Who was St. Leopold?
St. Leopold was also a Capuchin priest like Padre Pio. Born the
youngest of 12 children in 1866 in the Montenegro area of Croatia, he
was called Bogdan as a child. Throughout his life he suffered from
severe abdominal pain as well as a severe stutter. Along with these
ailments, chronic arthritis deformed his posture & hands. His bent
spine gave him a height of just 4'5". He had poor eyesight & was
usually in pain. Despite his lifelong physical problems, his was a life
of faith & sacrifice.
At 16, Bogdan began his studies at Capuchin Seraphic School in
Italy. He took religious name Brother Leopold & made his
Profession of Vows at 17. Brother Leopold was ordained a priest in
Venice in 1890.
He wanted to become a missionary in Eastern Europe,
which was under siege by religious conflict, but his request was turned
down because of his poor health. He was instead stationed at several
friaries around Venice. He began to teach about early Church
Fathers at a school in Padua, where he became well known for his
devotion to his students & his hours spent in prayer each night.
Besides one year in an Italian prison during World War I for
refusing to renounce his Croatian nationality, Brother Leopold would
spend most of next 3 decades devoted to spreading faith in
Padua. From his small cell he'd spend up to 15 hours a day hearing
confessions & giving spiritual direction.
He was known for his
constant prayer, fasting, & sacrificing. His dream was to reunite
Catholic & Orthodox churches by going to Orient, but that never
happened. He became known as Apostle of Confession & Apostle of
Unity. He wrote a famous prayer for ecumenism, & was known to prophesy
& to levitate.
When his superiors would say he was too lenient with people who
came to him for confession, he'd respond, “If the Lord wants to
accuse me of showing too much leniency toward sinners, I'll tell him
that it was he who gave me this example, & I haven't even died for salvation of souls as he did.” Leopold would often remark, “Be at
peace; place everything on my shoulders. I'll take care of it.” He
once explained, “I give my penitents only small penances because I do
the rest myself.” At nighttime, he'd spend hours in prayer,
explaining: “I must do penance for my penitents.”
Brother Leopold was known to be especially fond of expectant
mothers & young children. He set up orphanages for children without
parents. He had a deep devotion to Virgin Mary who he referred to
as “my holy boss,” & he prayed Rosary regularly. Each day he
celebrated Mass at side altar in the Little Office of the Virgin
Mary. Then he'd go around & visit sick in nursing homes,
hospitals & homes. He also visited sick Capuchin friars in the
infirmary, encouraging them to keep the faith.
Leopold used to repeat to himself: “Remember that you've been sent for salvation of people, not because of your own merits, since it is
the Lord Jesus & not you who died for salvation of souls... I must
cooperate with the divine goodness of our Lord who has deigned to
choose me so that by my ministry, the divine promise would be fulfilled:
‘There will be only one flock & one shepherd’” (John 10:16).
Brother Leopold suffered from esophageal cancer, which would
ultimately lead to his death at age 76. On July 30, 1942, after an
entire night of prayer & a previous day hearing confessions nonstop,
he collapsed while preparing for Mass. He was brought to his cell where
he was given Last Rites. Friars gathered at his bed sang “Salve
Regina,” & when they got to words, “O clement, O loving, O sweet
Virgin Mary,” St. Leopold died while singing final words.
The church & part of friary where Brother Leopold lived were
demolished by bombs during World War II, but as he predicted, his cell
& confessional were left unharmed. He stated before his death, “The
church & friary will be hit by bombs, but not this little
cell. Here God exercised so much mercy for people, it must remain as a
monument to God’s goodness.” Pope Paul VI beatified Leopold on May 2,
1976, & St. John Paul II canonized him during Synod of Bishops on
October 16, 1983. Leopold is hailed as “Apostle of Unity.” His
feast day is July 28.
