JOHN OF DUKLA, ST.

(Polish: Jan) ; observant Franciscan priest; b. c. 1414 in Dukla in the Central Beskid Mountains of Galicia in the southeastern extremity of Poland; d. Sept. 29, 1484 at Lviv (Lvov), now in the western Ukraine; canonized June 10, 1997.

John of Dukla was born into a middle-class family. He studied at the Jagiellonian University of Krakow, which had been founded by Queen St. Hedwig. After living as a hermit in Dukla, John became a Franciscan at Lemberg (1440), where he was ordained and served for a time as guardian. About this time he realized that he must share the fruit of his contemplation with souls seeking salvation. At the instigation of John of Capistrano, he became a member of the Observant Franciscans (Bernardines) in 1463. Thereafter, John was a successful missioner in Galicia, especially among the Ruthenian schismatics and the German burghers of Lviv. Impassioned preaching, pastoral zeal, ardent prayer, patience, and charity were hallmarks of his sanctity. Blinded in old age, he continued to hear confessions and preached by having others read his sermons. Originally, his remains were buried in the cemetery of Lviv. In 1945 the body was translated to Rzeszow, then to the church of the Franciscans at Dukla. Although John was beatified in 1733 by Pope Clement XII, his canonization had been delayed due to the partition of Poland. He is one of the patrons of Poland and Lithuania.

Feast: July 10 (formerly Sept. 28 and Oct. 1).

Bibliography: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, no. 26 (1997) 8, 11; no. 27 (1997) 6–8, 11.

[k. i. rabenstein]