September 26th Saint John of Meda

[Denise]

John was born in the Town of Meda, Lombardy. He was a member of the Oldrati family of Milan. After Ordination he withdrew to the solitude of Rondenario, near Como. Receiving a vision of the Virgin Mary, in 1134 he felt called to join the Humiliati at their Abbey of Viboldone, then a lay congregation. Chosen their Superior, he subjected them to the Rule of St Benedict, changing the appellation of brethren of the Monks to Canons.

He spent his later life serving as an Abbot and is known for introducing the Little Office of Our Lady. He composed a special breviary for their use, which was called Canons’ Office. The Humiliati thus became a regular Order, with clerical and lay members. Later John went on to found further Monasteries of the Order, in the regions of Milan and Lombardy.

John of Meda gained a large number of converts by his preaching and was a humble and pious Abbot displaying a dedicated care of the needy.

He died on 26 September 1159 and was Canonised in c 1170, just a few years after his death by Pope Alexander III.