Saint John Macias
| Saint John Macias | |
|---|---|
 Statue of St. John Macias | |
| Laybrother, Porter | |
| Born | March 2, 1585 in Ribera del Fresno, Extremadura, Spain |
| Died | September 16, 1645 in San Luis District, Lima, Peru |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | 1837
by Pope Pius VII |
| Canonized | 1975
by Pope Paul VI |
| Major shrine | Our Lady of the Rosary of Lima Church |
| Feast | 18 September |
Saint John Macías, (Spanish San Juan Macias alt. sp Massias) (March 2, 1585 — September 16, 1645), was a Spanish Dominican religious laybrother and Catholic saint who evangelized in Peru in 1620. He was born to a pious and impoverished Spanish nobile family in Ribera del Fresno, Extremadura, Spain. Orphaned young, he worked as a shepherd. He worked on a South American cattle ranch around Cartegena. Dominican lays brother received him at their house at Lima, Peru on January 23, 1622. He worked as porter and doorkeeper for his friary for over 20 years.
Noted for visions, for his care for the poor of Lima, and for his endless praying of the Rosary, he offered all his prayers for the release of souls in purgatory. Tradition says that Saint John Macías freed over a million through his prayers. He was friend of the Domnican, Saint Martin de Porres. Saint John Masias died September 16, 1645 in Lima, Peru of natural causes. His name meant, "God is gracious; gift of God (John)." He was beatified in 1837 by Pope Pius VII, and was canonized in by 1975 by Pope Paul VI. His main image is located at the main altar of the church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Lima and is venerated by the local laity in Peru. A temple was built in his honor in 1970 in San Luis, Lima, Peru.
Biography
Saint John Macías was born Juan de Arcas Sanchez on March 2, 1585 in Ribera del Fresno, Extremadura, which was under the jurisdiction of the Palencia dicocese to Pedro de Arcas y Juana Sánchez. It is not known why he changed his name. Orphaned at the age of four, he was reared by an uncle who trained him as a shepherd. He later worked on a South American cattle ranch around Cartegena.
At the age of 25, he started working with a wealthy businessman who offered him an opportunity to travel to South America. He first arrived at Cartagena de Indias Colombia and then at Reino de Nueva Granada. stopping by Pasto and then Quito, Ecuador, in order to ultimately arrive at Perú where he would remain for the rest of his life. Confident in his abilities and talents as a sheepherder, he worked with shepherds in the outskirts of the city and it was there where he began his religious life.
His first course of action in Lima was to observe the Order of Preachers. This indicated an active interest in joining in order to serve God, which corresponded with a vision he had 20 years ago commanding him to travel to Peru. His sense of piety eventually led him to part with all of his belongings and giving it all to the poor, did a lot of community service, and supported the Dominicans, whom he approached at the Dominican friary of Santa María Magdalena where he was admitted as a cooperator brother on January 23, 1622, finally accepting the Dominican habit. One year later, on January 25, 1623, he took his final vows.
Saint John Mathias was a friend of Saint Martín de Porres, a Dominican cooperator brother who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized on May 6, 1962 by Pope John XXIII.
Counsel to the rich and poor
At the friary, Saint John Macías's life was filled with fervent prayer, frequent penance, and charity. As a result of his austerity, he quickly fell ill and had to have a risky surgery. Nevertheless, he continued to care for other sick and needy as they waited at the friary gates. Beggars, disabled people, and other of the disadvantaged where commonplace throughout Lima, and they flocked to him at the friary gates for counsel and comfort. The wealthy upper classes where no strangers to him; they also sought his counsel at the gates.
St. John Macias, however, expressed a greater desire to spend more time in contemplative solitude rather than engage in conversational activities with others. He confessed this to Father Abbot Ramírez who said, “If he were to never follow his vow of obedience, nobody would have ever seen his face." But his official position as the friary's porter, which he held for over 20 years and went against his natural inclinations of solitude, served to continue disciplining his vow of obedience. This filled him with a joyful sense of fulfillment. He died of natural causes in 1645.
Legacy
The main image of St. John Mathias is at the main altar of the church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Lima in San Luis, Lima, and is venerated by the local laity in Peru. A temple was built there in his honor in 1970. The remains of Saint John Macias are transferred annually every September 21 from the Peruvian sanctuary of Santo Domingo to the church of his same name in Lima.
An annual public procession also takes place in Peru every third Sunday of November in Lima. His image, along with that of the more famous Saint Martin of Porres (his friend and contemporary), are paraded around the streets and venerated by the faithful of Peru.
He was beatified in 1837 by Pope Pius VII. Several miracles were attributed to him during his life and after his death, which led to his ultimate canonization in 1975 by Pope Paul VI.
St. John Mathias' feast day is on September 18.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Butler, Alban, & Burns, Paul. Butler's Lives of the Saints: September, Liturgical Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0814623855
- Heffernan, Thomas J. Sacred Biography: Saints and Their Biographers in the Middle Ages, Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN 978-0195079074
- Sullivan, Randall. The Miracle Detective: An Investigation of Holy Visions, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0871139160
- Woodward, Kenneth L. Making Saints: How the Catholic Church Determines Who Becomes a Saint, Who Doesn't, Touchstone, 1996. ISBN 978-0684815305
External links
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
