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John's Persecutions Among the Discalced

But John was already making his way to El Calvario in Andalusia, where he was to become prior of an exemplary community of about 30 friars. On Saturdays, he would go to the convent at Beas as spiritual director, and on other days compose and edit some of his writings. In the spring of 1579, the faculty of the University of Baeza made it known that they wanted a college for Carmelite students, and John responded, opening the house on June 13, celebrating the first Mass there the following day, Trinity Sunday, and becoming the first rector. 14

On June 22, 1580, with the apostolic letter Pia consideratione, Gregory XIII granted the request for the discalced to become a separate province. This was partly the result of much discussion between Philip II and the nuncio, Sega, the latter eventually reversing his former opposition to the idea. The discalced convened their first official provincial chapter on March 3, 1581, in Alcalá de Henares. The Chapter elected Gracián as provincial and John as one of four definitors, or councilors (responsible for assisting the provincial in overseeing the members' fidelity to the Constitutions).

Still rector of Baeza, John made a few short journeys on the Order's work, but in November 1581, Gracián gave John a pleasant assignment to return to Avila to discuss a new foundation for Granada with Mother Teresa. It was the first time John had seen Teresa since the horrors of his imprisonment, four years earlier, and the last time before Teresa's death the following year. Teresa gave her encouragement, but declined to make the foundation in person; John then took great interest in helping Anne of Jesus and the Carmelite nuns to establish the convent. He remained in Granada as the newly elected prior of the friars' monastery there.

In May 1583, the discalced again held a chapter at Almodóvar, where the tension between Gracián's emphasis on apostolate and Doria's on contemplation surfaced yet again. In the spring of 1585, another chapter was held, this time in Lisbon, and Gracián nominated Doria for provincial. This turned out to be an unfortunate move, since under Doria he was eventually expelled from the Order. (Gracian died in Brussels on September 21, 1614, still following the "discalced" way of life, but within a community of brother Carmelites of the Ancient Observance.)

Returning from Italy after his election by the Lisbon Chapter, Doria reconvened the Chapter in October 1585 at Pastrana. He divided the province into four vicariates, each governed by a provincial vicar. John of the Cross was appointed vicar for Andalusia, while also remaining prior of Granada. For John, the next years were of travelling and of new foundations. In 1588, at a Chapter in Madrid, John was elected first definitor and member of the consulta, Doria's new and controversial centralized governing board for the discalced. John was chosen prior of Segovia, seat of the consulta, in the hope that he might find benefactors and oversee improvements.

In June 1591, John attended another Chapter in Madrid. According to one version of events, Fr. Doria's uneasiness about John had been growing in recent months, partly because he suspected John disapproved of his extreme actions against Gracián, and partly because he mistakenly thought John was behind a recourse the nuns had made to Rome to be free from Doria's interventions. John, realizing that many Chapter members felt intimidated from expressing their true sentiments, asked unsuccessfully for secret voting. 15 He himself spoke out fearlessly in opposition to radical measures against the nuns and Gracian. In the end, whether as a punishment or not, John was left without offices, as he had wished. In fact, John had volunteered for Mexico, a proposal unanimously accepted by the Chapter. Yet Doria later changed his mind about John, and considered sending him back to Segovia as prior.16

John set off for Andalusia, thinking he was on his way to Mexico. He stayed first at La Peñuela, where he reworked his commentary on the Living Flame of Love. During this time Fr. Diego Evangelista, a revengeful, suspicious, and self-centered friar whom John had once reprimanded, began a deplorable process of attempting to disgrace John by insinuating that his interactions with the many nuns he directed had been improper. Diego Evangelista, now a member of Doria's consulta, was not prevented by the latter in his attempted humiliation of John. This same Diego Evangelista also helped Doria in gathering information against other opponents, notably Gracián, who eventually admitted to some slight indiscretion in his dealings with some nuns. Although not referring to any immorality, Doria's men made it imply such. Gracián was imprisoned for months as his case was decided. Judged guilty, he was stripped of his habit after refusing to accept his punishment, and expelled from the order in 1592, two months after John's death. He went to Rome for justice, but Doria made sure he got no audience. While in Italy he was captured by Turkish pirates, taken to Tunis, and imprisoned in an underground dungeon for two years. He was ransomed and returned to Rome, where the pope ordered the discalced to readmit him, but they refused. Ironically, the Car melites of the Ancient Observance welcomed him and allowed him to observe the rule of the reformed.17

John became ill and was transferred to Ubeda for treatment. There he was humiliated by yet another vengeful friar who still resented having been corrected by John many years before: Francisco Crisóstomo, now the prior. Informed of John's mistreatment, Fr. Antonio, John's first companion in the reform and now provincial of Andalusia, hastened to Ubeda to rectify the treatment of John.

John of the Cross died at midnight on Saturday, December 14, 1591. He was 49 years old, and had given himself to the reform for 23 years. 18