October 11. St John XXIII. The “Good Pope.” A farmer’s son. A priest. A diplomat. A shepherd with a smile strong enough to open windows in the Church.
Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli on November 25, 1881, in Sotto il Monte, Bergamo, Italy, he rose from humble family life to become Pope John XXIII, Bishop of Rome, serving from October 28, 1958, until his death on June 3, 1963.
He convened the Second Vatican Council, issued the peace-filled encyclical Pacem in Terris, and became a saint for a restless modern world. His feast day is October 11.
He was beatified in 2000 and canonized in 2014. He is patron saint of papal delegates.
| Pope Saint John XXIII Biography | |
|---|---|
 St John XXIII, Pope – Feast Day – October 11 2026 | |
| Date of Birth | November 25 1881 |
| Place of Birth | Sotto il Monte, Bergamo, Italy |
| Profession | Pope and Bishop of Rome |
| Place of Work | Vatican, Rome, Italy |
| Date of Death | June 3 1963 (aged 81) |
| Place of Death | Apostolic Palace, Vatican City |
| Feast Day | October 11 |
| Beatification | By Pope John Paul II on September 3 2000 in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City |
| Canonization | By Pope Francis on April 27 2014 in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City |
| Patron Saint of |
|
St John XXIII, Pope Life History
Pope John XXIII hailed from a large family of 13 children. He was the fourth born and the eldest son in the family. His father’s name was Giovanni Battista Roncalli and his mother was Marianna Giulia Mazzola.
The family was poor and earned their livelihood by sharecropping whereby the landowner allowed them to till the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land.
Pope John XXIII received his First Holy Communion as well as Confirmation in 1889 at the age of 8. He attended school in his hometown at the age of twelve.
He entered Bergamo’s diocesan seminary in 1892 and joined the Secular Franciscan Order on March 1 1896 and thereafter, on May 23 1897 professed his vows as a member.
In 1901 while studying in Rome he took a year off for military service. He graduated with a doctorate in canon law in 1904 and was ordained as a priest on August 10 1904 at Santa Maria Catholic Church in Monte Santo, Rome.
He was appointed as the secretary to Giacomo Radini-Tedeschi, the Bishop of Bergamo in 1905 and worked till the bishop died on August 22 1914. During this time he also lectured in the Bergamo diocesan seminary.
When World War I broke out, Fr. Roncalli joined the Royal Italian Army as a sergeant and became a chaplain as well as a stretcher carrier in the medical corps.
When the war ended in 1919, he was discharged from the army and became the spiritual director of the Bergamo diocesan seminary. He also opened a hostel for students in Bergamo.
When Fr. Giuseppe Angelo Roncalli traveled to Rome to meet Pope Benedict XV, he was appointed as the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
Fr. Roncalli was appointed by Pope Pius XI as the Apostolic Visitor to Bulgaria in 1925, a position he held until 1935.
In the same year, 1925, the pope also appointed him as the titular archbishop of Areopolis, Jordan, and therefore was consecrated as a bishop. Here he worked closely with the Eastern Catholics and understood them.
He was appointed as a titular archbishop of Mesembria, Bulgaria and Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and Greece in 1934.
Because of his strong positive predisposition and sympathy towards the government in Istanbul, culture, history, and the people of Turkey, he became known as the Turcophile Pope. Here he improved relations between the Orthodox and Muslims.
In this position, he helped many Jewish refugees in Europe who started referring to him as a Righteous Gentile. He also helped many pilgrims from Bulgaria to go to Rome to meet the pope.
Bishop Roncalli’s mother died in February 1939, the same period Pope Pius XI died. Roncalli was, therefore, unable to attend his mother’s funeral because of the tight schedule and obligations during the election of a new pope.
Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected the new pope on March 2 1939 and took the name, Pope Pius XII. The new pope shortly afterward made Bishop Roncalli the head of the Vatican Jewish Agency in Geneva.
In 1939, World War II broke out and Bishop Roncalli departed as head of the Vatican Jewish Agency and went to Turkey but continued to help the Nazi-oppressed Jews in Greece and around Europe throughout the war period.
The help he accorded to the Jews during this period has been recognized far and wide by many nations and people, especially the Jewish community around the world.
He played a very pivotal role in championing for the establishment of the Jewish State after the end of the war.
Archbishop Roncalli was made the new Apostolic Nuncio of France on December 22 1944 after the country was liberated from Nazi occupation.
He helped to get rid of the bishops who collaborated with the Nazi regime and helped them in the occupation of France during World War II.
His good work as the Nuncio in France made the sitting President of France, Vincent Auriol give him the award of Commander of the Legion of Honour.
Archbishop Roncalli’s rank was raised to a Cardinal by Pope Pius XII and subsequently appointed as the Patriarch of Venice on January 12 1953 after the death of Archbishop Carlo Agostini.
Pope Pius XII died on October 9 1958 and Cardinal Roncalli was elected as the New Pope and took the regnal name, John.
The choice of this name surprised many people because, for around 500 years, the previous popes avoided it for it was associated with antipope John XXIII (1410-1415) who had opposed Pope Gregory XII.
The 1958 papal conclave thought that Pope John XXIII, because of his advanced age, would not do much while in office and thought he would serve for a very short period.
After his coronation, he embarked on visits around Rome to visit the sick in hospitals, prisoners, reformatory schools for juvenile delinquents, and other institutions that take care of the least of our brothers and sisters. This kind gesture made many people including non-Catholics to like him a lot.
