November 26 - Saint Leonard of Port Maurice

Quick Facts

• Son of Domenico Casanova, a sea captain, and Anna Maria Benza.
• Placed at age thirteen with his uncle Agostino to study for a career as a physician, but the youth decided against medicine, and his uncle disowned him.
• Studied at the Jesuit College in Rome.Joined the Riformella, a branch of the Franciscans of the Strict Observance on 2 October 1697, taking the name Brother Leonard.
• Ordained in Rome in 1703.
• Taught for a while, and expected to become a missionary to China, but a bleeding ulcer kept him in his native lands for the several years it took to recover and regain his strength.
• Sent to Florence in 1709 where he preached in the city are nearby region.
• A great preacher, he was often invited to other areas.Worked for devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Heart, Immaculate Conception, and the Stations of the Cross.
• Established the Way of the Cross in over 500 places, including the Colosseum.Sent as a missionary by Pope Benedict XIV to Corsica in 1744.
• He restored discipline to the holy orders there, but local politics greatly limited his success in preaching.
• He returned exhausted to Rome where he spent the rest of his days.