St John of Dukla (1414-84) Polish Franciscan friar
Polish
Franciscan Saint John of Dukla is one of 339 saints canonised by Pope
John Paul II. He worked among Catholics in the Ukraine.
Early life
John was born in Dukla, in
south-eastern Poland, in 1414.
He joined the Conventual Franciscans and
attended the theology faculty that Queen Hedwig had founded at Krakow.
After ordination he went to preach the gospel in the city of Lviv (also
called Lemberg and Lvov) in the Ukraine as well as in Moldavia and
Belerus.
Work among Catholics in the Ukraine
John earned
fame as a wise preacher and zealous confessor and was was appointed
local superior at Lviv.
Under the influence of St John of Capistrano, he
may have joined the Observants at a time when efforts were being made
to unite the two branches - Conventuals and Observants - of the
Franciscans.
A devoted life
John's life was characterized by
poverty, obedience, asceticism, and devotion to Our Lady. He constantly
sought to reconcile schismatics to the Church.
Although he went blind
when he was seventy, he continued to preach and brought many back to the
Church.
Canonisation
On 9 June 1997, Pope John Paul
visited the shrine of St John of Dukla at Dukla and the following day
canonised him during Mass at Krosno, Poland, before about a million
people.