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Catholic Church Marks March 8 Feast of Saint John of God, Patron of Hospitals

He is venerated for a legacy of compassionate care that shaped the Brothers Hospitallers.

Overview

  • Catholic calendars list March 8 as his feast day, with Spanish outlets placing him at the center of today's santoral.
  • He is honored as the patron of hospitals, health centers, and the people who work in healthcare.
  • After a conversion following military service, he founded a hospital in Granada and began a ministry to the sick.
  • His work inspired the creation of the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers to serve the most vulnerable.
  • Church tradition recalls his rescue of patients from a hospital fire, and the Church later beatified him in 1630 and canonized him in 1690.