View source for Bl. John of Parma

{{Saints
|SaintName=Blessed John of Parma
|SaintStage=Blessed
|SaintBirthDate=c. 1209
|SaintBirthPlace=Parma, Italy
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|SaintDeathDate=March 19, 1289
|DeathPlace=Camerino, Italy
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|SaintCauseOfDeath=Natural Causes
|NotableAddress1=Franciscan Friary, Paris, France
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|NotableAddress2=Franciscan Friary, Bologna, Italy
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|NotableAddress3=Franciscan Friary, Naples, Italy
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|NotableAddress4=Franciscan Friary, Rome, Italy
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|BeatificationDate=1777
|Beatifier=Pope Pius VI
|BeatificationLocation=
|Canonized=No
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|FeastDay=March 20
|Profession=Philosopher, Theologian, Minister General
|ReligiousAffiliation=Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)
|Patronage=Franciscan students and scholars
|Attributes=Franciscan habit, book, cross
|PrimaryShrine=Greccio, Italy (hermitage where he retired)
|AdditionalVeneration=
}}
'''Blessed John of Parma''', born '''Giovanni Buralli''', was a significant figure in the Franciscan Order, serving as its seventh Minister General from 1247 to 1257. Initially a philosophy professor in Parma, he joined the Franciscans at twenty-five, dedicating himself to a life of poverty and humility. His leadership aimed to restore the Order's original spirit post-Saint Francis, traveling extensively to visit Franciscan communities. 

Despite facing opposition and resigning due to perceived inability to enact reforms, he nominated Saint Bonaventure as his successor and retired to Greccio, where he lived for thirty years. His life was marked by humility, scholarship, and efforts to unify the Church, notably in his later attempt to reconcile the schismatic Greeks, during which he fell ill and died.