| Saint John Macias | |
|---|---|
Statue of St. John Macias |
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| Laybrother, Porter | |
| Born | 2 March 1585 Ribera del Fresno, Extremadura, Spain |
| Died | 16 September 1645 Lima, Peru |
| Honored in | Roman Catholicism |
| Beatified | 1837 by Pope Pius VII |
| Canonized | 1975 by Pope Paul VI |
| Major shrine | Our Lady of the Rosary of Lima Church |
| Feast | 18 September |
Saint John Macías, (Spanish San Juan Macias alt. sp Massias) (2 March 1585 Ribera del Fresno, Extremadura, Spain – September 16, 1645, Lima, Peru), was a Spanish Dominican religious laybrother and Catholic saint who evangelized in Peru in 1620. He was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI. His main image is located at the main altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Lima and is venerated by the local laity in Peru. A church was built in his honor in 1970 in San Luis, Lima, Peru.
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Saint John Macías was born Juan de Arcas Sanchez on 2 March 1585 in Ribera del Fresno, Extremadura which was under the jurisdiction of the Palencia diocese to Pedro de Arcas y Juana Sánchez. It is not known why he changed his name. Orphaned at the age of four, he was reared by an uncle who trained him as a shepherd.
At the age of 25, he then started working with a wealthy businessman who offered him an opportunity to travel to South America. He first arrived at Cartagena de Indias Colombia and then at Reino de Nueva Granada stopping by Pasto and then Quito, Ecuador, in order to ultimately arrive at Perú where he would remain for the rest of his life. His first course of action there in Lima was to observe the Order of Preachers, indicating an active interest in joining in order to serve God. This was an in line with a vision he had 20 years ago commanding him to travel to Peru.
Confident in his abilities and talents as a sheepherder, he worked with shepherds in the outskirts of the city and it was there where he began his life as a religious. His sense of piety eventually led him to part with all of his belongings and giving it all to the poor, did a lot of community service and supported the Dominicans where he approached the Dominican friary of Santa María Magdalena where he was admitted as a cooperator brother on 23 January 1622 finally accepting the Dominican habit. One year later on 25 January 1623 he took his final vows.
At the friary, Saint John Macías's life was filled with fervent prayer, frequent penance and charity. As a result of his austerity, he quickly fell ill and had to have a risky surgery. Nevertheless, he continued to care for other sick and needy as they waited at the friary gates. Beggars, disabled people and other disadvantaged people were commonplace throughout Lima where they flocked to him at the friary gates for counsel and comfort. The wealthy upper classes were no strangers to St. John Macias; they also sought his counsel at the gates.
St. John Macias, however, expressed a greater desire to spend more time in contemplative solitude rather than engage in conversational activities with others. He confessed this to Father Abbot Ramírez who said, “If he were to never follow his vow of obedience, nobody would have ever seen his face." But his official position as the friary's porter, which he held for over 20 years and went against his natural inclinations of solitude, served to continue disciplining his vow of obedience. This filled him with a joyful sense of fulfillment. He died of natural causes in 1645.
An annual public procession also takes place in Peru every third Sunday of November in Lima. His image, along with that of the more famous Saint Martin of Porres (his friend and contemporary) are paraded around the streets and venerated by the faithful of Peru.
Several miracles were attributed to him during his life and after his death which led to his ultimate canonization. He was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI
His feast day is on September 18.