ICONOGRAPHIE CHRÉTIENNE: Saint GIOVANNI LEONARDI, prêtre et fondateur de l'Ordre des Clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu

Giuseppe Antonio Lomuscio, San Giovanni Leonardi, tra Fede e Scienza (2007), olio su tela; Roma, Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda

Saint Jean Léonardi

Prêtre, fondateur des Clercs de la Mère de Dieu (+ 1609)

Originaire de Lucques en Toscane. Fils de pharmacien et pharmacien lui-même jusqu'à l'âge de vingt-cinq ans, il devint prêtre à trente ans et fonda, deux années plus tard, à Lucques, la congrégation des Clercs de la Mère de Dieu (1574). Il prêche et il confesse inlassablement tandis que les théories nouvelles de la Réforme séduisent la jeunesse. Ses succès lui valent une violente persécution. Menacé de mort, il s'enfuit à Rome où il prend saint Philippe Néri comme père spirituel. Quand saint Philippe quittera Rome, saint Jean Leonardi installa sa communauté dans la maison que son père spirituel lui laissait. Saint Jean Leonardi aurait voulu partir pour les missions lointaines. Dans ce but, en 1603, il jette les bases du séminaire pour la Propagation de la Foi, destiné à la formation des prêtres indigènes envoyés par les missionnaires. Il meurt de la peste qu'il a contractée en se dévouant auprès des malades lors d'une épidémie.

Lors de l'audience générale du 7 octobre 2009, Benoît XVI a évoqué saint Jean Leonardi, patron des pharmaciens dont on célèbre le 9 octobre le 400e anniversaire de la mort.

Né en 1541 en Italie, Giovanni Leonardi abandonna ses études de pharmacie pour celles de théologie, en vue de son ordination sacerdotale et, avec l'évêque Juan Vives et le jésuite Martín de Funes, il contribua à l'établissement d'une congrégation spécifique du Saint-Siège pour les missions: le Collège Urbanien de Propaganda Fide qui a formé de nombreux prêtres pour l'évangélisation des peuples. Son zèle apostolique le porta même à envoyer au Pape Paul V un mémoire dans lequel il fit des propositions pour un vrai renouveau de l'Église. Il n'abandonna, toutefois, jamais sa passion pour la pharmacopée, convaincu que "la médecine de Dieu est Jésus-Christ... à la mesure de toutes choses".

"Le lumineux portrait de ce saint invite d'abord les prêtres et tous les chrétiens à viser constamment au plus haut de la vie chrétienne: la sainteté. C'est seulement de la fidélité au Christ que pourra jaillir un renouveau ecclésial authentique. Au cours de ces années, dans le paysage culturel et social des XVI et XVII siècles, ont commencé à se dessiner les prémices de la future culture contemporaine caractérisée par une séparation impropre entre la foi et la raison, qui a entraîné, parmi ses effets négatifs, une mise à l'écart de Dieu, avec l'illusion d'une possible et totale autonomie de l'être humain choisissant de vivre comme si Dieu n'existait pas... Il a souvent souligné la crise de la pensée moderne qui a si souvent amenée les formes de relativisme. Jean Leonardi a pressenti quel était le vrai remède pour les maux spirituels et l'a résumé dans la phrase: "Christ avant tout"... Il n'y a pas d'endroit qui ne puisse être touché par sa force... Voilà quelle était sa recette pour tout type de réforme spirituelle et sociale". Jean Leonardi, "en diverses circonstances, a souligné que la rencontre vivante avec le Christ se réalise dans son Église, sainte mais fragile, enracinée dans l'histoire et pleine d'avenir parfois obscur, où le blé et l'ivraie poussent ensemble, mais elle reste toujours instrument de salut. Avec la conscience lucide que l'Église est le champ de Dieu, il ne se scandalisa pas de ses faiblesses humaines. Pour mettre l'ivraie en évidence, il choisit d'être le bon grain: il décida d'aimer le Christ dans son Église et contribua à en faire, chaque fois davantage, un instrument transparent du Christ".

"Il comprit -a conclu le Pape- que toute réforme doit se faire dans l'Église et jamais contre l'Église. C'est en cela que Jean Leonardi fut extraordinaire et son exemple est toujours actuel. Toute réforme doit, bien sûr, toucher aux structures, mais elle doit, d'abord, s'inscrire dans le cœur des croyants. Seuls, de saints hommes et femmes qui se laissent guider par l'Esprit divin, prêts à prendre des décisions radicales et solides à la lumière de l'Évangile, renouvellent l'Église et contribuent, de façon décisive, à construire un monde meilleur".

(source: VIS 091007 - 520)

Mémoire de saint Jean Léonardi, prêtre. Après avoir été aide-pharmacien à Lucques en Toscane, il reçut le sacerdoce et, à partir de là, pour enseigner aux enfants la doctrine chrétienne, restaurer la vie apostolique du clergé et propager la foi chrétienne, il fonda un Ordre de Clercs réguliers, appelé ensuite de la Mère de Dieu, ce qui lui causa bien des tribulations, puis il jeta à Rome les bases du Séminaire de la Propagation de la foi, et il mourut en 1609, victime de sa charité lors d’une épidémie de peste.

Martyrologe romain

SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1988/Saint-Jean-Leonardi.html

San Giovanni Leonardi

Saint Jean Leonardi

Actes du Pape Benoît XVI

Saint Jean Léonard

Audience générale du 7 octobre

La Croix , le 09/04/2013 à 14h16

Texte original italien dans l'Osservatore Romano du 8 octobre (*)

Chers Frères et Sœurs,

Après-demain, le 9 octobre marquera le 400e anniversaire de la mort de saint Jean Léonard, fondateur d'un ordre religieux, celui des Clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu, canonisé le 17 avril 1938 et choisi comme patron des pharmaciens le 8 août 2006. On fait aussi mémoire de lui pour son grand élan missionnaire. Avec Mgr Jean-Baptiste Vivès et le père jésuite Martin de Funès, il conçut et contribua à l'institution au Saint-Siège d'une Congrégation spécifique pour les missions, celle de la Propaganda Fide, et ainsi à la fondation future par le Pape Urbain VIII du Collège urbain de Propaganda Fide ; au cours des siècles, ce séminaire allait former des milliers de prêtres, dont beaucoup de martyrs, destinés à l'évangélisation des peuples. Saint Jean Léonard est donc une figure lumineuse de prêtre que j'ai la joie de présenter en exemple à tous les prêtres en cette Année du sacerdoce. Il mourut en 1609 d'une influenza contractée alors qu'il prodiguait ses soins à tous ceux qui, dans le quartier romain de Campitelli, étaient atteints par l'épidémie.

De la pharmacopée au sacerdoce

Giovanni Leonardi naquit en 1541 à Diecimo, dans la province de Lucques en Toscane. Dernier de sept frères, son adolescence fut rythmée par une foi vécue en un milieu familial sain et laborieux, et en outre par la fréquentation assidue d'un magasin d'épices et médicaments dans son village natal. À 17 ans, son père l'inscrivit à un cours régulier d'épicerie à Lucques, avec l'idée d'en faire un pharmacien, un épicier ou apothicaire, disait-on alors. Pendant une dizaine d'années, le jeune Jean Léonard fréquenta attentivement et assidûment les cours, mais quand, selon les normes établies dans l'antique République de Lucques, il eut acquis la reconnaissance officielle qui l'autorisait à ouvrir sa propre officine, il commença à se demander si le moment n'était pas venu de réaliser un projet qu'il avait à cœur depuis toujours. Après mûre réflexion, il décida de se diriger vers le sacerdoce. Aussi laissa-t-il le dispensaire pour acquérir la formation théologique nécessaire, avant d'être ordonné, puis de célébrer sa première messe le jour de l'Épiphanie 1572. Toutefois, il n'en abandonna pas pour autant sa passion pour la pharmacopée, parce qu'il sentait que la médiation professionnelle de pharmacien lui aurait permis de réaliser pleinement sa vocation, celle de transmettre aux hommes, moyennant une vie sainte, « la médecine de Dieu », c'est-à-dire Jésus-Christ crucifié et ressuscité, « mesure de toutes choses ».

Poussé par la conviction que tous les êtres humains ont besoin d'une telle médecine plus que de toute autre chose, saint Jean Léonard chercha à faire de la rencontre personnelle avec Jésus-Christ la raison fondamentale de son existence. « Il est nécessaire de repartir du Christ », aimait-il à répéter souvent. Le primat du Christ au-dessus de tout devint pour lui le critère concret de jugement et d'action, et le principe moteur de l'activité sacerdotale qu'il exerça alors que se répandait un vaste mouvement diffus de renouveau spirituel dans l'Église, grâce à l'éclosion de nouveaux instituts religieux et au témoignage lumineux de saints comme Charles Borromée, Philippe Néri, Ignace de Loyola, Joseph Calasanz, Camille de Lellis, Louis de Gonzague. Avec enthousiasme, il se livra à l'apostolat auprès des enfants par la Compagnie de la Doctrine chrétienne qui réunissait autour de lui un groupe de jeunes avec lesquels, le 1er septembre 1574, il fonda la Congrégation des Prêtres réformés de la Bienheureuse Vierge, ultérieurement appelée ordre des Clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu. Il recommandait à ses disciples de n'avoir « devant les yeux de l'esprit que l'honneur, le service et la gloire du Christ Jésus crucifié », et, en bon pharmacien accoutumé à opérer des dosages selon des références précises, il ajoutait : « Levez un peu plus vos cœurs vers Dieu, et avec lui mesurez les choses ».

L'éducation des enfants

Mû par le zèle apostolique, en mai 1605, il envoya au Pape Paul V à peine élu un mémoire où il suggérait les critères d'un renouveau authentique de l'Église. Après avoir fait remarquer qu'il était « nécessaire que ceux qui aspirent à la réforme des mœurs humaines cherchent spécialement et avant toute autre chose la gloire de Dieu », il ajoutait qu'ils doivent resplendir de « l'intégrité de leur vie et l'excellence de leurs mœurs pour ainsi conduire doucement à la réforme, plus qu'y astreindre ». Il faisait en outre observer que « celui qui veut mettre en œuvre une sérieuse réforme religieuse et morale doit, premièrement, comme un bon médecin, faire le diagnostic des maux dont souffre l'Église, pour être en mesure de prescrire pour chacun d'eux le remède le plus approprié ». Et il notait que « le renouveau de l'Église doit s'opérer de pair dans les chefs et dans les sujets, en haut et en bas. Il doit commencer par celui qui commande et s'étendre à ceux qui sont soumis ». C'est pourquoi, alors même qu'il sollicitait du Pape de promouvoir une « réforme universelle de l'Église », il se préoccupait de la formation chrétienne du peuple et spécialement des enfants, à éduquer « dès leurs premières années […] dans la pureté de la foi chrétienne et des saintes traditions ».

