Saint of the Day for March 21: Blessed John of Parma

By Cristiano Antonino On Mar 21, 2023

Blessed John of Parma’s Story: the seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order, John was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of Saint Francis of Assisi

Blessed John was born in Parma, Italy, in 1209

It was when he was a young philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called him to bid good-bye to the world he was used to and enter the new world of the Franciscan Order.

After his profession, John was sent to Paris to complete his theological studies.

Ordained to the priesthood, he was appointed to teach theology at Bologna, then Naples, and finally Rome.

In 1245, Pope Innocent IV called a general council in the city of Lyons, France.

Crescentius, the Franciscan minister general at the time, was ailing and unable to attend.

In his place he sent Friar John, who made a deep impression on the Church leaders gathered there

Two years later, when the same pope presided at the election of a minister general of the Franciscans, he remembered Friar John well and held him up as the man best qualified for the office.

And so in 1247, John of Parma was elected to be minister general.

The surviving disciples of St. Francis rejoiced in his election, expecting a return to the spirit of poverty and humility of the early days of the Order.

And they were not disappointed.

As general of the Order, John traveled on foot, accompanied by one or two companions, to practically all of the Franciscan convents in existence.

Sometimes he would arrive and not be recognized, remaining there for a number of days to test the true spirit of the brothers.

The pope called on John to serve as legate to Constantinople, where he was most successful in winning back the schismatic Greeks.

Upon his return, he asked that someone else take his place to govern the Order.

At John’s urging, Saint Bonaventure was chosen to succeed him.