A priest and university teacher whose way of living quietly surprised people.
John was born in 1390 in Kety, Poland. He was a priest and a teacher at the University of Krakow, at a time when being a professor already meant a comfortable life.
He lived simply because he gave everything away.
Whatever came to him did not stay long. Money moved on. Food was shared. Clothes were passed to someone else. He kept almost nothing, not because he planned it that way, but because giving was his habit.
That is why he looked poor. That is why his life stayed light.
He taught. He followed his daily routine. He lived without storing, saving, or building comfort around himself. Life flowed through him, not into him.
People sometimes mistook him for someone with nothing. In truth, he just did not keep more than he needed.
Saint John of Kanty shows a rare way of living—where simplicity is not a goal, but the natural result of generosity.
This legend tells how faith, mercy, and forgiveness turned a king’s blindness into the light of repentance.
Long ago in 7th-century Oxford, there lived a young noblewoman named Frideswide, daughter of a local ruler. From an early age, she desired only one thing—to belong entirely to God. She founded a small community of women who lived in prayer and service, far from the noise of royal courts.
But her peace was tested when King Algar of Mercia heard of her beauty and virtue. Determined to marry her, he sent messengers demanding her hand. Frideswide refused, saying her heart was already promised to Heaven. Algar’s pride burned—he was a king, not used to being denied. He swore to take her by force.
Frideswide and her sisters fled into the woods near Oxford, hiding among trees and rivers. There she prayed for protection. As Algar pursued her, something unexpected happened—he was suddenly struck blind. Overcome by darkness and fear, the king cried out for mercy. Instead of celebrating his fall, Frideswide prayed for him. Soon after, his sight returned.
Shaken, Algar repented. He understood that holiness cannot be conquered, only respected. Frideswide returned to Oxford and continued her life of service until her death in 727.
—
The story sounds miraculous—and maybe it is. But historians admit it’s part of what’s called a “hagiographic tradition”—a sacred story told to express spiritual truth more than literal history. Whether or not every detail happened exactly as told, the story endures because it reveals something true about the power of faith, purity, and forgiveness.
That’s why Saint Frideswide remains honored not just as Oxford’s patron saint, but as a symbol of inner strength—the kind that blinds pride and opens the eyes of the soul.
