St. John the Baptist played a vital role in the life of Christ, not only as his cousin, but as the precursor of the Messiah.

John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, whose birth was foretold by the Archangel Gabriel. The Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth was dutifully written down in the Gospels.

Later on, John lived as a hermit in the Judean desert, until he began preaching on the banks of the Jordan River and baptizing large groups of penitents. He prophesized the coming of the Messiah to all those who would listen.

Christ came to be baptized by John before going to Galilee to preach. The Baptism of the Lord is described in detail in the Gospels.

John stayed near the Jordan River until he was arrested by King Herod Antipas, the ruler of Perea and Galilee, and was subsequently beheaded, traditionally through the scheming of Salome, the daughter of Herodias, Herod’s queen.

John the Baptist is the precursor of the Messiah. Patristic tradition holds that he was freed from original sin and sanctified in his mother’s womb. The Church has celebrated his nativity on June 24 and his beheading on August 29.