John of the Cross

Who they were

Juan de Yepes was the son of a very poor couple of Old Castile, near Ávila. After studying at the Jesuit college of Medina del Campo he joined the Carmelites in 1563. Soon after his ordination he met Teresa of Jesus, who drew him into her reform of the Carmel, and in 1568 they opened the first house of Discalced friars at Duruelo, where he took the name 'of the Cross'.

His great poems and commentaries, among them The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle and The Ascent of Mount Carmel, describe the soul's path to union with God through detachment. He died near Jaén in the night of 13-14 December 1591, while the friars were singing Matins; his last words were 'Today I go to sing the Office in heaven.'

The miracles

Pius XI declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1926. The miracles examined for his causes are not described in the sources we have used.

Why that counted as sanctity

John taught that to possess everything one must desire to possess nothing, and to become everything one must desire to be nothing - not as loss, but for love of Someone. He lived that total self-giving through persecution and darkness into union with God.

Connected on this site

• Maravillas de Jesús Saint
  “Drawn by St Teresa of Jesus and St John of the Cross, she entered the Carmel of El Escorial on 12 October 1919.” — this site's research
• Teresa of Ávila Saint
  “Influenced by the older Carmelite nun Teresa of Ávila, he was instrumental in the founding of the Discalced Carmelites, who wished to return to the stricter observances of the original Carmelite rule.” — Wikipedia
• Blessed Anne of Jesus Blessed
  “She took the habit in St Teresa's convent at Avila in 1570, was made novice mistress while still a novice, and became St Teresa's close companion, first prioress of Beas and foundress at Granada and, with St John of the Cross, at Madrid.” — this site's research
• Juan de la Cruz Blessed
  “John of the Cross (Spanish: Juan de la Cruz; Latin: Ioannes a Cruce; né Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friar.” — Wikipedia
• John of St. Samson Venerable
  “Although he has sometimes been called the French John of the Cross, modern scholarship has emphasized that his spirituality also belongs strongly to the northern mystical tradition of Jan van Ruusbroec, Johannes Tauler, Hugh of Balma, Hendrik Herp, and related authors.” — Wikipedia