrano to Trento in Tyrol, few Italian cities remained in which his powerful voice did not resound. Wherever he appeared before the crowds from the pulpit, his small stature, pale face, and emaciated frame, striking a stark contrast to his powerful voice, left not a single eye dry and not a single heart unmoved. His sermons led people to repent, reconcile with God and their fellow human beings, and thoroughly reform their lives. They also inspired many to establish hospitals, almshouses, monasteries, and other charitable institutions with touching generosity. The crowds were so large that even a cathedral could rarely contain them all.
The people listened to him for hours at a time. Indeed, his sermons had to be translated outside Italy. Evidently, the people wanted to hear the truth, because John did not hold back from proclaiming the Catholic faith in its entirety and calling people to conversion.
It is reported:
His journey through Carinthia and Styria to Austria was a magnificent spectacle; everywhere, the clergy and the people came out to meet him with crosses, banners, and relics, singing psalms. Everyone wanted to see and hear him, and although he preached only in Latin and an interpreter repeated his words, they nevertheless listened to him for hours on end.
In Vienna, where he drew an audience of 30,000 every day, he preached at the Gottesacker. He converted a great many Hussites in Moravia and then, because he was denied entry into Bohemia, conducted highly blessed missions, accompanied by miracles, in Saxony, Silesia, Poland, Franconia, Thuringia, and Bavaria. In Augsburg, for example, he healed many sick people and, through his powerful preaching, caused a large cartload of playing cards, 13,000 game boards, and whole piles of dice to be brought to the Fronhof and burned.
One might think that such a man, who had borne so much fruit for his order and served as a guide to the holy faith for so many people over so many years, had completed his work on earth through this grueling ministry and that the Lord would call His faithful servant home. But things turned out differently. A monumental task still lay before him.
It is reported:
In 1453, news spread throughout Christendom that the Turks had conquered Constantinople and destroyed the Greek Empire, causing mortal fear throughout the Christian world.
Sultan Mehmed II advanced on Belgrade, the key to Hungary, with a massive army and a powerful fleet on the Danube.
John, who was more popular with the people than with the princes, the latter being unable to unite in a common defense, had gathered a considerable force. Upon hearing this news, he rushed to Hungary, preached a crusade, and rallied the country.
He organized everything and attended to every detail, bringing an army of 60,000 men to Belgrade with incredible diligence in collaboration with Commander Johann Corvin. Admittedly, these soldiers were no match for the enemy—who outnumbered them ten to one—neither in terms of their numbers nor their armament, and least of all in terms of their discipline; but the barefoot monk, with his trust in God, made up for these shortcomings. Capistrano, with the cross, and Corvin, with the sword in hand, rushed upon the sultan’s fleet before his land army arrived and largely destroyed it. A terrible struggle and battle for Belgrade then began, with fortune alternating between the sides. Capistrano performed miracles of courage and bravery at every turn, rushing through the enemy’s ranks on foot or on horseback amid thunderous cannons and whistling bullets. He praised the brave, refreshed the weary, and comforted the timid. Fortune seemed to favor the Turks. They were already in the suburbs. The crescent moon shone on the towers. The commander of the citadel had fled, and even Corvin had given up hope. The cannon fire for the assault on the inner city was already booming. Then Capistrano seized the banner, climbed to the highest point of the walls, and inspired his men with such courage that the Turks were forced to retreat, crossing over piles of corpses and falling back behind their entrenchments.
Consequently, the Turks were unable to carry out their plans and were forced to retreat.
Clearly, God had prevented the Turks from conquering Hungary through the efforts of this Franciscan, who was already advanced in age. This victory was of great significance to all of Christian Europe and is remembered as Victory Day on July 22, 1456.
The work of John of Capistrano was now complete, and God called him home on October 23 of that same year.