St. Leonard of Port Maurice
Franciscan Preacher and Apostle of the Stations of the Cross
Feast Day: November 26
Biography
St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676–1751) was born Paolo Girolamo Casanova on December 20, 1676, in Porto Maurizio, on the Ligurian coast of Italy, the son of a sea captain. He studied in Rome at the Jesuit Roman College and was expected to become a physician, but in 1697 he entered the Franciscan friars of the Riformati branch, taking the name Leonard. After his ordination he hoped to serve as a missionary in China, but a serious illness, which he believed was cured through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, kept him in Italy. He became instead one of the greatest preachers of parish missions of his time, working for more than forty years throughout Italy and on the island of Corsica, often preaching in the open air to huge crowds and calling people to confession and conversion. He promoted devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Conception, whose definition as a dogma he urged. Above all he spread the Way of the Cross, erecting the Stations in several hundred places; in 1750 he set them up in the Colosseum in Rome. Worn out by labors, he died at the friary of St. Bonaventure on the Palatine in Rome on November 26, 1751. He was beatified in 1796 and canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867.
Patronages
Symbols
Prayer
St. Leonard, tireless preacher of Christ crucified, you led countless souls along the Way of the Cross to repentance and new life. Help me to walk with Jesus in His Passion and to find strength in His love when I carry my own crosses. Pray for all who preach, and for all who need the grace of a good confession. Amen.
Asking for Intercession
Catholics ask saints to pray with us and for us, as we ask friends on earth. St. Leonard of Port Maurice, who lives in God's presence, intercedes before His throne. Speak from your heart: “St. Leonard of Port Maurice, please pray for me…” You may also pray the prayer above or include this intention in your Rosary.