About Us
St. John of God Community Services is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to improve the lives of individuals with special needs and to create a hospitable space where people may experience dignity and respect. Our New Jersey location provides multi-dimensional services to individuals and families throughout each stage of life. Our programs include Adult Job Training and Day Services, Adult Therapeutic Recreation, Ticket to Work, Clinic Services, Holy Grounds Coffee Ltd. and more! Building partnerships in support of each person’s goals, St. John of God Community Services is dedicated to the individuals they serve and the community around them.
Our Mission
Walking in the footsteps of our founder, Saint John of God, we provide compassionate hospitality to all.
Our Vision
In a world of suffering, we will be a sign of hope.
Our Values
Hospitality - Respect - Quality - Responsibility - Spirituality
Our Founder, St. John of God
To tell the story of Granada, Spain, is to tell the story of Juan (John) Ciudad. Before John arrived in Granada, the city had shone as a center of enlightenment. The early development of irrigation systems brought mountain water through the city for drinking, bathing and planting. Advancements abounded in the fields of architecture, medicine, literature and art. People of Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths lived in harmony, creating this city of dreams.
​
Then Granada found itself embroiled in war. Fear took hold. People divided. Intolerance grew. This was the Granada that John Ciudad entered in 1537.
​
Until his arrival in Granada, John’s life was rootless. At age 8 he left his family to travel through Europe and northern Africa working as a shepherd, soldier and laborer. When he set up his bookstand in Granada’s main square, he could not have known how the city’s struggles would affect him. The pain of the people of Granada haunted him as he listened to John of Avila speak about compassion at the Hermitage of the Martyrs.
