The Brothers of Saint John of God formed a religious and medical congregation carrying out charity work in the name of that saint, which was founded in 1495 in Portugal. Before dedicating his life to charity and brotherly love, John of God was a soldier in the army of Charles V of Spain. The literature written regarding his life tells of a supernatural occurrence, the apparition of the boy Jesus when John was in Gibraltar, revealing to him his true vocation. Concerned by the sorry state of the sick, he decided to dedicate his life to them. In this charitable quest, he sought and procured resources in order to found several hospitals, although Granada, Spain, was his center of operations. John of God died as a saint in 1550, not only due to his dedication to the caring of the sick, but also due to the many supernatural events that he had experienced. In 1572, Pope Pío V granted the statute of congregation to the group of people that proposed to continue his work. A few years later the Spanish crown entrusted the brothers of the Order of Saint John of God with the management of hospitals in Spain and in 1602, by means of a royal warrant, allowed the brothers to travel to the Americas. In 1690 John of God was canonized and since then hospitals and the Order have been known as Saint John of God.
· Ortíz Islas, Ana. Los hospitales de la orden de San Juan de Dios en la Nueva España. Siglo XVII – XVIII. Innovación editorial Lagares. México, 2004.
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