Saint Leopold Bogdan Mandic, also known as Adeodato Bogdan Mandic, was born on May 12, 1866, in Herceg Novi, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska, Croatia. He was the twelfth child of Peter and Caroline Mandic. From an early age, Leopold displayed physical malformation and delicate health. However, he also showed signs of great spiritual strength and integrity. At the age of 16, Leopold left Dalmatia and traveled to Italy, where he became a student at the Capuchin Seraphic School in Udine. He aspired to join the Capuchin Order and devoted himself to his studies. On April 20, 1884, he entered the Capuchin Order as a novice in Bassano del Grappa, taking the religious name Brother Leopold. After his Profession of Vows in May 1885, Leopold continued his clerical studies in Padua and Venice, eventually being ordained as a priest in Venice on September 20, 1890. Leopold desired to become a missionary in Eastern Europe, an area plagued by religious strife. However, his superiors denied him this opportunity due to his frailty and poor health. Instead, he was stationed at various Friaries in the Venetian Province from 1890 to 1906, including his homeland of Dalmatia, where the Italian friars had a mission. In 1906, Leopold was assigned to Padua, Italy, where he remained for the rest of his life, except for a year spent in a prison camp during World War I due to his refusal to renounce his Croat nationality. In Padua, Father Leopold served as a Confessor and Spiritual Director for almost forty years. Despite his physical weakness, he embraced his role in the confessional as his apostolate. For nearly twelve hours each day, he absolved and counseled thousands of penitents, offering hope to the hopeless and helping those enslaved by sin to find redemption. Leopold's humility and faith in God enabled him to accept his poor physical condition and rely on God's strength, recognizing that without Him, he could do nothing. Saint Leopold Bogdan Mandic's life was marked by physical pain and suffering. He was only four feet five inches tall and plagued by various health issues, including a stammer, abdominal pains, and chronic arthritis that gradually deformed his body. However, despite these challenges, his spiritual strength shone brightly. He was a giant of Christian faith, exemplifying humility and unwavering trust in God. Saint Leopold Bogdan Mandic died on July 30, 1942, at the Friary in Padua, Italy, from oesophageal cancer. He was beatified on May 2, 1976, by Pope Paul VI and canonized on October 16, 1983, by Pope John Paul II. He is venerated as a saint since March 1, 1974, after Pope Paul VI declared his heroic virtues. In 2018, the Italian Bishops' Conference chose him as the patron saint of cancer patients, recognizing his intercession and support for those suffering from this illness.
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