St. John Licci

John Licci is also called John Liccio. John was born in Sicily in 1400. His mother died giving birth to him. His father fed baby John crushed pomegranates and left him alone while he worked in the fields; providentially, a neighbor woman came and took the baby home to nurse. When the good woman laid the baby down by her paralyzed husband, the patient was cured. John’s father was angry because his neighbor had taken the child without his permission and he took him home. However, the neighbor’s husband became paralyzed again once the child left the house and was cured when baby John was brought back. John’s father saw this as a sign that he should let his neighbors care for the child. John was a devout child; when he was fifteen, a priest suggested that he enter the Dominicans. He did so and was ordained some years later. As a priest John became known for his good works and his miracles. Many miracles occurred while he was overseeing the construction of the convent of St. Zita. A wagon full of construction materials mysteriously arrived just as funds were running out; no one knew where the goods had come from and the driver disappeared. Father John’s prayers brought a boy back to life who had fallen from a wall and died. The breadbox of a poor widow miraculously stayed full, feeding her and her six children. A thief’s hand withered when he tried to stab Father John; at the priest’s prayer, the hand was restored. John Licci lived to the ripe old age of 111; he was a Dominican for 96 years, the longest known time anyone has worn the religious habit. John died on November 14, 1511. His cult was confirmed in 1753. His feast is November 14 and he is invoked against head injuries because during his life his prayers miraculously cured three people who had traumatic head injuries.