July 30 St. Leopold Bogdan Mandic

Saint Leopold was a contrast between physical frailty and spiritual strength. Four foot five inches tall, and physically weak, his health became worse with age. He had a stammer, suffered abdominal pains, and was gradually deformed by chronic arthritis, making his frame stooped, his hands gnarled, and his life one of endless pain. Spiritually, Leopold Mandic was a giant, full of Christian strength. Twelfth child born to Peter and Caroline Mandic. Physically malformed and delicate of health, Bogdan early showed signs of great spiritual strength and integrity. At age 16, Bogdan left Dalmatia for Italy where he was accepted into the Capuchin order as a priest.

The first sixteen years of his priesthood were spent in and around Venice, including some time in his native Dalmatia. Father Leo was posted to Padua, Italy in 1906 where, except for a year spent in a prison camp in World War I because he would not renounce his Croat nationality, he remained for the rest of his life. In Padua he became a Confessor and Spiritual Director for almost forty years. Father Leopold encouraged many, especially the hopeless in enslavement to sin. Though he did not go to the missions, his long service in the confessional proved it to be his own apostolate. For nearly forty years, twelve hours a day, he absolved and counseled thousands of penitents, always weak but always available.