Leonard of Port Maurice, St.
LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE, ST.
Renowned preacher, ascetic; b. Paul Jerome Casanova, in Porto Maurizio, Liguria, Italy, Dec. 20, 1676; d. Rome, Nov. 26, 1751. As a youth, Paul was sent to Rome and educated at the Jesuit Collegium Romanum. In 1697 he became a Franciscan of the Riformella instituted by Bl. Bonaventure of Barcelona. When assigned in 1709 to the retreat of Monte alle Croci in Florence, he initiated his 40-year apostolate of preaching popular missions, retreats, and Lenten courses and of promoting the devotion of the Way of the Cross. He also founded the retreat of Incontro near Florence. His collected works of sermons, correspondence, spiritual directives, and treatises were published in two editions (13 v. Rome 1853–54; 5 v. Venice 1868). His remains are preserved in S. Bonaventura al Palatino, Rome. He was beatified in 1796 and canonized in 1867. In 1923 he was declared patron saint of popular missionaries.
Feast: Nov. 26.
Bibliography: leonard of port maurice, Prediche e lettere inedite a cura del P. Benedetto Innocenti (Quaracchi-Florence 1915). b. m. donatiello and k. soltÉsz, "San Leonardo da Porto Maurizio. Lettere e documenti inediti," Studi Francescani 94, 3-4 (1997) 353–425. m. bigaroni, "Lettere inedite di San Leonardo da Porto Maurizio," Archivum Franciscanum historicum 64 (1971) 172–196. g. cantini, S. Leonardo da P. M. e la sua predicazione (Rome 1936).
[j. b. wuest]