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History of DeMatha's Patron Saint
According to tradition, John de Matha, the son of noble parents, was born on June 23, 1160 in Faucon-de-Barcelonette, France. His chief interest lay in works of mercy and prayer. He received his early education at Aix-en-Provence, retired to a hermitage, then studied theology in Paris, where he gained his doctor's degree and was ordained a priest at the age of 32 in December 1192.
Vision of the Captives
On January 28, 1193, as tradition tells us, John celebrated his first Mass. During that Mass, he was struck with a vision of Christ holding by the hand two chained captives, one a Moor, the other a Christian (the Crusades were in full force at the time). The Christian captive carried a staff with a red and blue cross. Three other bystanders at the church that day had the same vision. After the Mass, John decided to devote himself to the task of ransoming Christian captives from the Moors – a work which impressed him as one of the greatest acts of charity since it benefited their souls and their bodies.