Chers Frères et Sœurs, la figure lumineuse de ce saint invite les prêtres en premier lieu, mais aussi tous les chrétiens, à tendre constamment à la « pleine mesure de la vie chrétienne », qui est la sainteté, chacun naturellement selon son propre état de vie. En effet, il n'y a que la fidélité au Christ qui puisse déclencher le renouveau ecclésial authentique. Au cours de ces années, celles du passage culturel entre le XVIe et le XVIIe siècle, commencèrent à se dessiner les prémices de ce qui allait devenir la culture contemporaine caractérisée par une scission indue entre foi et raison, et dont les effets négatifs sont la marginalisation de Dieu accompagnée de l'illusion d'une possible autonomie totale de l'homme, lequel choisit alors de vivre « comme s'il n'y avait pas de Dieu ». C'est là la crise de la pensée moderne que, à diverses reprises, j'ai eu l'occasion de mettre en évidence et qui aboutit souvent à diverses formes de relativisme. Jean Léonard comprit quel était le vrai remède à ces maux spirituels, et il le synthétisa dans l'expression « Le Christ par-dessus tout », le Christ au centre du cœur, au centre de l'histoire et du cosmos. Et il affirmait avec force que l'humanité a un extrême besoin du Christ parce qu'il est notre « mesure ». Il n'y a pas de milieux qui ne puissent être atteints par sa force ; il n'y a pas de maux qui ne puissent trouver en lui leur remède, il n'y a pas de problèmes qui ne se résolvent en lui. « Ou bien le Christ, ou bien rien ! » Telle était son ordonnance pour tout type de réforme spirituelle et sociale.

Purifier et embellir l'Église

Il existe encore un autre aspect de la spiritualité de saint Jean Léonard que je souligne avec joie. En plusieurs circonstances, il eut à rappeler que la rencontre vivifiante avec le Christ se réalise dans son Église, sainte mais fragile, enracinée dans l'histoire et dans un avenir parfois obscur, où le bon grain et l'ivraie croissent ensemble (cf. Mt 13, 24), et pourtant toujours sacrement de salut. Ayant clairement conscience que l'Église est le champ de Dieu (cf. Mt 13, 24), il ne se scandalisait pas de ses faiblesses humaines. Pour faire obstacle à l'ivraie, il choisit d'être lui-même le bon grain ; c'est-à-dire qu'il décida d'aimer le Christ dans son Église, et de contribuer à en faire un signe de plus en plus transparent de sa personne. Il voyait l'Église avec beaucoup de réalisme, avec sa fragilité humaine, mais aussi comme le « champ de Dieu », l'instrument de Dieu pour le salut de l'humanité. Et pas seulement. Par amour du Christ, il travailla avec ardeur à purifier l'Église, à l'embellir, à la rendre plus sainte. Il comprit que toute réforme se fait à l'intérieur de l'Église et jamais contre l'Église. En quoi saint Jean Léonard fut véritablement extraordinaire, son exemple demeurant toujours actuel. Certes, toute réforme intéresse les structures, mais en premier lieu elle doit s'adresser au cœur des fidèles. Seuls les saints, hommes et femmes qui se laissent guider par l'Esprit divin, prêts à opérer des choix radicaux et courageux à la lumière de l'Évangile, rénovent l'Église et contribuent de façon déterminante à construire un monde meilleur.

Chers Frères et Sœurs, la vie de saint Jean Léonard fut toujours illuminée par la « Sainte Face » de Jésus, conservée et vénérée dans l'église cathédrale de Lucques et devenue symbole éloquent et synthèse indiscutable de la foi qui l'animait. Conquis par le Christ, comme l'apôtre Paul, il montra à ses disciples et continue à nous montrer à nous-mêmes l'idéal christo-centrique pour lequel « il est nécessaire de se dépouiller de tout intérêt personnel et de ne considérer que le service de Dieu », en « n'ayant sous les yeux de l'esprit que l'honneur, le service et la gloire de Jésus crucifié ». Il fixait le regard sur le visage maternel de Marie, à côté du visage du Christ. Il la choisit comme Patronne de son ordre, elle fut pour lui à la fois maîtresse, sœur et mère, et il en éprouva la constante protection. Que l'exemple et l'intercession de ce « fascinant homme de Dieu » soit, particulièrement en cette Année du sacerdoce, un rappel et un encouragement à tous les prêtres et à tous les chrétiens de vivre avec passion et enthousiasme leur vocation personnelle.

(*) Traduction de Fr. Michel Taillé pour La DC. Sous-titres de La DC.

SOURCE : https://www.la-croix.com/Urbi-et-Orbi/Archives/Documentation-catholique-n-2436/Saint-Jean-Leonard-2013-04-09-931757

Saint Jean (Giovanni) Leonardi

Prêtre et fondateur des « Clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu » (o.m.d.)

Giovanni Leonardi naît en 1541, à Diecimo, un village de la petite république de Lucques (aujourd'hui en Toscane). Ses parents sont de modestes propriétaires terriens.

En 1567 il se rend dans la capitale pour y devenir pharmacien. Il se joint à une association de jeunes s'engageant à une vie radicalement évangélique, dirigée par un père dominicain. Abandonnant la pharmacie il se met à l'étude de la théologie.

Ordonné prêtre en 1572, il se consacre à la formation chrétienne des jeunes dans sa paroisse de Lucques puis fonde une « Compagnie de la Doctrine chrétienne », dont le but est de faire passer par l'enseignement les prescriptions du concile de Trente dans la vie des paroisses.

En 1574, cette communauté devient l'institut religieux des « Clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu ». Leur but est de travailler à l'approfondissement de la foi et de la dévotion.

Son esprit réformateur lui vaut des inimitiés, et il est expulsé de son pays, la République de Lucques. Mais il a le soutien du pape Clément VIII (Ippolito Aldobrandini, 1592-1605) qui l'invite à Rome pour y réformer plusieurs communautés religieuses. Avec ses clercs il travaille à répandre le culte marial, la dévotion aux quarante heures et la communion fréquente. Le sanctuaire de Sainte Marie in Portico leur est confié en 1601 et ils y font renaître le culte marial autour de l'ancienne et vénérable icône.

Le pape, qui l'estime pour ses qualités de fermeté et de discernement, l'emploie à diverses tâches délicates comme la réforme de la congrégation bénédictine de Montevergine. Jean Leonardi fonde ensuite avec Jean Vivès le séminaire de la Propaganda Fide (Propagation de la foi).

Il passe de la terre au ciel le 09 octobre 1609 en se dévouant auprès de ses frères atteints de l'épidémie d'influenza qui sévissait alors à Rome. Il laisse à sa mort deux maisons de Clercs de la Mère de Dieu, une à Lucques et l'autre à Rome. Trois autres furent ouvertes au XVIIe siècle.

L'institut des « Clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu » recevra l'approbation pontificale en 1614. La règle définitive de sa communauté n'est publiée qu'en 1851.

Giovanni Leonardi est béatifié en 1861 et canonisé en 1938. Sa dépouille repose dans l'église Sainte Marie in Portico de Rome. Liturgiquement il est commémoré le 9 octobre.

Le 8 août 2006 le pape Benoît XVI l’a déclaré patron des pharmaciens.

Pour approfondir, lire la Catéchèse du Pape Benoît XVI :

>>> Saint Jean Leonardi

[Allemand, Anglais, Croate, Espagnol, Français, Italien, Portugais]

Sources principales : vatican.va ; wikipédia.org (« Rév. x gpm »)

©Evangelizo.org 2001-2017

SOURCE : http://levangileauquotidien.org/main.php?language=FR&module=saintfeast&localdate=20171009&id=13796&fd=0

Saint Jean Leonardi, le Christ comme remède

LECOEUR Xavier , le 04/10/2014 à 0h00

Le fondateur des clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu, saint Jean Leonardi (1541-1609), fut un acteur de la réforme catholique et un fidèle serviteur de l'Église. Patron des pharmaciens depuis 2006, il est fêté le 9 octobre.

Né quatre ans avant l'ouverture du concile de Trente (1545-1563), ordonné prêtre huit ans après son achèvement, Jean (Giovanni) Leonardi fut l'un de ceux qui permirent à l'Église catholique romaine de se purifier, de se revivifier, après l'émergence du protestantisme. Luther et ses partisans avaient, non sans quelque raison, raillé l'ignorance et les abus d'une partie des clercs. Dans le droit fil des décrets tridentins, Jean Leonardi travailla à éradiquer ces deux maux. Mais il le fit « dans l'Église et jamais contre l'Église », selon les termes de Benoît XVI dans l'une de ses catéchèses.

Juste après avoir reçu le sacerdoce en 1571, Jean Leonardi se consacra, à Lucques, en Toscane, à l'enseignement du catéchisme auprès des enfants et des laïcs. Dès 1574, il fonda une compagnie de prêtres – les clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu – chargés d'œuvrer à l'approfondissement de la foi et au développement de la dévotion chez les fidèles. La nouvelle congrégation fut approuvée par l'évêque de Lucques, mais le zèle de Jean Leonardi déplut aux autorités de la ville, fortement tentées par le protestantisme. Menacé dans sa vie même, le fondateur dut s'enfuir et s'en vint à Rome avec ses clercs.

Ils y furent accueillis avec bienveillance par le pape Grégoire XIII et poursuivirent leur tâche contre l'ignorance en matière d'instruction religieuse. Peu à peu, Jean Leonardi se fit remarquer par sa sagesse et sa fermeté: le Saint-Siège lui confia des missions délicates auprès de certaines maisons religieuses, où le laisser-aller et les abus s'étaient immiscés. Jean Leonardi y ramena la discipline et la dignité, avec une ligne de conduite invariable: il faut « repartir du Christ », prendre le Christ comme « mesure de toute chose ».

Doté d'une âme de réformateur mais aussi d'évangélisateur, Jean Leonardi aurait aimé partir dans les contrées lointaines afin d'apporter la Bonne Nouvelle aux autochtones. Son âge l'en empêcha; il eut alors l'idée, avec l'Espagnol Jean-Baptiste Vivès, d'un collège dédié aux futurs prêtres issus des pays de mission: le collège de Propaganda Fide (actuelle Université pontificale urbanienne), qui prit réellement son essor à partir de 1627. Jean Leonardi, pour sa part, était décédé en 1609, après avoir soigné des malades lors d'une terrible épidémie de grippe.

Canonisé par Pie XI en 1938, saint Jean Leonardi a été proclamé en 2006 patron des pharmaciens: dans sa jeunesse, il avait en effet appris et exercé la profession d'apothicaire. Devenu prêtre, il en avait gardé l'esprit, toujours soucieux de donner aux hommes « la médecine de Dieu » incarnée en Jésus-Christ.

Aller à sa rencontre:

* Un texte: Catéchèse de Benoît XVI du 7 octobre 2009, La Documentation catholique n° 2436.

* Un site: celui des clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu –

www.ordinedellamadredidio.org

SOURCE : https://www.la-croix.com/Archives/2014-10-04/Saint-Jean-Leonardi-le-Christ-comme-remede-2014-10-04-1216168

San Giovanni Leonardi

Saint John Leonardi

Also known as

Giovanni Leonardi

Jean Leonardi

Memorial

9 October

Profile

Worked as a pharmacist‘s apprentice while studying for the priesthood. After ordination on 22 December 1572, he worked with prisoners and the sick. His example attracted some young laymen to assist him, most of whom became priests themselves. This group formed Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, a congregation of diocesan priests which, for reasons having to do with the politics of the Reformation and an unfounded accusation that John wanted to form the group for his own personal aggrandizement, provoked great opposition. The Clerks were confirmed on 13 October 1595 by Pope Clement VIII, but John was exiled from Lucca for most of the rest of his life. John was assisted in his exile by Saint Philip Neri, who gave him his quarters – and his pet cat!

In 1579 he formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and published a compendium of Christian doctrine that remained in use until the 19th century. He died from a disease caught while tending plague victims. By the deliberate policy of the founder, the Clerks have never had more than 15 churches, and today form only a very small congregation. The arms of the order are azure, Our Lady Assumed into Heaven; and its badge and seal the monogram of the Mother of God in Greek characters.

