John Gualbert

Infobox Saint
name=Saint John Gualbert
birth_date=985
death_date=1073
feast_day=12 July
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church


imagesize=250px
caption="St John Gualbert." Fresco by Neri di Bicci, Santa Trìnita di Firenze in Firenze
birth_place=Florence, Italy
death_place=Passignano sul Trasimeno, Province of Perugia, Umbria, Italy
titles=Abbot
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=1193
canonized_place=Rome
canonized_by=Pope Celestine III
attributes=
patronage=forest workers; foresters; park rangers; parks
major_shrine=
issues=
prayer=
prayer_attrib=

Saint John Gualbert, also known as Giovanni Gualberto or John Gualberto (985 or 995 - 12 July 1073) was a Roman Catholic saint, the founder of the Vallumbrosan Order. He was a member of the Visdomini family of Florentine nobility. One Good Friday he was entering Florence accompanied by armed followers, when in a narrow lane he came upon a man who had killed his brother. He was about to kill the man in revenge, when the other fell upon his knees with arms outstretched in the form of a cross and begged for mercy in the name of Christ, who had been crucified on that day. John forgave him. He entered the Benedictine Church at San Miniato to pray, and the figure on the crucifix bowed its head to him in recognition of his generosity. This story forms the subject of Burne-Jones's picture "The Merciful Knight", and has been adapted by Shorthouse in "John Inglesant".

John Gualbert became a Benedictine monk at San Miniato. He fought actively against simony, of which both his abbot, Oberto, and the Bishop of Florence, Pietro Mezzabarba, were guilty. Unwilling to compromise with them, he left the monastery to lead a more perfect life. His attraction was for the cenobitic, and not eremitic life, so after staying for some time with the monks at Camaldoli, he settled at Vallombrosa, where he founded his monastery. Mabillon estimates its foundation before 1038.

Veneration

He was canonized in the year 1193 by Pope Celestine III.

St John Gualbert feast was not included in the Tridentine Calendar, but was added in 1595 to the Roman Catholic calendar of saints whose celebration was obligatory wherever the Roman Rite was used. Owing to its limited worldwide importance, his feast was removed from that calendar in 1969. ["Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 129] 12 July continues to be his feast day, as indicated in the Roman Martyrology. ["Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)] and, according to the new rules given in the Roman Missal of the same year, he may now be celebrated everywhere with his own Mass on that day, unless in some locality an obligatory celebration is assigned to the same day. [ [http://www.acbc.catholic.org.au/documents/200707031933.pdf General Instruction of the Roman Missal,] 355 c]

He is the patron of foresters, park rangers, and parks. [ [http://saints.sqpn.com/saintj62.htm Patron Saints Index: "St John Gualbert"] ]

References

*Catholic

ee also

*Vallombrosian Order

External links

* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj62.htm Patron Saints Index: "St John Gualbert"]
* [http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0712.htm Saint Patrick Catholic Church - Saint of the Day: July 12 - "John Gualbert"]
* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=358 Catholic Online - Saints & Angels: "St John Gualbert, Abbot"]