Codice prodotto: L10339
Memorial Day: July 30
When Saint Leopold lived: 1866 - 1942
BIOGRAPHY:
Saint Leopold Mandic was born Bogdan Ivan Mandic in Herceg Novi, in present-day Montenegro, into a Croatian family. At the age of 16, he entered the Capuchin Order and received the religious name Leopold. Despite his frail physical constitution and a speech impediment, he dedicated his life to the priestly ministry with extraordinary discipline. His most heartfelt desire was to serve as a missionary in his Eastern European homeland to contribute to the reunification of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. However, his superiors assigned the city of Padua as his place of work. There, he attained the status of holiness through his tireless dedication as a confessor. For over 40 years, he spent up to twelve hours a day in a tiny confessional cell, administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation to the faithful with infinite patience, gentleness, and mercy. He died on July 30, 1942, in Padua as a result of esophageal cancer, while his confessional and his monastery miraculously remained unharmed during the bombings of the Second World War.
PATRONAGE:
St. Leopold Mandic is the patron saint of confessors, cancer patients, and the striving for Christian unity (ecumenism).
SYMBOLISM, DEPICTION:
The symbols of Saint Leopold are the Capuchin habit as a sign of his religious order and the stole, which emphasizes his authority and his tireless service as a confessor in the Sacrament of Penance. The walking staff refers to his lifelong spiritual journey and his readiness for mission.
PATRON SAINT OF:
Leopold, Leo, Poldi, Luitpold, Leopoldo, Leopoldine, Lea, Léo, Liepold, Poldo, Leutpold, Boldo, Poltl, Leopolt, Liutpold, Leopolda, Lepa, Bogdan, Adeodatus, Bohdan.