---
title: "St. John of Matha: Feast Day December 17 · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-of-matha/
description: "St. John of Matha, Priest. Remembered on December 17, died c. 1213. Read their life in Bless."
---

Priest · Remembered on December 17

# St. John of Matha

St. John of Matha is remembered on December 17 in Bless’s calendar of saints.

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Remembered on | [December 17](https://blessbible.app/saints/december/#17) |
| Title | Priest |
| Died | c. 1213 |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Thursday, December 17, 2026](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-of-matha/#calendar) |

## Life

A Provençal theologian who at his first Mass saw Christ between two chained captives, one Christian and one Moor — and founded the Trinitarians, vowed to ransom Christian slaves, a third of all revenues set aside for it. Across five centuries his order freed captives by the tens of thousands, sometimes leaving brothers in exchange.

## In the calendar

The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. John of Matha. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.

| Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Thursday, December 17, 2026](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2026/12/17/) | Thursday of the Third Week of Advent | Violet | Genesis 49:2, 8-10 · Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17 · Matthew 1:1-17 |
| [Friday, December 17, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/12/17/) | Friday of the Third Week of Advent | Violet | Genesis 49:2, 8-10 · Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17 · Matthew 1:1-17 |
| [Sunday, December 17, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/12/17/) | Third Sunday of Advent | Rose (or violet) | Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 · Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 · James 5:7-10 · Isaiah 61:1 (cited in Luke 4:18) · Matthew 11:2-11 |

Readings

Reading citations through May 31, 2027 are as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar. Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

[December 16 St. Adelaide](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-adelaide/) [December 18 St. Flannan](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-flannan/)

[All the saints of December](https://blessbible.app/saints/december/) [Born on December 17?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#12-17) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/)

Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here.

St. John of Matha

Remembered on December 17

On this page

1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-of-matha/#life)
2. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-of-matha/#calendar)

In the app

Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.