John was born in 1386 at Capistrano, in the Italian province of Abruzzi. His father was a German knight who died when John was still young. Gifted with intelligence and ability, John studied law and eventually became governor of Perugia. In 1416, when war broke out between Perugia and the rival Malatesta forces, he attempted to negotiate peace. His efforts failed, and he was taken prisoner. Following his release and the death of his wife, he reconsidered the direction of his life. He entered the Franciscan Order, was ordained a priest, and embraced a life of prayer, austerity, and penance.
John became a disciple of St. Bernardine of Siena and quickly gained a reputation as a powerful preacher. Beginning his preaching ministry around 1420, he traveled extensively to call people to repentance and renewed faith. At that time the Church was struggling through the aftermath of the Western Schism, during which rival claimants had contested the papacy, while the devastation of the Black Death had left European society deeply shaken. Religious division and widespread spiritual uncertainty made his ministry especially important.
As an itinerant preacher, John traveled throughout Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, and Poland, drawing enormous crowds. He encouraged reform within the Church, established communities devoted to Franciscan renewal, and worked to reconcile those separated by religious disputes. He also wrote numerous theological works defending Catholic teaching against the errors of his time. Accounts of his ministry described miraculous healings by God after John offered a simple prayer and made the sign of the Cross.
Following the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, John preached in support of a Christian defense against further Ottoman expansion. In 1456, Pope Callixtus III commissioned him to assist in the campaign to defend Belgrade. Though already seventy years old, John joined the Christian forces and became an inspiring spiritual leader among the soldiers. The successful defense of Belgrade in July 1456 helped halt the Ottoman advance into southeastern Europe.
Exhausted by the campaign, John died on October 23, 1456, only a few months after the victory. His life had been marked by extraordinary energy, uncompromising penance, and tireless devotion to the salvation of souls. Canonized in 1724 by Pope Benedict XIII, St. John Capistrano is remembered as a courageous Franciscan preacher who placed his gifts entirely at the service of the Church.
Almighty God, who willest to be glorified in thy saints, and didst raise up thy servant St. John of Capistrano to be a light in the world: Shine, we pray thee, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth thy praise, who hast called us out of darkness into thy marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.