Saint John of Avila

John of Avila was born around 1499 in Almodóvar del Campo, Spain, to a wealthy family of Jewish descent. He studied law at Salamanca and theology at Alcalá, and after his parents' death he gave his inheritance to the poor. Ordained a priest in 1526, he hoped to sail as a missionary to New Spain, but the archbishop of Seville asked him to stay and preach in Andalusia, which he did for the rest of his life.

His preaching was so demanding that he was denounced to the Inquisition and imprisoned in 1531–1533; he was cleared and wrote much of his spiritual classic Audi, filia in prison. He founded colleges, reformed the clergy, and guided Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of God, Saint Francis Borgia and Saint Peter of Alcántara. He died at Montilla on May 10, 1569. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970, and Benedict XVI declared him a Doctor of the Church in 2012.

Since 1946 he has been patron of the diocesan clergy of Spain, and Spanish priests celebrate his feast together. Pope Francis added his optional memorial to the General Roman Calendar in 2021. His tomb in Montilla, in the Jesuit church of the Incarnation, is a place of pilgrimage.