St John of God

John was a Portuguese soldier who worked in the health department in Spain. Once in 1537 he heard a sermon by St John of Avila. He was so moved by what he heard that he started to distribute his belongings to the people. His friends thought he had lost his mind and sent him to a mental hospital. One day St. John of Avila went to visit him, and upon his release from the hospital he dedicated his entire life to the poor and the sick.  He later opened a hospital and cared especially for mental health patients, something which was innovative in those times. This John was none other than St. John of God (1495-1550). Those who followed him set up the Brothers Hospitallers of St John of God, a Catholic religious institute dedicated to the care of patients who suffer from mental issues. Let us remember many patients who suffer from mental problems, which are usually kept hidden or unnoticed, or even ignored.