Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord · Feast day June 24
St. John the Baptist
The feast day of St. John the Baptist is June 24, a solemnity in the US Catholic calendar. Traditionally invoked as patron of baptism and conversion. Below: a short life and 3 sourced quotations in their own words.
| Feast day | June 24 |
|---|---|
| In the US calendar | Solemnity |
| Title | Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord |
| Died | c. 30 |
| Patron of | baptism, conversion |
| In their own words | 3 sourced quotations |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | None left in the published calendar (through December 31, 2028) |
Life
The son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who leapt in the womb at the approach of Christ and grew up to be the voice crying in the wilderness. All four Gospels open his preaching: repent, for the kingdom is at hand.
He baptized the Lord in the Jordan, pointed his own disciples away from himself — ‘He must increase, while I must decrease’ — and was beheaded by Herod for saying a king’s marriage was unlawful. The Church keeps both his birth in June and his passion in August.
Patron of
Tradition invokes St. John the Baptist as patron of baptism and conversion.
Patronages are traditional, not an official list. All patron saints in Bless, A to Z.
In their own words
Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under In Scripture.
He must increase, while I must decrease.
Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold, he who takes away the sin of the world.
Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.
In Scripture
In Bless, St. John the Baptist’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version.
On this theme
and saying: “Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”
Matthew 3:2 · CPDV Beside their words: “Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.”
On this theme
On the next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and so he said: “Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold, he who takes away the sin of the world.
John 1:29 · CPDV Beside their words: “Behold, the Lamb of God. Behold, he who takes away the sin of the world.”
On this theme
He must increase, while I must decrease.
John 3:30 · CPDV Beside their words: “He must increase, while I must decrease.”
In the calendar
The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. John the Baptist. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.
Readings
No dates are left in Bless’s published calendar, which runs through December 31, 2028. St. John the Baptist keeps June 24 in Bless’s calendar of saints: see the saints of June.
All the saints of June Born on June 24? A saint for every day
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