Born

1541 at Diecimo, Lucca, Italy

Died

8 October 1609 at Rome, Italy of natural causes

buried in Santa Maria in Portico

Venerable

1701 by Pope Clement XI

Beatified

10 November 1861 by Pope Blessed Pius IX

Canonized

17 April 1938 by Pope Pius XI

Patronage

pharmacists (proclaimed on 8 August 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI)

Additional Information

Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate

Catholic Encyclopedia: Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca

Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 7 October 2009

books

Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints

other sites in english

images

video

sitios en español

Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición

fonti in italiano

Cathopedia

Dicastero delle Cause dei Santi

Santi e Beati

Santo del Giorno

MLA Citation

“Saint John Leonardi“. CatholicSaints.Info. 7 March 2024. Web. 9 October 2024. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-leonardi/>

SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-leonardi/

San Giovanni Leonardi

Book of Saints – John Leonardi

Article

(Saint) (October 10) (17th century) An Italian Saint of Luni in Tuscany, founder of the Institute of the “Clerks Regular of the Mother of God,” a society devoted especially to Apostolic work in Italy. Saint John co-operated with Saint Philip Neri, Saint Joseph Calasanctius and other famous holy men of his time in the restoring of Church discipline and the converting of sinners in his country. He is looked upon as one of the founders of the great Roman College of the Propaganda for Foreign Missions. He fell asleep in Christ in Rome, October 9, A.D. 1609, at the age of sixty, and was canonised in the twentieth century.

MLA Citation

Monks of Ramsgate. “John Leonardi”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 22 October 2013. Web. 9 October 2024. <https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-john-leonardi/>

SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-john-leonardi/

BENEDICT XVI

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Saint Peter's Square

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The day after tomorrow, 9 October, will be the 400th anniversary of the death of St John Leonardi, Founder of the religious order of Clerics Regular of the Mother of God. He was canonized on 17 April 1938 and chosen as Patron of Pharmacists on 8 August 2006. He is also remembered for his great missionary zeal. Together with Mons. Juan Bautista Vives and Martín de Funes, a Jesuit, he planned and contributed to founding a specific Congregation of the Holy See for the missions, Propaganda Fide, which has forged thousands of priests down the centuries, many of them martyrs. Thus he was a luminous priestly figure whom I like to point out as an example to all presbyters in this Year for Priests. He died in 1609 from influenza, contracted while he was doing all he could to minister to those stricken by the epidemic in the Campitelli neighbourhood of Rome.

John Leonardi was born in 1541 at Diecimo in the Province of Lucca. The youngest of seven siblings, his adolescence was marked by the rhythm of faith lived in a healthy, hard-working family, as well as by regular visits to a workshop in his home town that made and sold essences and medicines. When John was 17, his father enrolled him in an ordinary apothecary's course in Lucca, aiming to make him a future pharmacist, indeed an apothecary, as it was then termed. For about 10 years young John attended this course, alert and hardworking, but when, in accordance with the legislation of the ancient Republic of Lucca he earned the official recognition that would authorize him to open his own apothecary's shop, he started wondering whether the moment had not come to carry out a plan he had always had at heart. After mature reflection he decided to train for the priesthood. Thus, having left the apothecary's shop and having acquired an adequate theological formation, he was ordained a priest and, on the day of Epiphany 1572, celebrated his first Mass. However, he never lost his interest in medicine, because he felt that the professional mediation of the pharmacist would permit him to fulfil his vocation to the full, one in which he could pass on to men and women, by means of a holy life, "the medicine of God", which is the Crucified and Risen Jesus Christ, the "measure of all things".

Inspired by the conviction that all human beings need this medicine more than anything else, St John Leonardi sought to make the personal encounter with Jesus Christ his fundamental raison d'être. "It is necessary to start afresh from Christ", he liked to repeat again and again. The primacy of Christ over all things became for him the concrete criterion of judgement and action and the vital principle of his priestly activity, which he exercised while a vast and widespread movement of spiritual renewal was taking place in the Church, thanks to the flourishing of new religious institutes and the luminous witness of Saints such as Charles Borromeo, Philip Neri, Ignatius of Loyola, Joseph Calasanctius, Camillus de Lellis and Aloysius Gonazaga. He dedicated himself enthusiastically to the apostolate among boys through the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, gathering around him a group of young men with whom, on 1 September 1574, he founded the Congregation of Reformed Priests of the Blessed Virgin, later called the Order of Clerics Regular of the Mother of God. He recommended his disciples to keep "before their eyes and minds only the honour, service and glory of Jesus Christ Crucified", and, as a good pharmacist used to administering doses, he added using a precise reference: "lift up your hearts a little higher to God and with him measure all things".

Motivated by apostolic zeal, in May 1605 he sent Pope Paul V, who had just been elected, a Petition in which he suggested the criteria for an authentic renewal of the Church. Observing that it is "necessary for those who aspire to the reform of human morals to seek especially and above all things, the glory of God", he added that they must shine out "for their integrity of life and the excellence of their morals so that, rather than constraining people, they gently draw them to reform".
He remarked that "any one who wishes to carry out a serious religious and moral reform must first of all, like a good doctor, make an attentive diagnosis of the evils besetting the Church, thereby to be able to prescribe the most appropriate remedy for each one of them". And he noted that "likewise the renewal of the Church must be brought about in her leaders and in their subordinates, both above and below. It must be started by those in charge and extended to their subjects". For this reason, while asking the Pope to promote a "universal reform of the Church", he concerned himself with the Christian formation of the people and especially of children, to be educated "from their earliest years... in the purity of Christian faith and holy morals".

Dear brothers and sisters, the luminous figure of this Saint invites priests in the first place, and all Christians, to strive constantly for "the high standard of Christian living", which means holiness, naturally each one in accordance with his own state. Indeed, authentic ecclesial renewal can only stem from faithfulness to Christ. In those years, on the cultural and social threshold between the 16th and 17th centuries, the premises of the contemporary culture of the future began to be outlined. It was characterized by an undue separation between faith and reason that produced, among its negative effects, the marginalization of God, with the illusion of the possible and total autonomy of man who chooses to live "as though God did not exist". This is the crisis of modern thought, which I have frequently had the opportunity to point out and which often leads to forms of relativism. John Leonardi perceived what the real medicine for these spiritual evils was and summed it up in the expression: "Christ first of all", Christ at the centre of the heart, at the centre of history and of the cosmos. And, St John said forcefully, humanity stands in extreme need of Christ because he is our "measure". There is no area that cannot be touched by his power; there is no evil that cannot find a remedy in him, no problem that is not resolved in him. "Either Christ or nothing!". This was his recipe for every type of spiritual and social reform.

There is another aspect of St John Leonardi's spirituality that I would like to emphasize. On various occasions he reasserted that the living encounter with Christ takes place in his Church, holy but frail, rooted in history and in its sometimes obscure unfolding, where wheat and weeds grow side by side (cf. Mt 13: 30), yet always the sacrament of salvation. Since he was clearly aware that the Church is God's field (cf. Mt 13: 24), St John was not shocked at her human weaknesses. To combat the weeds he chose to be good wheat: that is, he decided to love Christ in the Church and to help make her, more and more, a transparent sign of Christ. He saw the Church very realistically, her human frailty, but he also saw her as being "God's field", the instrument of God for humanity's salvation. And this was not all. Out of love for Christ he worked tirelessly to purify the Church, to make her more beautiful and holy. He realized that every reform should be made within the Church and never against the Church In this, St John Leonardi was truly extraordinary and his example is ever timely. Every reform, of course, concerns her structures, but in the first place must have an effect in believers' hearts. Only Saints, men and women who let themselves be guided by the divine Spirit, ready to make radical and courageous decisions in the light of the Gospel, renew the Church and make a crucial contribution to building a better world.

Dear brothers and sisters, St John Leonardi's life was illumined throughout by the splendour of the "Holy Face" of Jesus, preserved and venerated in the Cathedral Church of Lucca, which has become an eloquent symbol and an indisputable synthesis of the faith that enlivened him. Conquered by Christ, like the Apostle Paul, he pointed out to his followers and continues to point out to all of us, the Christocentric ideal for which "it is necessary to strip oneself of every personal interest and look only to the service of God", keeping "before the eyes of the mind only the honour, service and glory of Jesus Christ Crucified". Besides the Face of Christ, St John fixed his gaze on the motherly face of Mary. The One whom he chose to be Patroness of his Order was for him a teacher, sister and mother, and he experienced her constant protection. May the example and intercession of this "fascinating man of God" be a reference and an encouragement, particularly in this Year for Priests, for priests and for all Christians to live their own vocation with passionate enthusiasm.

To special groups:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking visitors at today's Audience, including the Sisters and friends of the Congregation of Jesus and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrating the 400th anniversary of their foundation by Mary Ward. My particular greetings go to the groups of faithful from Iraq, from the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia, and to the diaconate ordination candidates from the Pontifical North American College accompanied by their families and friends. Upon all of you I invoke God's Blessings of joy and peace!

I now address my cordial greeting to the Italian-speaking faithful, in particular to Cardinal Ivan Dias, to his Collaborators at the Dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples and to the Superiors and Students of the Pontifical Urban College of Propaganda Fide. Dear friends, may the figure of St John Leonardi, to whom you are bound, inspire your missionary action at the service of the Church. I greet the priests of the Pontifical Colleges of St Peter Apostle and St Paul Apostle in Rome: I wish you all a fruitful academic year. I greet the participants in the pilgrimage promoted by the Order of the Mother of God, on the occasion of the concluding celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the death of their Founder, St John Leonardi.

I greet the priests, women religious and seminarians of the Institute of Christ the King High Priest, and encourage them to persevere in their adherence to Christ and to the Church. I greet the representatives of "Pianeta Down" Association, of the "Costruiamo il futuro" Foundation and the faithful from Illegio. I also greet the "Cavalieri del Ringraziamento" of Roio, L'Aquila. Once again I entrust the expectations and hopes of the peoples hit by the recent earthquake to the Virgin Mary of the Cross, venerated at the Shrine of Roio.

Lastly I extend a cordial greeting to the young people, the sick and the newlyweds. Today the Church honours Our Lady of the Rosary, a liturgical Memorial that gives me the opportunity to reassert the importance of the prayer of the Rosary, so dear also to my venerable Predecessors. I commend it to you, dear young people, so that it may help you to do God's will and find in the Immaculate Heart of Mary a safe shelter. May it enable you, dear sick people, to experience the comfort of our Heavenly Mother, so that she may sustain you in moments of trial. May the recitation of this prayer be for you, dear newlyweds a daily custom in your family which, thanks to Mary's intercession will thus grow in unity and fidelity to the Gospel.

SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20091007.html

St. John Leonardi

Feastday: October 9

Patron: of pharmacists

Birth: 1541

Death: 1609

Beatified: November 10, 1861, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Pius IX

Canonized: April 17, 1938, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope Pius XI

John Leonardi was born at Diecimo, Italy. He became a pharmacist's assistant at Lucca, studied for the priesthood, and was ordained in 1572. He gathered a group of laymen about him to work in hospitals and prisons, became interested in the reforms proposed by the Council of Trent, and proposed a new congregation of secular priests. Great opposition to his proposal developed, but in 1583, his association (formally designated Clerks Regular of the Mother of God in 1621) was recognized by the bishop of Lucca with the approval of Pope Gregory XIII. John was aided by St. Philip Neri and St. Joseph Calasanctius, and in 1595, the congregation was confirmed by Pope Clement VIII, who appointed John to reform the monks of Vallombrosa and Monte Vergine. He died in Rome on October 9th of plague contracted while he was ministering to the stricken. He was venerated for his miracles and religious fervor and is considered one of the founders of the College for the Propagation of the Faith. He was canonized in 1938 by Pope Pius XI. His feast day is October 9th.

SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=359

October 9: Saint John Leonardi, Priest—Optional Memorial

1541–1609

Patron Saint of pharmacists

Canonized by Pope Pius XI on April 17, 1938

Liturgical Color: White

Version: Full – Short

Quote:
Those who want to work for moral reform in the world must seek the glory of God before all else. Because he is the source of all good they must wait for his help, and pray for it in this difficult and necessary undertaking. They must then present themselves to those they seek to reform, as mirrors of every virtue and as lamps on a lamp-stand. Their upright lives and noble conduct must shine before all who are in the house of God. In this way they will gently entice the members of the Church to reform instead of forcing them, lest, in the words of the Council of Trent, they demand of the body what is not found in the head, and thus upset the whole order of the Lord’s household.
They will be like skilled physicians taking great pains to dispose of all the diseases that afflict the Church and require a cure. They will ready themselves to provide suitable remedies for each illness. ~Letter to Pope Paul V, from Saint John Leonardi

Reflection: The early sixteenth century saw the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which resulted in religious and political chaos in northern Europe. Following the revolt of Martin Luther and others, the Catholic Church took a good look at itself and began a thorough process of internal reform. The foundation for this reform was laid by the Council of Trent during the years 1545–1563. Additionally, the Holy Spirit sparked a spiritual renewal of piety and personal devotion among the faithful, as well as the formation of several new religious orders, such as the Jesuits, Oratorians, Ursulines, Theatines, Barnabites, Somaschi Fathers, and the Discalced Carmelites. Among the newly formed religious orders was the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, founded by today’s saint, Saint John Leonardi.

Giovanni (John) Leonardi was born into a middle-class family in the small town of Diecimo, Republic of Lucca, modern-day Italy. When John was four, the Council of Trent held its first session, and when he turned twenty-two, it held its last. Around the age of seventeen, John began studying to become a pharmacist, a well-respected occupation at that time. After ten years of study, he became certified and worked as a pharmacist’s assistant for the next few years. However, the work of providing medicine for the body soon deepened a desire he had held for years—the mission of providing spiritual medicine for the soul as a priest. After a few years of theological preparation, John was ordained a priest in 1572 at the age of thirty-one.

At the heart of Father Leonardi’s personal convictions was a desire to enter into a personal relationship with Christ. He not only lived this conviction, he also promoted it within his priestly ministry. After he was ordained, he served in his local parish in Lucca where he worked with youth and visited the sick and imprisoned. His devotion to Christ and desire for personal and ecclesiastical reform drew a group of young men whom he spiritually directed and formed in the faith. By 1574, the community of young men led to the formation of a group that would later evolve into a new diocesan congregation called the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca. They rented the church of Santa Maria della Rosa, where a community life took shape.

Because the Council of Trent had recently concluded, mandating various reforms, a newly inspired religious order might seem like a good way to help implement those reforms. Indeed, it was! However, Father Leonardi and his companions soon discovered that not everyone in Lucca was ready for reform, and some saw the formation of this new congregation as a threat. Therefore, other religious and even civil authorities began to oppose it. Opposition became so fierce that Father John spent much of the rest of his life in exile from Lucca, by mandate of the local government. Change and internal Church reform are difficult. Father John pressed on, however, and eventually gained wider support, including support from the local bishop and the pope.

In 1583, the new congregation was canonically established by the Bishop of Lucca with the approval of Pope Gregory XIII. They were not yet a formal religious order, so they only took simple vows. They were, however, encouraged in their mission and worked to implement the reforms of the Council of Trent, including forming the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine within Lucca, just as many other saintly reformers had been doing in other dioceses.

Over the next two and a half decades, bishops, cardinals, and popes called upon Father Leonardi to assist with the reform of the Church, including other religious orders. Most of his later years were spent in Rome, due to ongoing opposition in Lucca. In Rome, he worked with the future Saint Philip Neri, founded a seminary for the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and promoted Forty Hours Devotion and frequent Communion. In 1606, a serious plague ravaged Rome, and Father John contracted it while ministering to the sick. He remained sickly for the next few years, dying in 1609. In 1621, Pope Gregory XV elevated the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca to the status of a religious order, enabling them to take formal vows. The congregation continues its good work today.

Saint John Leonardi was inspired by the Holy Spirit to assist in the reform of the Church and to foster a deeply personal relationship with Christ, especially through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, frequent Communion, and good catechesis. It often happens that the work the Holy Spirit inspires in one person is then opposed by those who do not listen to the promptings of that same Spirit. The life of Saint John Leonardi displays a prime example of this conflict. His perseverance throughout lends more credence to his holiness and divine mission.

As we honor this religious founder and confessor, ponder the fact that God’s will is not always embraced by the world with open arms. Therefore, when we act as instruments of God’s will and Truth, others will not always embrace us. This opposition can, at times, lead to discouragement. As you ponder Saint John’s life today, allow his fidelity and perseverance in the face of persecution to inspire you to press on with the mission God has given to you. Reject discouragement, pray for courage, and seek to implement God’s will in your life.

Prayer: Saint John Leonardi, you came to know Christ in an intimate and personal way and desired to share your devotion with others. Though your mission was not warmly welcomed by those who opposed the Holy Spirit, God used you, nonetheless, to bring about much good. Please pray for me, that I will never allow opposition to hinder my fidelity to God’s will, but will be inspired by your own courage in the face of persecution and will follow in your example. Saint John Leonardi, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

Reflection taken from:

Saints and Feasts of the Liturgical Year
Volumes One–Four

Read about Saint John:

Pope Benedict XVI

Catholic Saints & Feasts

Catholic Encyclopedia

All Saints for the Liturgical Year

Saints A–Z>>>

SOURCE : https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-9-saint-john-leonardi/#full

St John Leonardi (1542-1609) priest and reformer

22 October, 2012

John saw orthodox preaching and good living by priests as the planks of the reform process that had just begun with the Council of Trent.

John Leonardi of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy, was a priest who imbibed the best of the reform spirit of the Council of Trent. He saw that raising the standard of formation of the clergy would have its effect on the people. He also inspired the founding of the College of Propaganda Fide in Rome, where St Oliver Plunkett was educated and taught before he returned to Ireland. Patrick Duffy tells John’s story.

Dedicated to instruction

John Leonardi was born in 1541 in Lucca in Tuscany and trained as a pharmacist. After some time as a member of a lay confraternity, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1571. He dedicated himself to the catechetical instruction of children and youth. He saw orthodox preaching and good living by priests as the planks of the reform process that had just begun with the Council of Trent (1545-1563).

Founded order for reform of the clergy

John founded the Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God in 1574 and in 1595 they were formally recognised as a religious congregation. The bishop of Lucca supported him, but there were many influential families in the city who resented his preaching and opposed him, forcing him into exile from his own city.

Seminary training

John went to Rome and was encouraged by his spiritual director, St Philip Neri, to send members of his congregation on the foreign missions. In 1603, together with the Spanish prelate G.B.Vives, he was responsible for a project to give seminary training for priests who would go on overseas missions. This later became the “College for the Propagation of the Faith” and still exists today. John died in Rome in 1609.

Leaders to reform first

The Office of Readings for his feastday has a letter from him to Pope Paul V emphasising that the reformation of men’s morals would be best aided by the reformation of the morals of the leaders of the Church:

As regards the remedies required by the Church as a whole, its reformation must be undertaken among high and low alike, among its leaders as well as its children; we should therefore direct our attention first towards those who have charge of the rest, so that reform begins among those from whom it should be communicated to others.”

SOURCE : https://www.catholicireland.net/saintoftheday/st-john-leonardi-1542-1609-priest-and-reformer/

ST. JOHN LEONARDI

MONDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2017

On Oct. 9, the Catholic Church honors the memory of Saint John Leonardi, who studied to become a pharmacist but eventually chose the life of the priesthood. He founded a religious order, and helped establish the Vatican department now known as the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Declared the patron of pharmacists in 2006 because of his original career path, St. John Leonardi was hailed by Pope Benedict XVI during a 2009 general audience as a “luminous priestly figure” whose life offers a model for contemporary clergy. In that address, the Pope highlighted the saint's Christ-centered approach to the social and spiritual problems of his day.

The 16-century Italian priest saw that humanity “stands in extreme need of Christ,” Pope Benedict recalled. Thus, St. John Leonardi's apostolate proceeded in the knowledge that “there is no area that cannot be touched by his power; there is no evil that cannot find a remedy in him, no problem that is not resolved” in the person of Jesus Christ.

Born to middle-class parents during 1541 in the Tuscan region of Lucca, John (or Giovanni) Leonardi was the youngest of seven children. He enrolled at age 17 in courses to become a pharmacist, studied diligently for 10 years and became certified to practice the trade. But the young apothecary had long been interested in the priesthood, and soon turned to the study of theology to prepare for ordination.

Ordained in 1572, John soon became the spiritual director to a small group of young men looking to pursue vocations to the priesthood. They organized a communal form of life near a local church, and began the process that would lead to the formation of the present day Order of the Mother of God (also known as the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God).

Civic leaders in Lucca opposed the formation of a new religious order, however, and acted to stop its formation. While ultimately ineffective, their efforts forced John Leonardi to spend most of the remainder of his life outside Lucca, with special exceptions granted by its government under the influence of the Pope.

In keeping with the spirit of the Catholic Counter-Reformation launched by the Council of Trent, John Leonardi and his congregation of priests sought to deepen the knowledge and practice of the faith among clergy and lay Catholics. In a letter written to Pope Paul V during the early 17th century, he stressed the universal call to holiness of life for all members of the Church.

“As regards the remedies required by the Church as a whole, its reformation must be undertaken among high and low alike, among its leaders as well as its children,” he told the Pope. But he believed that priority should be given to the formation of pastors, “so that reform begins among those from whom it should be communicated to others.”

John received Papal approval for the Order of the Mother of God in 1595, and he was also appointed to oversee the reform of two important monasteries. Although the order's work was largely limited to Italy, John followed the suggestions of his spiritual director St. Philip Neri by founding a seminary for foreign missionaries, which became the present-day College for the Propagation of the Faith.

St. John Leonardi died in Rome on Oct. 9, 1609, having contracted a deadly illness while caring for victims of a plague outbreak. Pope Pius XI canonized him in 1938.

SOURCE : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=712

St. John Leonardi

St. John Leonardi was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1541, during the time of upheaval in the Church due to Martin Luther. He studied to be a pharmacist, then became a priest. As a young priest, he devoted himself to teaching catechism to youths. In 1574, he founded the Order of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, a congregation of diocesan priests. He suffered many tribulations for this work, including exile. His contemporary, St. Philip Neri, was a great friend and spiritual guide, and helped him particularly in his time of exile.

Gradually his influence as a champion of the Catholic faith against Protestantism became known throughout Italy. He later founded in Rome what became the Institute De Propaganda Fide (Society for the Propagation of the Faith) and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for the promotion of the Catholic Faith and the formation of missionaries. St. John Leonardi died at Rome, in 1609, the victim of his devoted care for the sick and plague-stricken.

Symbols and Representation: book (to symbolize rules of Congregation he founded); the coat of arms of the order is azure (blue), Our Lady Assumed into Heaven; and its badge and seal the monogram of the Mother of God in Greek characters.

