Hospitaller Order of St. John of God is a Catholic religious Order for men founded by St. John of God. After the conversion followed by the sermon of St. John of Avila, on the occasion of the feast of St. Sebastian, he dedicated himself for serving the poor and the sick in Spain in the city of Granada.

St. John of God, the founder of this religious institution, was born on 8 March 1495 at Montemor Novo in Portugal. In his fortieth year he was drawn strongly to God’s service and began a wonderful life of prayer, penance and charity towards his neighbour. Pressed by the love of God, and of Christ’s suffering members, he founded his first hospital at Granada in Andalusia, around the year 1538 (south Spain), where he tenderly served the sick and afflicted. After ten years spent in the exercise of heroic charity, he died on 8 March 1550. He was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII in 1690 and was declared heavenly patron of the dying and of all the hospitals by Pope Leo XIII in 1898. St. Pius V approved the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers in 1572 under the rule of St. Augustine. The order spread rapidly into the other countries ofEurope, and even into the distant colonies. At present, there are more than 1500 Brothers, about 40,000co-workers. We are present in all five continents, in 48 countries. We perform our apostolate on behalf of the sick, the poor and the suffering in 293 Centres.

Springing from the Christian values and holistic approach advocated and practiced by its founders, the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God is dedicated to the provision of health, social, education, and welfare services. It has a mission to ensure that persons availing of its services receive the highest quality care, education, training, treatment or assistance in accordance with their needs.

The philosophy of the Order’s services is that people are the creation of God, with intrinsic value and inherent dignity. This philosophy is based on the beliefs and values of the Order’s founder, St. John of God.

As Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God, we strive to incarnate in ever greater depth the sentiments of Christ towards the sick and those in need and to manifest these sentiments with actions of mercy: we make ourselves weak with the weak and help them as the most favored ones of the Kingdom; we proclaim to them the Father’s love and the mystery of their complete salvation; we defend their rights; and we offer our lives for them. We dedicate ourselves with joy to helping those who suffer with those attitudes and actions, which characterize the Brother of Saint John of God: humble, patient and responsible service; respect for, and faithfulness to, the person; understanding, loving-kindness and self-denial; sharing in the anxieties and hopes of those who suffer. For them our life is a sign and proclamation of the coming of the kingdom of God.

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