Patron of the hospital
Saint Juan Grande
Juan Grande Román was born on 6th March 1546 in a small Spanish town of Carmona near Seville, in a noble and godly family of craftsmen.
He was preparing for the profession of a cloth maker, as a silk merchant he became very proficient in his profession, which, however, did not bring him satisfaction. He started to experience emotional breakdown. Wanting to regain peace of mind and recognize God’s intentions, he devoted himself to prayer and contemplation in the hermitage. His life became a service to God by serving others – the sick, the poor, the suffering. Feeling his own imperfection, as a sign of humility, he began to call himself John “the sinner”.
In 1566 he started a new stage of his life in Jereza, in the Cadiz province. With the funds obtained from alms and collection, he founded a hospital for the terminally ill, called Candlemas Mother. In 1574 he entered the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God.
Juan Grande was noted for his zeal and mercy in serving the sick and the most needy. Seeing his devotion and dedication to the sick, the Bishop of Seville commissioned Juan Grande to carry out hospital reforms.
He was a superior of the hospital religious community, the novice master, founder and manager of the hospital. Completely devoted to the work of mercy, he led an extremely poor life, spending all his free time on contemplation and prayer. He especially venerated the Blessed Mother and the Eucharist.
He died on 3rd June 1600 during the plague epidemic, helping the infected.
Both during his life and after death, Juan Grande was noted for his holiness. Thanks to his intercession, people received the grace of healing, which became the basis for his beatification. The process began in 1829 and lasted 24 years. The documents of the beatification process include the information that Juan Grande devoted his own life to God as an offering for the end of the epidemic.
The beatification decree approved Juan’s sacrifice and his heroic virtues, quoting the words from the Bible: “No one has greater love than the one who lays his life for those whom he loves.” The beatification ceremony took place in 1853 and was presided over by Pope Pius IX.
The beatification of Juan Grande was based on the miracle of healing that occurred in Szpital Zakonu Bonifratrów in Kraków on 24th December 1932. Praying in front of the image of Bl. Juan Grande, terminally ill, Sister Maria (Regina Hoeflich), a Felician recovered. The Congregation for Saints considered the matter of canonization. By a decree of 23rd December 1993 Pope John Paul II confirmed the legitimacy of initiating the process. Canonization of Bl. Juan Grande took place on 2nd June 1996 in Rome.