Saint John of the Cross was born in Spain in 1542. He was a Spanish mystic, a Carmelite friar, an influential poet, and a major figure of the Counter-Reformation. He attended the Jesuit college at Medina, and excelled in theology and philosophy. In 1563, he joined the Carmelite Order and took the name "John of St. Matthias." He was ordained into the priesthood in 1567. While celebrating his first Mass, he met St. Teresa of Avila and was asked to follow her. In November 1568, John founded the Disclaced Carmelites and changed his name to John of the Cross. In 1572, he traveled to Avila to see Teresa and became her spiritual director and confessor. While there, he had a vision of the Crucified Christ and made his now-famous drawing, Christ "from above." In 1577, John was ordered to leave the monastery in Avila, due to a growing rift within the Carmelite Order. However, his work to reform the order was already approved, so he chose to stay. Later that year, a group of Carmelite