On May 12, Franciscans celebrate the memory of St. Leopold Mandić of Castelnuovo (1866–1942), a Capuchin friar famous for his dedicated ministry in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Born to large Croatian family

Bogdan Mandić was the twelfth child born to a Croatian couple in the town of Herceg Novi (Castelnuovo) in what is now Montenegro, on the Dalmatian coast of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Italian Capuchins had staffed a church in his hometown since the 1600s when the area was ruled by the Venetian Republic.

The town of Herceg Novi, Montenegro, birthplace of Saint Leopold

Gifted with keen mind, inner resiience

At age 16 the young Bogdan left home to study at their minor seminary in Udine, Italy. He was received into the Order in 1884 and given the name Leopold. Despite many physical handicaps—he was only 4’5” tall, walked with a limp, and spoke with a stammer—he was gifted