Father, You gave John of God love and compassion for others. Grant that by doing good for others we may be counted among the saints in Your kingdom.Saint John of God made his conversion at the age of 40 (there's hope for those of us who are older) and is famously known for founding a group of brothers whose work is to serve the sick and the dying, especially the homeless and those on the margins of society. The order is known as the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God. A statue of St John of God is positioned among the great founders of religious orders at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome.
Today, there are provinces of the brothers around the world, and in the USA, they can found here: The Hospitaller Brothers of Saint John of God.
Saint John of God is the patron saint for heart patients, hospitals, nurses, firefighters, printers and booksellers.
St. John of God is the patron saint of my parish. The reason he was chosen is due directly to the needs of the community: we had a state run psychiatric hospital in full swing by the time the parish was formed in 1903. Most of residents of the community were Irish and Catholic and worked at the hospital in some form or another for their livelihood. Both the hospital and the parish were central places to the community for generations. Now, only the parish still stands, but it is growing stronger and serves the communities needs well.