St. John of Ávila

St. John of Ávila (born 1499/1500, Almodóvar del Campo, near Toledo, Spain—died May 10, 1569, Montilla; canonized 1970; feast day May 10) was a Roman Catholic reformer, author, and spiritual director. One of the greatest preachers of his time, his religious leadership in 16th-century Spain earned him the title “Apostle of Andalusia.”

Jewish-born, John attended the Universities of Salamanca and Alcalá, where he studied philosophy and theology under the celebrated Spanish theologian Domingo de Soto. After being ordained a priest in 1525 at Alcalá, he gave the fortune inherited from his parents to charity. Although he had prepared for missionary work to North America, he was persuaded in 1527 by Archbishop Hernando de Contreras of Sevilla (Seville) to remain in Spain.

Beginning in 1529, John undertook missions throughout Andalusia for nine years. While attracting throngs of penitents, converts, and the faithful, his apostolate also created some influential enemies. The Inquisition investigated his fervent denunciation of wealth and of vice and his encouragement of rigorism, the strict adherence to canon law and church doctrine even in cases of moral conscience where it is advisable to favor the side of liberty. Even a spurious connection between his Jewish heritage and charges of heresy was considered. He was acquitted in 1533, after which his fame rose tremendously, securing his reputation as one of Spain’s greatest evangelists.

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John’s reform of clerical life (he was a champion of celibacy), considered to be his finest achievement, influenced such eminent disciples as Saints Francis Borgia, John of God, Teresa of Ávila, and Luís of Granada (who, in 1588, wrote a life of John, noting him as a leading spiritual director). In 1537 John co-organized the University of Granada with Archbishop Gaspare Avalos; outstanding among the other colleges he founded was that of Baeza. He helped foster in Spain the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), to which he was devoted. He died before he could carry out his plan to become a Jesuit.

John’s Audi filia (“Listen, Daughter”), a treatise on Christian perfection addressed to the nun Doña Sancha Carillo, is considered to be a masterwork. His classical spiritual letters were edited by J.M. de Buck (Lettres de direction) in 1927. His complete works (Obras completas del B. Mtro. Juan de Avila) were edited by Luis Sala Balust (2 volumes) in 1952–53.

John was beatified in 1894 by Pope Leo XIII and canonized (formally declared a saint) in 1970 by Pope Paul VI, who called him a model for modern priests suffering from an identity crisis.