Highlights and Things to Do:

St. John promoted the teaching of the Catholic faith. We should study our faith, perhaps by reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church a little each day. Father Mike Schmitz's Catechism in a Year podcast is an excellent way to do this in bite-size pieces. See our review.

Read more about St. John:

Catholic Encyclopedia: Clerks Regular of the Mother of God

Try to understand more deeply the historical context during St. John's life — he was fighting the effects of the Lutheran Reformation of the Church. Could we refute the teachings of Luther?

Read Pope Benedict XVI's General Audience on St. John Leonardi.

St. John's remains are located in Rome in the Santa Maria in Campitelli, also known as Santa Maria in Portico, enshrined under the altar of the Albertoni Altieri Chapel.

SOURCE : https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2014-10-09

October 9, 2024

Saint John Leonardi

Saint John Leonardi was born on December 12, 1541, in the Italian town of Lucca. From a young age, he showed a keen interest in the priesthood, dedicating himself to studies in philosophy and theology. After his ordination in 1572, John began his ministry by emphasizing the importance of educating both clergy and laity. He recognized the need for spiritual renewal in the Church, which had been challenged by the Protestant Reformation.

In 1574, he founded the Congregation of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, a religious order dedicated to promoting the education of priests and the reform of the clergy. His order focused on pastoral care and the spiritual formation of its members, emphasizing the importance of a well-rounded education in theology and moral living.

John Leonardi also worked tirelessly in the service of the Church during a time of great upheaval, promoting the Council of Trent’s reforms and encouraging a return to the roots of the faith. He became known for his commitment to the spiritual welfare of his community, his dedication to education, and his pastoral zeal. He died on October 9, 1609, and was canonized in 1938.

Practical Lessons:

Lesson 1: Prioritize Education and Lifelong Learning: St. John Leonardi dedicated his life to the education of priests and laypeople. In our daily lives, we can commit to learning continuously. This could mean reading spiritual books, attending workshops, or participating in faith-sharing groups. Embracing a mindset of lifelong learning helps us grow in faith and understanding.

Lesson 2: Engage Actively in Your Community: John’s commitment to pastoral care reminds us of the importance of being active in our own communities. Look for ways to get involved, whether by volunteering at local organizations, participating in parish activities, or supporting those in need. Taking initiative can strengthen our community and reflect Christ’s love.

Prayer to Saint John Leonardi:

O God, who called St. John Leonardi to promote the education of priests and the renewal of the Church, grant us the grace to follow his example in our commitment to learning and community service. May we grow in faith and be instruments of Your love and peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Other Saints We Remember Today

St. Denis (Dionysius), Bishop, patron against demons and headaches, and Companions (Rusticus & Eleutherius), 3rd Century, Martyrs

St. Louis Bertrand (1581), Priest, Religious

St. Dionysius the Areopagite (1581), Priest, Religious

SOURCE : https://catholicexchange.com/saint-john-leonardi

St. John Leonardi

Feast day: Oct 09

St. John Leonardi died in Rome on Oct. 9, 1609, having contracted a deadly illness while caring for victims of a plague outbreak. Pope Pius XI canonized him in 1938.

SOURCE : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-leonardi-712

Saint of the Day – 9 October – St John Leonardi (1541-1609)

Posted on October 9, 2017

Saint of the Day – 9 October – St John Leonardi (1541-1609) – Priest, Founder, Confessor, Reformer, Apostle of the Holy Eucharist and Eucharistic Adoration, Marian devotee. Born Giovanni Leonardi in 1541 at Diecimo, Lucca, Italy – 8 October 1609 at Rome, Italy of natural causes). He was buried in Santa Maria in Portico and was Beatified in 1861 and Canonised on 17 April 1938 by Pope Pius XI. St John founded the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, wherein he assumed the name of “Giovanni of the Mother of God” as his religious name. Patronages – Pharmacists and the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca. Attributes – Cassock.

John Leonardi was born in 1541 in Diecimo, in the province of Lucca. The last of seven siblings, his adolescence was sprinkled with rhythms of faith lived in a healthy and industrious family group, as well as the assiduous frequenting of a shop of herbs and medicines in his native town. At age 17 his father enrolled him in a regular course in pharmacy in Lucca, with the aim of making him a future pharmacist, that is, an apothecary, as they were called then. For close to a decade young John Leonardi was vigilant and diligent in following this, but when, according to the norms established by the former Republic of Lucca, he acquired the official recognition that would have allowed him to open his own shop, he began to think if perhaps the moment had not arrived to fulfill a plan that he had always had in his heart.

After mature reflection he decided to direct himself toward the priesthood. And thus, having left the apothecary’s pharmacy, and acquired an appropriate theological formation, he was ordained a priest and celebrated his first Mass on the feast of Epiphany of 1572. However, he did not abandon his passion for pharmaceutics because he felt that professional mediation as a pharmacist would allow him to realize fully his vocation of transmitting to men, through a holy life, “the medicine of God,” which is Jesus Christ crucified and risen, “measure of all things.”

Animated by the conviction that, more than any other thing, all human beings need such medicine, St John Leonardi tried to make the personal encounter with Jesus Christ the fundamental reason of his existence. It is necessary to “start anew from Christ,” he liked to repeat very often.

The primacy of Christ over everything became for him the concrete criterion of judgment and action and the generating principle of his priestly activity, which he exercised while a vast and widespread movement of spiritual renewal was under way in the Church, thanks to the flowering of new religious institutes and the luminous witness of saints such as Charles Borromeo, Philip Neri, Ignatius of Loyola, Joseph Calasanzius, Camillus of Lellis and Aloysius Gonzaga.

He dedicated himself with enthusiasm to the apostolate among youth through the Company of Christian Doctrine, gathering around himself a group of young men with whom, on Sept. 1, 1574, he founded the Congregation of Reformed Priests of the Blessed Virgin, subsequently called the Order of Clerks Regular of the Mother of God. He recommended to his disciples to have “before the mind’s eye only the honour, service and glory of Christ Jesus Crucified,” and, like a good pharmacist, accustomed to giving out potions according to careful measurements, he would add: “Raise your hearts to God a bit more and measure things with him.”

Moved by apostolic zeal, in May 1605 he sent newly elected Pope Paul V a report in which he suggested the criteria for a genuine renewal of the Church. Observing how it is “necessary that those who aspire to the reform of men’s practices must seek especially and firstly, the glory of God,” he added that they should stand out “for their integrity of life and excellence of customs thus, rather than constraining, they gently draw one to reform.” Moreover, he observed that “whoever wishes to carry out a serious moral and religious reform must make first of all, like a good doctor, a careful diagnosis of the evils that beset the Church so as to be able to prescribe for each of them the most appropriate remedy.” And he noted that “the renewal of the Church must be confirmed as much in leaders as in followers, high and low. It must begin from those who command and be extended to the subjects.”

It was because of this that, while soliciting the Pope to promote a “universal reform of the Church,” he was concerned with the Christian formation of the people, especially of the young, educating them “from their early years … in the purity of the Christian faith and in holy practices.”

He chose the Blessed Mother to be the patroness of his order because he had a strong devotion to her. He always kept his gaze on our Lady and she was his teacher, sister and mother who protected him and led him closer to Jesus Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, the luminous figure of this saint invites priests, in the first place and all Christians, to tend constantly to the “high measure of the Christian life,” which is sanctity — each, of course, according to his own state. In fact, only from fidelity to Christ can genuine ecclesial renewal spring.

In those years, in the cultural and social passage between the 16th and 17th century, the premises of the future contemporary culture began to be delineated, characterised by an undue separation of faith and reason. This has produced among its negative effects the marginalization of God, with the illusion of a possible and total autonomy of man who chooses to live “as if God did not exist.” This is the crisis of modern thought, which many times I have had the opportunity to point out and which often leads to a form of relativism.

John Leonardi intuited what the real medicine was for these spiritual evils and he synthesized it in the expression: “Christ first of all,” Christ in the centre of the heart, in the centre of history and of the cosmos. And humanity — he affirmed forcefully — needs Christ intensely, because he is our “measure.” There is no realm that cannot be touched by his strength; there is no evil that cannot find remedy in him, there is no problem that cannot be solved in him. “Either Christ or nothing!” Here is his prescription for every type of spiritual and social reform.

There is another aspect of the spirituality of St John Leonardi that I would like to highlight. In many circumstances he had to confirm that a living encounter with Christ is realised in his Church: holy but fragile, rooted in history and in a sometimes dark future, where wheat and weeds grow together (cf. Matthew 13:30), but, nevertheless, always the sacrament of salvation. Having a clear awareness that the Church is the field of God (cf. Matthew 13:24), he was not scandalised by her human weaknesses. To oppose the weeds he chose to be good wheat: He decided, that is, to love Christ in the Church and to contribute to render her an ever more transparent sign of Him.

He saw the Church with great realism, her human frailty, but also her being “God’s field,” the instrument of God for the salvation of humanity. And not only this. For love of Christ he worked with alacrity to purify the Church, to render her more beautiful and holy. He understood that every reform is made within the Church and never against the Church.

In this, St John Leonardi was truly extraordinary and his example is always timely. Every reform certainly involves structures but in the first place it must be engraved in the hearts of believers. Only the saints, men and women who allow themselves to be guided by the divine Spirit, ready to carry out radical and courageous choices in the light of the Gospel, renew the Church and contribute, in a decisive way, to building a better world.

Together with Monsignor Juan Bautista Vives and Jesuit Martin de Funes, he planned and contributed to the establishment of a specific Congregation of the Holy See for the missions, that of Propoganda Fide, and to the future birth of the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum “De Propoganda Fide,” which in the course of centuries has forged thousands of priests, many of them martyrs, to evangelise peoples. We are speaking, therefore, of a luminous priestly figure, which I am pleased to point out as an example to all presbyters in this Year for Priests. He died in 1609 from influenza contracted while he was giving himself to the care of all those who had been stricken by the epidemic in the Roman quarter of Campitelli. He was venerated for his miracles and religious fervour and was canonised in 1938 by Pope Pius XI. He was chosen as the patron of pharmacistss.

General Audience

On St John Leonardi

“To Oppose the Weeds He Chose to be Good Wheat”

H.H. Benedict XVI

7 October 2009

Author: AnaStpaul

Passionate Catholic. Being a Catholic is a way of life - a love affair "Religion must be like the air we breathe..."- St John Bosco Prayer is what the world needs combined with the example of our lives which testify to the Light of Christ. This site, which is now using the Traditional Calendar, will mainly concentrate on Daily Prayers, Novenas and the Memorials and Feast Days of our friends in Heaven, the Saints who went before us and the great blessings the Church provides in our Catholic Monthly Devotions. This Site is placed under the Patronage of my many favourite Saints and especially, St Paul. "For the Saints are sent to us by God as so many sermons. We do not use them, it is they who move us and lead us, to where we had not expected to go.” Charles Cardinal Journet (1891-1975) This site adheres to the Catholic Church and all her teachings. PLEASE ADVISE ME OF ANY GLARING TYPOS etc - In June 2021 I lost 95% sight in my left eye and sometimes miss errors. Thank you and I pray all those who visit here will be abundantly blessed. Pax et bonum! View All Posts

SOURCE : https://anastpaul.com/2017/10/09/saint-of-the-day-9-october-st-john-leonardi-1541-1609/

Saint of the Day for October 8

Saint John Leonardi’s Story

(1541 – October 9, 1609)

“I am only one person! Why should I do anything? What good would it do?” Today, as in any age, people seem plagued with the dilemma of getting involved. In his own way, John Leonardi answered these questions. He chose to become a priest.

