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| Statue of St. John of Capistrano at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna, Austria |
History
First, Saint John of Capistrano was a lawyer, and then he
was governor of Perugia, a city in Naples, Italy. He later
became a Franciscan priest. Father John was a marvelous preacher, and he
traveled all through Europe to teach people the importance of penance and to
start new religious communities. In 1456, when Father John was 70 years old,
the Ottoman Empire was threatening to take over Vienna and Rome. Pope Callistus
III asked John to lead a crusade of 70,000 Christians. The Holy Father
instructed all other Christians to pray for the defenders, and he had all
churches ring their bells at noon as a reminder. Father John and his crusaders
were successful.
Activity
To this day, Catholic churches all
over the world ring their bells at noon as a call to prayer. Today at noon,
ring bells in your home, and then pray the traditional noon prayer for
Catholics, the Angelus.
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