Saint Leonard of Port Maurice (1676–1751) was an Italian Franciscan friar and one of the greatest mission preachers of his age, spending decades traveling through Italy calling people back to God. He tirelessly promoted devotion to the Stations of the Cross, personally erecting hundreds of sets, including one in the Colosseum in Rome. He died in Rome on November 26, 1751, and was canonized in 1867.
Leonard shows us that love for Jesus grows when we walk with Him in His suffering, step by step, as he taught so many to do along the Way of the Cross. His gentle persistence reminds us that faith is kept alive not by grand gestures but by returning again and again to prayer, especially in seasons of sorrow.
Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, who led so many hearts along the Way of the Cross, walk with us in our grief and lead us gently to the hope of the Resurrection. Amen.