" St. John the Baptist is more intimately bound up with the devotional scheme of the Legion than any of the other patrons, with the exception of St. Joseph." (Handbook; 24,7)
John the Baptist was the son of Zachary, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary who visited her while she was pregnant with St. John.
When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan. He attracted large crowds, and when Christ came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, "It is I who need baptism from You".
John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching. John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah.
His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August 29th.
Prayer to Saint John the Baptist
Saint John, blessed forerunner of Jesus Christ, mirror of true penance,
burning and shining light, who by thy teaching and example did show to
men the way to Christ, I beseech thee, by thy penitential life, that thou
would obtain for me, from Him Whom thou did point out as the Lamb of God
that takes away the sins of the world, grace that, fearing God's wrath
against the impenitent, I may at last do true penance for my sins, mortify
my sinful flesh according to thy example, serve God in purity and sanctity,
and finally, in the land of eternal happiness, follow forever the Lamb
Who on the altar of the cross was slain for me. Amen.