Saint Leopold Mandic: Apostle of Christian Unity

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

Born in Montenegro

Bogdan Mandic 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.

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

Joining Italian Capuchins

Italian Capuchins had staffed a church in his hometown since the 1600s when the area was ruled by the Venetian Republic. At age 16 the young Bogdan left to study at their minor seminary in Udine, Italy. He was received into the Order in 1884 and given the name Leopold.

Saint Leopold Mandic at the time of his ordination, 1890

Keen mind and inner resilience

Despite many physical handicaps—he was only 4'5" tall, walked with a limp, and spoke with a stammer—he was gifted with a keen mind and developed a great inner resilience. Leopold desired greatly to be a missionary in his homeland and work for the reconciliation of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, but his physical limitations prevented this.

Merciful minister of Sacrament of Reconciliation

Other than two brief stints in the Balkans, Leopold spent most of his religious life in Italy as a merciful minister of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially in Padua where he was stationed for over 30 years.

The Capuchin church in Padua, Italy, now dedicated to Saint Leopold Mandic

Long hours in confessional

In his later years Leopold suffered from crippling arthritis but still spent up to 12 hours a day in the confessional. He finally developed esophageal cancer that led to his death in Padua on July 30, 1942.

Patron of confessors, cancer sufferers

Canonized in 1983 by Pope John Paul II, Saint Leopold is hailed as an apostle of Christian Unity and as a patron of confessors and cancer sufferers.

Remains venerated during Jubilee Year of Mercy

Pope Francis brought Leopold’s remains to Rome for veneration during the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016. At that time, the late Fr. Michael Crosby, OFM Cap., wrote a nice introduction to the saint https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/saint-mercy.

Ponder Leopold’s wisdom

Two sayings of Saint Leopold to ponder:

 "Some people say that I am too kind. But if you come and kneel before me, isn't this a sufficient proof that you want to have God's pardon? God's mercy is beyond all expectation."