5.34 St. John of the Cross: The Mystical Doctor

By Dr. James Papandrea ( bio - articles - email ) | May 13, 2026 | In Way of the Fathers (Podcast)

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St. John of the Cross (1542—1591) Arguably the most famous of the mystics, St. John of the Cross is well known for the concept of the “dark night of the soul.” He was the “first friar” of the Discalced Carmelites, co-founder of the reform movement with St. Teresa of Avila, and one of the greatest Spanish poets of all time.

Links

Check out this Catholic Culture podcast about St. John of the Cross’ poetry, including readings of some of his poems in Spanish and English: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/166-poetry-st-john-cross-w-carla-galdo/

Pope St. John Paul II Apostolic Letter, Maestro en la Fe (1990): https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5724&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2644080

Pope Benedict XVI General Address on St. John of the Cross (2011): https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=9548&repos=1&subrepos=0&searchid=2644080

The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross: https://www.icspublications.org/collections/homepage/products/the-collected-works-of-st-john-of-the-cross

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s latest book—Praying the Wisdom: Inspired Prayers for Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/praying-the-wisdom/

Dr. Papandrea’s YouTube channel, The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/