St. Carthagh's and St. Edmund's Catholic Churches

Saint John Damascene

John spent most of his life in the Monastery of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem, and all of his life under Muslim rule, indeed protected by it.

He was born in Damascus, received a classical and theological education, and followed his father in a government position under the Arabs. After a few years, he resigned and went to the Monastery of Saint Sabas.

He is famous in three areas:

First, he is known for his writings against the iconoclasts, who opposed the veneration of images. Paradoxically, it was the Eastern Christian emperor Leo who forbade the practice, and it was because John lived in Muslim territory that his enemies could not silence him.

Second, he is famous for his treatise, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, a summary of the Greek Fathers, of which he became the last. It is said that this book is for Eastern schools what the Summa of Aquinas became for the West.

Third, he is known as a poet, one of the two greatest of the Eastern Church, the other being Romanus the Melodist. His devotion to the Blessed Mother and his sermons on her feasts are well known.

Saint John Damascene's liturgical feast is celebrated on April 30.

With grateful hearts for God’s grace of one faith, one baptism, one hope and one Lord Jesus Christ, the  Good News of God’s unconditional love for all, we stand united as a community of God’s people in the  Archdiocese of Kingston. Conscious of our equality in God’s eyes and His personal love for us and  imbued with the evangelical zeal of our patrons and Mary, theMother of the Church, we reflect God’s  goodness in our community and in our dealings with others. Guided by the Spirit and assisted by prayer  and the Sacraments, we strive to deepen our personal relationship with Christ Jesus and to share him  with others.