After his ordination, Fr. Leonardi became very active in the works of the ministry, especially in hospitals and prisons. The example and dedication of his work attracted several young laymen who began to assist him. They later became priests themselves.

John lived after the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. He and his followers projected a new congregation of diocesan priests. For some reason the plan, which was ultimately approved, provoked great political opposition. John was exiled from his home town of Lucca, Italy, for almost the entire remainder of his life. He received encouragement and help from Saint Philip Neri, who gave him his lodgings—along with the care of his cat!

In 1579, John formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and published a compendium of Christian doctrine that remained in use until the 19th century.

Father Leonardi and his priests became a great power for good in Italy, and their congregation was confirmed by Pope Clement in 1595. John died at the age of 68 from a disease caught when tending those stricken by the plague.

By the deliberate policy of the founder, the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God have never had more than 15 churches, and today form only a very small congregation. The liturgical feast of Saint John Leonardi is celebrated on October 9.

Reflection

What can one person do? The answer is plenty! In the life of each saint, one thing stands clear: God and one person are a majority! What one individual, following God’s will and plan for his or her life, can do is more than our mind could ever hope for or imagine. Each of us, like John Leonardi, has a mission to fulfill in God’s plan for the world. Each one of us is unique and has been given talent to use for the service of our brothers and sisters for the building up of God’s kingdom.

Saint John Leonardi is the Patron Saint of:

Pharmacists

SOURCE : https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-john-leonardi/

Santa Maria a Diecimo

Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca

Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, a congregation founded by the Blessed Giovanni Leonardi, son of middle-class parents, who was born in 1541 at Diecimo, a small township in the Republic of Lucca, though at that time the chief place of a fief of the same name held by the bishops of Lucca from the republic. At seventeen years of age he was sent to Lucca to learn the apothecary's trade, but having from a tender age been most piously inclined, he, after many difficulties, including the necessity of educating himself, embraced the sacerdotal state, and was ordained 22 December, 1572. His congregation may be said to have begun in 1574. Two or three young laymen, attracted by his sanctity and the sweetness of his character, had gathered round him to submit themselves to his spiritual guidance and help him in the work for the reform of manners and the saving of souls which he had begun even as a layman. Giovanni rented the beautiful little church of Santa Maria della Rosa, and in a quarter close by, something like community life was started. It was here, when it became evident that Giovanni's lay helpers were preparing for the priesthood and that something like a religious order was in process of formation, that a storm of persecution broke out against the devoted founder. The Fathers of the republic seem to have had a real fear that a native religious order, if spread over Italy, would cause the affairs of the little state to become too well known to its neighbours. The persecution, however, was so effective and lasting, that the Blessed Leonardi practically spent the rest of his life in banishment from Lucca, only being now and again admitted by special decree of the Senate, unwillingly extracted under papal pressure. In 1580 Giovanni acquired secretly the ancient church of Santa Maria Cortelandini (popularly known as Santa Maria Nera) which his sons hold to this day. In 1583 the congregation was canonically erected at the instigation of Pope Gregory XIII by Bishop Alessandro Guidiccioni, of Lucca, and confirmed by the Brief of Clement VIII "Ex quo divina majestas", 13 October, 1595.

The congregation at this time only took simple vows of chastity, perseverance, and obedience, and was known as the "Congregation of Clerks Secular of the Blessed Virgin". In 1596 Clement VIII nominated the Blessed Giovanni commissary Apostolic for the reform of the monks of the Order of Monte Vergine, and in 1601 the cardinal protector appointed him to carry out a similar work among the Vallombrosans. In 1601 he obtained the church of S. Maria in Portico in Rome. In the same year Cardinal Baronius became protector of the congregation. Giovanni died in Rome 9 October, 1609, aged sixty-eight, and was buried in Santa Maria in Portico. The present church of the congregation in Rome, obtained in 1662, is Santa Maria in Campitelli (called also Santa Maria in Portico) interesting to Englishmen as the first titular church of the Cardinal of York. The body of the founder was removed to this church and lies there under the altar of St. John the Baptist. Giovanni Leonardi was declared Venerable in 1701, and beatified by Pius IX in 1861. Leo XIII, in 1893, caused his name to be inserted in the Roman Martyrology and ordered the clergy of Rome to say his Mass and Office, an honour accorded to no other Blessed in that city except the beatified popes. In 1614 Paul V confided to the congregation the care of the so-called Pious Schools. It is in his Brief "Inter Pastoralis" that the congregation is first called "of the Mother of God", having until then been known by its original name of "Clerks Secular of the Blessed Virgin". The care of these schools being considered outside the scope of the congregation, it was relieved of their charge by the same pontiff in 1617.

It was not until 1621 (3 November) that Gregory XV, carrying out what was always in the founder's mind, erected the congregation into a religious order proper by permitting its members to take solemn vows, and it henceforth became the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God. The Blessed Leonardi received many offers of churches during his life, but with a view of conciliating the governing body of the republic thought it better to refuse them. In all its history the order has never had more than fifteen churches, and never more than seven at one time. It was introduced into Naples in 1632, Genoa 1669, and Milan 1709. The only churches of the order now existing are Santa Maria Cortelandini, Lucca; Santa Maria in Campitelli, Rome; Santa Maria in Portico di Chiaja, and Santa Brigida, Naples; the Madonna della Stella Migliano (1902); and the parish church of S. Carlo in Monte Carlo (1873), the only church of the order outside the borders of modern Italy. In the sacristy of Santa Maria Cortelandini is preserved a large portion of a hair-shirt of St. Thomas of Canterbury whose feast is celebrated there with considerable ceremony; in 1908 half of this relic was presented to the Benedictine Abbey of St. Thomas, Erdington, England. The former residence of the clerks, who kept a large boys' school until the suppression in 1867, is now the public library of Lucca. Two of the original companions of the holy founder, Cesare Franciotti and Giovanni Cioni, have been declared Venerable. The order justly enjoys great fame for its learning and its numerous scholars and writers. Suffice it to mention Giovanni Domenico Mansi, editor of the "Councils" and a hundred other works. The arms of the order are azure, Our Lady Assumed into Heaven; and its badge and seal the monogram of the Mother of God in Greek characters.

Sources

HÉLYOT, Hist. Ord. Rel., especially the Italian version by FONTANA, clerk of this congregation (Lucca, 1738), IV, 268-295; BONANNI, Cat. Ord. Relig., I; MARRACCI, Vita del V. P. Giovanni Leonardi (Rome, 1673); GUERRA, La Vita del B. Giov. Leonardi (Monza, 1895); BARBOSA, Jur. Eccl. Univ., I, xli, 162; Bullar. Rom., III; SARTESCHI, De Scriptoribus Cong. Cler. Matris Dei.

Carmichael, Montgomery. "Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04052b.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Douglas J. Potter. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.

SOURCE : https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04052b.htm

San Giovanni Leonardi

Altar of Saint Giovanni iLeonardi Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome with Nativity of John the Baptist by Giovanni Battista Gaulli (1692)

Saint Giovanni Leonardi reliquary in Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome

Corpo di San Giovanni Leonardi, Roma, Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli

Saint Giovanni Leonardi reliquary in Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome

Corpo di San Giovanni Leonardi, Roma, Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli

Saint Giovanni Leonardi reliquary in Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome

Corpo di San Giovanni Leonardi, Roma, Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli

San Giovanni Leonardi Sacerdote

9 ottobre

- Memoria Facoltativa

Diecimo, Lucca, 1541 - Roma, 9 ottobre 1609

Nato a Diecimo, nella lucchesia, nel 1541 Giovanni Leonardi a 26 anni fa il farmacista. Quando la prospera repubblica viene colpita da una grave crisi decide di soccorrere i poveri e l'esperienza lo porta a diventare prete nel 1572. Ama l'insegnamento, lo fa prima con i bambini e poi con gli adulti. Nel 1574 fonda la famiglia religiosa dei «Chierici regolari della madre di Dio» e diventa un protagonista della riforma cattolica. A Lucca cominciano a non amarlo e così, nel 1584 mentre si trova a Roma, viene bandito in perpetuo dalla sua città perché disturba l'ordine pubblico e manca di rispetto all'autorità costituita. A Roma, però, cresce il suo prestigio e Clemente VIII lo manda a riordinare congregazioni religiose e riformare monasteri. Muore a Roma nel 1609 e viene proclamato santo da Pio XI nel 1938. (Avvenire)

Etimologia: Giovanni = il Signore è benefico, dono del Signore, dall'ebraico

Martirologio Romano: San Giovanni Leonardi, sacerdote, che a Lucca abbandonò la professione di farmacista da lui esercitata, per diventare sacerdote. Fondò, quindi, l’Ordine dei Chierici regolari, poi detto della Madre di Dio, per l’insegnamento della dottrina cristiana ai fanciulli, il rinnovamento della vita apostolica del clero e la diffusione della fede cristiana in tutto il mondo, e per esso dovette affrontare molte tribolazioni. Pose a Roma le fondamenta del Collegio di Propaganda Fide e morì in pace in questa città, sfinito dal peso delle sue fatiche.

Nella Bolla della sua canonizzazione, san Giovanni Leonardi è definito uno dei maggiori apostoli del secolo della Riforma cattolica. Un impegno, il suo, che gli costò opposizioni, calunnie e persino la messa al bando dal suo paese natale, ma che non diminuì in alcun modo la sua azione profetica. Nato a Diecimo presso Lucca nel 1541, da una famiglia di modesti proprietari terrieri, fu mandato a Lucca per imparare l’arte dello speziale, come si chiamava allora il farmacista. Lì frequentò il gruppo dei cosiddetti “Colombini”, impegnati a vivere da autentici cristiani assistendo i poveri e i pellegrini. Avvertita la vocazione al sacerdozio, a 26 anni, su consiglio del suo direttore spirituale, abbandonò la professione di farmacista per iniziare gli studi ecclesiastici e nel 1571 celebrò la sua prima Messa. Da allora si dedicò alla predicazione, alla confessione e soprattutto all’insegnamento della dottrina cristiana secondo le norme emanate dal Concilio di Trento. Con l’aiuto di alcuni “Colombini” cominciò a riunire nella chiesa di S. Giovanni i ragazzi del rione per un tipo di catechesi che, per quei tempi, costituiva una novità e per questo spinse il vescovo a conferirgli l’incarico di insegnare la dottrina in tutte le chiese di Lucca: alle “lezioni” del santo accorrevano anche gli adulti, conquistati dal suo metodo. Dalla città questo apostolato si estese anche alle parrocchie vicine, promuovendo una confortante ripresa della vita cristiana in un ambiente caratterizzato, oltre che dalla decadenza dei costumi, dalla presenza di alcuni predicatori eretici.