In 1960, during the Good Friday liturgy, Pope John XXIII told the faithful to stop terming the Jews as faithless and requested the elimination of the phrase that calls for the conversion of the Jews from the Good Friday liturgy.
Instead of becoming a short-period pope who would do nothing, Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council on October 11 1962, the council that changed for the better, the face of Catholicism in matters of liturgy, ecumenism, approach to the world, and evangelization.
Pope John XXIII presided over the Rome diocese’s first synod in 1960 and thereafter issued a rule in 1962 mandating that all cardinals should be bishops.
He also annulled the regulation of Pope Sixtus IV limiting the membership of the College of Cardinals to 70 and enlarged it to 87 with a sizeable international representation.
Pope John XXIII created the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity to head the Church into better relationships with other Christian and non-Christian denominations.
He prohibited the use of contraceptives which he said interfered with the procreative will of God and also upheld the traditional view that married couples should not divorce.
During the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, he offered to moderate the peace negotiations. Although many people approved of that move the warring parties declined to accept his offer.
US President Lyndon B. Johnson posthumously awarded Pope John XXIII the Presidential Medal of Freedom on December 3 1963 in recognition of the good relationship between him and the United States of America. This is the highest civilian award in the United States.
Pope John XXIII Death
Pope John XXIII was diagnosed with stomach cancer on September 23 1962. The information was initially withheld from the public and the pope’s public appearances were reduced.
He died on June 3 1963 at the age of 81 having served as pope for four years and seven months. He was buried after three days on June 6 in the Vatican Necropolis.
Beatification
The cause for the canonization of Pope John XXIII was opened on November 18 1965 by Pope Paul VI. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3 2000 in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City after a miracle of curing an ill woman was ratified.
Canonization
Pope John XXIII was canonized by Pope Francis on April 27 2014 in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City
Pope John XXIII Feast Day
We celebrate St John XXIII’s feast day on October 11 every year in the Catholic Church. This date is not the usual date of death as it were, but the date the pope opened the Second Vatican Council.
Pope John XXIII is the Patron Saint of
- Papal delegates
- Patriarchy of Venice
- Second Vatican Council
- Christian unity
- Diocese of Bergamo
- Sotto il Monte
- Valsamoggia
- Italian Army
- Other popes named John
St John XXIII, Pope Quote
👉 “It is not that the gospel has changed; it is that we have begun to understand it better.
👉 Those who have lived as long as I have were enabled to compare different cultures and traditions, and know that the moment has come to discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity, and to look far ahead.”
Representation in Art
In sacred art, St John XXIII is commonly shown wearing the white papal cassock, white zucchetto, and gentle smile that made him beloved around the world. Sometimes he is shown blessing the faithful, seated as pope, or connected with the opening of the Second Vatican Council.
His image is rarely severe. It is fatherly. Warm. Pastoral. Human.
That fits him well.
Call to Action
St John XXIII teaches us this: do not underestimate what God can do through a humble person.
You may not be pope. You may not lead a council. You may not write an encyclical. But you can open the windows in your own life.
Open the window in your family where there has been silence. Start the conversation.
Open the window at work where there has been bitterness. Choose peace before pride.
Open the window in your parish where people have become tired, divided, or discouraged. Bring encouragement.
Open the window in your own heart where fear has kept the Holy Spirit outside.
St John XXIII was old when many thought his biggest work was already behind him. But God was not finished. So do not say, “It is too late for me.” Do not say, “I am too ordinary.” Do not say, “Nothing can change.”
With God, an ordinary life can still become a doorway of grace.
Prayer to St John XXIII
St John XXIII, good and humble shepherd of the Church, pray for us.
You came from a simple family, served faithfully as priest, bishop, diplomat, patriarch, and pope, and allowed God to use your life for renewal and peace.
Pray for the Church today. Pray for the pope. Pray for bishops, priests, religious, families, leaders, and all people of goodwill.
Ask God to give us humble hearts, peaceful words, courageous faith, and a deeper love for the Gospel.
Help us open the windows of our lives to the Holy Spirit, so that Christ may renew us from within.
St John XXIII, pray for us. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Where is God asking me to become more humble and more peaceful?
- Do I speak the truth with mercy, or do I use truth as a weapon?
- What “window” in my life needs to be opened to the Holy Spirit today?
- How can I become an instrument of peace in my family, workplace, parish, or online conversations?
Quick Facts About St John XXIII
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | St John XXIII |
| Birth Name | Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli |
| Date of Birth | November 25, 1881 |
| Place of Birth | Sotto il Monte, Bergamo, Italy |
| Profession | Priest, bishop, diplomat, cardinal, Patriarch of Venice, pope |
| Place of Work | Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, France, Venice, Vatican City |
| Papacy | October 28, 1958 – June 3, 1963 |
| Date of Death | June 3, 1963 |
| Place of Death | Vatican City |
| Feast Day | October 11 |
| Major Legacy | Convened the Second Vatican Council |
| Famous Encyclicals | Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris |
| Beatification | September 3, 2000, by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonization | April 27, 2014, by Pope Francis |
| Patronage | Papal delegates |
Conclusion
St John XXIII reminds us that holiness can be gentle and still be strong. It can smile and still change history. It can come from a farming village and still speak to the whole world.
He did not lead through fear. He led through fatherhood. He did not renew the Church by watering down the Gospel. He invited the Church to bring the Gospel more deeply into the modern world.
His life says: be faithful where you are. Be kind. Be brave. Pray deeply. Work honestly. Trust the Holy Spirit.
And when God opens a door, walk through it.
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