The 23rd of October is the feast of Saint John of Capistrano. He is perhaps best known as a Franciscan preacher and miracle worker, the “soldier saint” who defended Hungary against the Turks, and the namesake of a city in California. It is less well known that St. John of Capistrano is a patron saint of jurists (along with the more familiar patrons: St. Thomas More, St. Raymond of Penyafort, and St. Yves of Kermartin).
St. John was born in the Abruzzi in 1385, the son of a noble family from France that had settled in the Kingdom of Naples under the Angevin dynasty. As a young man, he studied law at Perugia and was noted for his brilliance. He was appointed governor of Perugia at the age of 27. However, while imprisoned during a regional conflict, John had a conversion experience and entered the Franciscans at the age of 31.
At first glance, St. John of Capistrano seems an odd choice as a patron saint of jurists, given that a significant part of his conversion story involves the renunciation of his legal and political career. Is the Church telling us that the only good lawyer is a former lawyer? I think not. While St. John of Capistrano left behind his worldly career, he continued to put his legal experience to good use at the service of the Church, calling upon his training as a jurist when needed.
For example, when certain friars were falsely charged with heresy, St. John defended them and achieved their acquittal before a tribunal of cardinals in Rome. Later, St. Bernardine of Siena appointed him vicar general of the Franciscans. The Holy See also recognized St. John’s talent, appointing him papal legate or nuncio throughout Europe on several occasions. In 1454, he served as an advisor to the Imperial Diet and was instrumental in planning a crusade to defend against Turkish incursions in Hungary. Famously, St. John himself led Christian forces in battle at the Battle of Belgrade.
St. John of Capistrano’s brilliance as a lawyer is understandably overshadowed by his heroism and holiness in so many other matters. But, as a patron saint of lawyers, St. John of Capistrano can teach us that a rejection of worldliness does not entail a rejection of the work of a jurist. Rather, legal knowledge and skills have an important part to play in advancing the spiritual and temporal common good.
Saint John of Capistrano, patron of jurists, pray for us!