Per dare continuità alla sua iniziativa, il Leonardi fondò una Compagnia della Dottrina Cristiana gestita da laici, con regolari statuti approvati dal vescovo, la quale si diffuse in altre città italiane come Pescia, Pistoia, Siena, Napoli e Roma. A Lucca, inoltre, egli si impegnò nella promozione della pratica delle Quarantore e della Comunione frequente. Un ulteriore passo si ebbe nel 1574, quando prese avvio la Confraternita dei preti Riformati, i cui membri avrebbero poi preso il nome di Chierici Regolari della Madre di Dio. A questo punto lo zelo del santo si scontrò con l’opposizione di gruppi comprendenti non solo eretici, ma anche sacerdoti e laici, che mal sopportavano la sua azione riformatrice e che costrinsero i membri della congregazione ad abbandonare la chiesa di S. Maria della Rosa per trasferirsi in quella di S. Maria Corteorlandini. Nel 1581 l’autorità diocesana riconobbe il nuovo Ordine, che due anni dopo tenne il suo primo Capitolo generale in cui il Leonardi fu eletto superiore generale. Egli partì per Roma per ottenere l’approvazione dello statuto che era stato approvato dal vescovo nel 1584, e durante la sua assenza si scatenò una furiosa campagna denigratoria contro di lui da parte dei magnati della città che, sobillati da alcuni sacerdoti ed eretici, emisero un decreto con cui lo bandivano in perpetuo come nemico della patria, con l’accusa di perturbare l’ordine pubblico e di non rispettare le autorità costituite. Un’inchiesta sollecitata dal santo per accertare le presunte colpe non ebbe esito, ma si continuò ugualmente a perseguitarlo. Persino alcuni membri della sua comunità entrarono in conflitto tra loro, ma egli comunque dimostrò sempre magnanimità e carità verso i suoi persecutori. A Roma, dove rimase in esilio per alcuni anni, si fece apprezzare dalla Curia per le sue qualità di sacerdote e per la coerenza della sua condotta. Entrò in amicizia con san Filippo Neri che lo presentò a papa Clemente VIII e questi nel 1582 lo incaricò di dirimere una delicata situazione creatasi nel santuario della Madonna dell’Arco, in diocesi di Nola, circa l’amministrazione delle offerte dei pellegrini. Condotta felicemente a termine questa missione, il Pontefice lo inviò come Visitatore apostolico alla congregazione di Montevergine, un insigne ramo dell’Ordine benedettino nell’avellinese, per promuoverne la riforma: egli durante cinque anni visitò tutti i monasteri personalmente, rendendosi conto dei disordini e degli abusi che avevano determinato lo scadimento di quella famiglia religiosa; soppresse i monasteri con meno di dodici membri e negli altri varò norme uniformi circa il vitto, il vestito e le suppellettili in ossequio al voto di povertà. Inoltre, eliminò le ingerenze laicali nella vita delle comunità monastiche, provvide alla nomina delle cariche e creò un noviziato pilota che servisse di esempio agli altri monasteri.

Il Papa gli ordinò di recarsi a Lucca per visitare i suoi discepoli, che egli esortò alla carità e all’osservanza delle Costituzioni. Analoghi compiti di riforma gli furono poi affidati tra i benedettini di Vallombrosa, dove il santo rimosse le cariche, corresse gli abusi, ai novizi ordinò la confessione e la comunione settimanali, e a tutti la meditazione e gli esercizi spirituali. Intanto a Roma gli veniva affidata la chiesa di S. Maria in Portico, dove introdusse subito il regolare insegnamento della dottrina cristiana; inoltre fu chiamato come direttore spirituale nel monastero delle Cappuccine di S. Urbano e in quello delle Oblate di Santa Francesca Romana. Fu anche mandato in visita alla comunità del Chierici regolari delle Scuole Pie (gli Scolopi), diventando amico del loro fondatore, san Giuseppe Calasanzio. Tra il 1607 e il 1608, con il prelato spagnolo G. Battista Vives e il gesuita Martin de Funes, progettò una congregazione di preti che avessero come scopo precipuo la propaganda cristiana tra gli infedeli: nacque così nel 1603 quello che poi sarebbe diventato il Collegio Urbano di Propaganda Fide, del quale il santo è considerato il cofondatore. In quello stesso anno il card. Baronio, collaboratore di san Filippo Neri, che era stato nominato Protettore della Congregazione, lo volle superiore generale della stessa, nonostante l’opposizione dei notabili lucchesi che non avevano cessato di essergli ostili perché ritenevano che il Leonardi sarebbe stato un inviato dell’Inquisizione che essi non volevano a Lucca.

Il santo visse i suoi ultimi anni a Roma, dove morì l’8 ottobre 1609. Dapprima sepolto in S. Maria in Portico, fu poi traslato nella chiesa di S. Maria in Campitelli, divenuta la sede generalizia dell’Ordine. Beatificato da Pio IX nel 1861, fu canonizzato da Pio XI il 17 aprile 1938. Di particolare interesse tra gli scritti del santo è il celebre Memoriale a Paolo V per la riforma generale di tutta la Chiesa: in esso l’autore rivolge al Pontefice un caldo invito a promuovere una serie di interventi quali, ad esempio, la celebrazione di sinodi nazionali, che consentano un’attenta diagnosi dei mali che travagliano la Chiesa; il potenziamento della catechesi dei fanciulli perché «fin dai primi anni siano educati nella purezza della fede cristiana e nei santi costumi»; il rinnovamento del clero che, a suo avviso, «è la necessaria premessa per la riforma anche dei laici». Un documento, come si vede, di evidente portata profetica.

Autore: Angelo Montonati

SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/29500

San Giovanni Leonardi

BENEDETTO XVI

UDIENZA GENERALE

Piazza San Pietro

Mercoledì, 7 ottobre 2009

San Giovanni Leonardi

Cari fratelli e sorelle!

Dopodomani, 9 ottobre, si compiranno 400 anni dalla morte di san Giovanni Leonardi, fondatore dell’Ordine religioso dei Chierici Regolari della Madre di Dio, canonizzato il 17 aprile del 1938 ed eletto Patrono dei farmacisti in data 8 agosto 2006. Egli è anche ricordato per il grande anelito missionario. Insieme a Mons. Juan Bautista Vives e al gesuita Martin de Funes progettò e contribuì all’istituzione di una specifica Congregazione della Santa Sede per le missioni, quella di Propaganda Fide, e alla futura nascita del Collegio Urbano di Propaganda Fide, che nel corso dei secoli ha forgiato migliaia di sacerdoti, molti di essi martiri, per evangelizzare i popoli. Si tratta, pertanto, di una luminosa figura di sacerdote, che mi piace additare come esempio a tutti i presbiteri in questo Anno Sacerdotale. Morì nel 1609 per un’influenza contratta mentre stava prodigandosi nella cura di quanti, nel quartiere romano di Campitelli, erano stati colpiti dall’epidemia.

Giovanni Leonardi nacque nel 1541 a Diecimo in provincia di Lucca. Ultimo di sette fratelli, ebbe un’adolescenza scandita dai ritmi di fede vissuti in un nucleo familiare sano e laborioso, oltre che dall’assidua frequentazione di una bottega di aromi e di medicamenti del suo paese natale. A 17 anni il padre lo iscrisse ad un regolare corso di spezieria a Lucca, allo scopo di farne un futuro farmacista, anzi uno speziale, come allora si diceva. Per circa un decennio il giovane Giovanni Leonardi ne fu vigile e diligente frequentatore, ma quando, secondo le norme previste dall’antica Repubblica di Lucca, acquisì il riconoscimento ufficiale che lo avrebbe autorizzato ad aprire una sua spezieria, egli cominciò a pensare se non fosse giunto il momento di realizzare un progetto che da sempre aveva in cuore. Dopo matura riflessione decise di avviarsi al sacerdozio. E così, lasciata la bottega dello speziale, ed acquisita un’adeguata formazione teologica, fu ordinato sacerdote e il giorno dell’Epifania del 1572 celebrò la prima Messa. Tuttavia non abbandonò la passione per la farmacopea, perché sentiva che la mediazione professionale di farmacista gli avrebbe permesso di realizzare appieno la sua vocazione, quella di trasmettere agli uomini, mediante una vita santa, “la medicina di Dio”, che è Gesù Cristo crocifisso e risorto, “misura di tutte le cose”.

Animato dalla convinzione che di tale medicina necessitano tutti gli esseri umani più di ogni altra cosa, san Giovanni Leonardi cercò di fare dell’incontro personale con Gesù Cristo la ragione fondamentale della propria esistenza. “È necessario ricominciare da Cristo”, amava ripetere molto spesso. Il primato di Cristo su tutto divenne per lui il concreto criterio di giudizio e di azione e il principio generatore della sua attività sacerdotale, che esercitò mentre era in atto un vasto e diffuso movimento di rinnovamento spirituale nella Chiesa, grazie alla fioritura di nuovi Istituti religiosi e alla testimonianza luminosa di santi come Carlo Borromeo, Filippo Neri, Ignazio di Loyola, Giuseppe Calasanzio, Camillo de Lellis, Luigi Gonzaga. Con entusiasmo si dedicò all’apostolato tra i ragazzi mediante la Compagnia della Dottrina Cristiana, riunendo intorno a sé un gruppo di giovani con i quali, il primo settembre 1574, fondò la Congregazione dei Preti riformati della Beata Vergine, successivamente chiamato Ordine dei Chierici Regolari della Madre di Dio. Ai suoi discepoli raccomandava di avere “avanti gli occhi della mente solo l’onore, il servizio e la gloria di Cristo Gesù Crocifisso”, e, da buon farmacista abituato a dosare le pozioni grazie a un preciso riferimento, aggiungeva: “Un poco più levate i vostri cuori a Dio e con Lui misurate le cose”.

Mosso da zelo apostolico, nel maggio del 1605, inviò al Papa Paolo V appena eletto un Memoriale nel quale suggeriva i criteri di un autentico rinnovamento nella Chiesa. Osservando come sia “necessario che coloro che aspirano alla riforma dei costumi degli uomini cerchino specialmente, e per prima cosa, la gloria di Dio”, aggiungeva che essi devono risplendere “per l'integrità della vita e l'eccellenza dei costumi, così, più che costringere, attireranno dolcemente alla riforma”. Osservava inoltre che “chi vuole operare una seria riforma religiosa e morale deve fare anzitutto, come un buon medico, un'attenta diagnosi dei mali che travagliano la Chiesa per poter così essere in grado di prescrivere per ciascuno di essi il rimedio più appropriato”. E notava che “il rinnovamento della Chiesa deve verificarsi parimenti nei capi e nei dipendenti, in alto e in basso. Deve cominciare da chi comanda ed estendersi ai sudditi”. Fu per questo che, mentre sollecitava il Papa a promuovere una “riforma universale della Chiesa”, si preoccupava della formazione cristiana del popolo e specialmente dei fanciulli, da educare “fin dai primi anni… nella purezza della fede cristiana e nei santi costumi”.

Cari fratelli e sorelle, la luminosa figura di questo Santo invita i sacerdoti in primo luogo, e tutti i cristiani, a tendere costantemente alla “misura alta della vita cristiana” che è la santità, ciascuno naturalmente secondo il proprio stato. Soltanto infatti dalla fedeltà a Cristo può scaturire l’autentico rinnovamento ecclesiale. In quegli anni, nel passaggio culturale e sociale tra il secolo XVI e il secolo XVII, cominciarono a delinearsi le premesse della futura cultura contemporanea, caratterizzata da una indebita scissione tra fede e ragione, che ha prodotto tra i suoi effetti negativi la marginalizzazione di Dio, con l’illusione di una possibile e totale autonomia dell’uomo il quale sceglie di vivere “come se Dio non ci fosse”. E’ la crisi del pensiero moderno, che più volte ho avuto modo di evidenziare e che approda spesso in forme di relativismo. Giovanni Leonardi intuì quale fosse la vera medicina per questi mali spirituali e la sintetizzò nell’espressione: “Cristo innanzitutto”, Cristo al centro del cuore, al centro della storia e del cosmo. E di Cristo – affermava con forza – l’umanità ha estremo bisogno, perché Lui è la nostra “misura”. Non c’è ambiente che non possa essere toccato dalla sua forza; non c’è male che non trovi in Lui rimedio, non c’è problema che in Lui non si risolva. “O Cristo o niente”! Ecco la sua ricetta per ogni tipo di riforma spirituale e sociale.

C’è un altro aspetto della spiritualità di san Giovanni Leonardi che mi piace sottolineare. In più circostanze ebbe a ribadire che l’incontro vivo con Cristo si realizza nella sua Chiesa, santa ma fragile, radicata nella storia e nel suo divenire a volte oscuro, dove grano e zizzania crescono insieme (cfr Mt 13,30), ma tuttavia sempre Sacramento di salvezza. Avendo lucida consapevolezza che la Chiesa è il campo di Dio (cfr Mt 13,24), non si scandalizzò delle sue umane debolezze. Per contrastare la zizzania scelse di essere buon grano: decise, cioè, di amare Cristo nella Chiesa e di contribuire a renderla sempre più segno trasparente di Lui. Con grande realismo vide la Chiesa, la sua fragilità umana, ma anche il suo essere “campo di Dio”, lo strumento di Dio per la salvezza dell’umanità. Non solo. Per amore di Cristo lavorò alacremente per purificare la Chiesa, per renderla più bella e santa. Capì che ogni riforma va fatta dentro la Chiesa e mai contro la Chiesa. In questo, san Giovanni Leonardi è stato veramente straordinario e il suo esempio resta sempre attuale. Ogni riforma interessa certamente le strutture, ma in primo luogo deve incidere nel cuore dei credenti. Soltanto i santi, uomini e donne che si lasciano guidare dallo Spirito divino, pronti a compiere scelte radicali e coraggiose alla luce del Vangelo, rinnovano la Chiesa e contribuiscono, in maniera determinante, a costruire un mondo migliore.

Cari fratelli e sorelle, l’esistenza di san Giovanni Leonardi fu sempre illuminata dallo splendore del “Volto Santo” di Gesù, custodito e venerato nella Chiesa cattedrale di Lucca, diventato il simbolo eloquente e la sintesi indiscussa della fede che lo animava. Conquistato da Cristo come l’apostolo Paolo, egli additò ai suoi discepoli, e continua ad additare a tutti noi, l’ideale cristocentrico per il quale “bisogna denudarsi di ogni proprio interesse e solo il servizio di Dio riguardare”, avendo “avanti gli occhi della mente solo l’onore, il servizio e la gloria di Cristo Gesù Crocifisso”. Accanto al volto di Cristo, fissò lo sguardo sul volto materno di Maria. Colei che elesse Patrona del suo Ordine, fu per lui maestra, sorella, madre, ed egli sperimentò la sua costante protezione. L’esempio e l’intercessione di questo “affascinante uomo di Dio” siano, particolarmente in questo Anno Sacerdotale, richiamo e incoraggiamento per i sacerdoti e per tutti i cristiani a vivere con passione ed entusiasmo la propria vocazione.

Saluti:

Chers frères et soeurs,

Je salue avec joie les pèlerins francophones, spécialement les participants du Chapitre général des Frères Maristes des Écoles et les membres de la Confédération des Chanoines Réguliers de saint Augustin à l’occasion du 50ème anniversaire de la fondation de la Confédération, ainsi que les pèlerins provenant de Belgique, du Bénin, du Canada, de Suisse et de France. Je vous invite à prier pour vos prêtres et, en ces jours du Synode, pour le cher continent africain. Que Dieu vous bénisse!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking visitors at today’s Audience, including the Sisters and friends of the Congregation of Jesus and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrating the four hundredth anniversary of their foundation by Mary Ward. My particular greetings go to the groups of faithful from Iraq, from the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia, and to the Diaconate ordination candidates from the Pontifical North American College accompanied by their families and friends. Upon all of you I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!

Liebe Brüder und Schwestern!

Sehr herzlich grüße ich alle Pilger und Besucher deutscher Sprache, besonders die vielen Jugendlichen und die Schwestern der Congregatio Jesu, die anläßlich ihres 400jährigen Kongregationsjubiläums nach Rom gekommen sind. Christus ist die Mitte unseres Lebens. Richten wir uns ganz auf ihn aus, dann werden wir Glück und Heil finden und können zur Erneuerung von Kirche und Welt mit beitragen. Der Herr segne euch alle.

Queridos hermanos y hermanas:

Saludo con afecto a los peregrinos de lengua española, en particular a los miembros de la Corte de Honor de la Virgen de los Desamparados, de Valencia; a los fieles de la Diócesis de Engativá, en Colombia, así como a los demás grupos procedentes de España, Argentina, México, Venezuela y otros países latinoamericanos. En este Año Sacerdotal, que el ejemplo y la intercesión de san Juan Leonardi estimulen a los pastores y a los laicos a vivir con fidelidad la vocación que les es propia. Muchas gracias.

A minha saudação amiga aos fiéis da arquidiocese de Porto Alegre e demais peregrinos de língua portuguesa! Viestes a Roma, onde há quatrocentos anos morreu São João Leonardo, vítima da caridade fraterna, contagiado ele mesmo pela epidemia cujos doentes tratava. A luminosa figura deste Santo convida todos os cristãos a transmitirem aos homens o verdadeiro «remédio de Deus», que é Jesus Cristo crucificado e ressuscitado. N’Ele vos abençôo, a vós e às vossas famílias.

Saluto in lingua polacca:

Drodzy pielgrzymi polscy! Serdecznie pozdrawiam każdego z was i waszych bliskich. Trwają obrady Synodu Biskupów dla Afryki. Proszę, byście razem ze mną polecali Matce Bożej Różańcowej to ważne wydarzenie. Niech przez posługę Kościoła mieszkańcy Afryki odnajdą drogi wiodące do pojednania, sprawiedliwości i pokoju. Życzę wszystkim ubogacenia duchowego pobytem w Rzymie. Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus.

Traduzione italiana:

Cari pellegrini polacchi! Saluto cordialmente ognuno di voi e i vostri cari. Sono in corso i lavori del Sinodo per l’Africa. Unitevi a me nell’affidare alla Beata Maria Vergine del Rosario questo evento importante nella vita della Chiesa. Mediante il ministero della Chiesa gli abitanti dell’Africa ritrovino le vie che portano alla riconciliazione, alla giustizia e alla pace. Auguro a tutti un arricchimento spirituale offerto a loro dal soggiorno a Roma. Sia lodato Gesù Cristo.

Saluto in lingua ungherese:

Isten hozta a magyar híveket, különösen is azokat, akik Miskolcról és Győrből érkeztek.

Kérve a Rózsafüzér Királynője, a Magyarok Nagyasszonya közbenjárását, szívesen adom Rátok és családtagjaitokra apostoli áldásomat.

Dicsértessék a Jézus Krisztus!

Traduzione italiana:

Do un cordiale benvenuto ai fedeli di lingua ungherese, specialmente a coloro che sono venuti da Miskolc e Győr. Chiedendo l’intercessione della Beata Vergine del Rosario, la Magna Domina Hungarorum, imparto volentieri la Benedizione Apostolica a voi ed ai vostri cari.
Sia lodato Gesù Cristo!

Saluto in lingua ceca:

Srdečně zdravím členy českého náboženského střediska Velehrad, založeného služebníkem Božím, kardinálem Josefem Beranem.

Rád žehnám vám i vašim drahým! Chvála Kristu!

Traduzione italiana:

Un cordiale benvenuto ai membri del Centro Religioso Boemo Velehrad, fondato dal Servo di Dio, Cardinale Josef Beran.

Volentieri benedico voi e i vostri cari! Sia lodato Gesù Cristo!

Saluto in lingua slovacca:

S láskou vítam slovenských pútnikov, osobitne z Nitry, Plavča a Púchova.

Bratia a sestry, Cirkev si dnes v liturgii pripomína Pannu Máriu Ružencovú. Podľa príkladu svätého Jána Apoštola prijmite ju aj vy do svojích domovov a dajte jej priestor vo vašom každodennom živote.
Všetkých vás žehnám. Pochválený buď Ježiš Kristus!

Traduzione italiana:

Con affetto do il benvenuto ai pellegrini slovacchi, in particolare a quelli provenienti da Nitra, Plaveč e Púchov.

Fratelli e sorelle, la Chiesa oggi fa memoria liturgica della Beata Maria Vergine del Rosario. Sull’esempio di San Giovanni Apostolo anche voi accogliete Maria nelle vostre case e fateLe spazio nella vostra esistenza quotidiana.

A tutti la mia benedizione. Sia lodato Gesù Cristo!

Saluto in lingua croata:

Srdačno pozdravljam sve hrvatske hodočasnike, a posebno iz župe Uzvišenja Svetoga Križa iz Siska te vjernike iz Hrvatske katoličke misije iz Züricha kao i djelatnike i polaznike Škole za medicinske sestre iz Zagreba. Želio bih, dragi prijatelji, da kroz ovaj mjesec listopad, posvećen našoj nebeskoj Majci – Blaženoj Djevici, molitva svete krunice bude vaš osobni i obiteljski susret s Bogom. Hvaljen Isus i Marija!

Traduzione italiana:

Saluto cordialmente i pellegrini croati, particolarmente quelli provenienti dalla parrocchia dell’Esaltazione della Santa Croce, in Sisak, i fedeli della Missione Cattolica Croata di Zurigo, come pure i docenti e gli studenti della Scuola per la preparazione delle infermiere di Zagabria. Auspico, cari amici, che, durante questo mese di ottobre, dedicato alla nostra Madre celeste – la Beata Vergine, la preghiera del santo rosario sia il vostro personale e familiare incontro con Dio. Siano lodati Gesù e Maria!

* * *

Rivolgo ora il mio cordiale benvenuto ai fedeli di lingua italiana. In particolare al Cardinale Ivan Dias, ai Collaboratori del Dicastero per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli e ai Superiori e Alunni del Pontificio Collegio Urbano di Propaganda Fide. Cari amici, la figura di san Giovanni Leonardi a cui voi siete legati, ispiri la vostra azione missionaria a servizio della Chiesa. Saluto i sacerdoti dei Pontifici Collegi San Pietro Apostolo e San Paolo Apostolo in Roma: a tutti auguro un proficuo anno accademico. Saluto i partecipanti al pellegrinaggio promosso dall’Ordine della Madre di Dio, in occasione delle celebrazioni conclusive del quarto centenario della morte del loro fondatore san Giovanni Leonardi. Saluto i sacerdoti, le religiose e i seminaristi dell’Istituto di Cristo Re Sommo Sacerdote e li incoraggio a proseguire nella loro adesione a Cristo e alla Chiesa. Saluto i rappresentanti dell'Associazione “Pianeta Down”, della Fondazione “Costruiamo il futuro” e i fedeli di Illegio. Saluto inoltre i Cavalieri del Ringraziamento di Roio (L’Aquila): alla Vergine Maria della Croce, venerata nel Santuario di Roio affido ancora una volta le attese e le speranze delle popolazioni colpite dal recente terremoto.

Rivolgo infine un cordiale saluto ai giovani, ai malati e agli sposi novelli. La Chiesa onora oggi la Beata Vergine del Rosario, memoria liturgica che mi offre l’opportunità di ribadire l'importanza della preghiera del Rosario, tanto cara anche ai miei venerati Predecessori. A voi, cari giovani, la raccomando perché vi aiuti a compiere la volontà di Dio e a trovare nel Cuore Immacolato di Maria un rifugio sicuro. Faccia sperimentare a voi, cari malati, il conforto della nostra Madre celeste, perché da Lei sorretti affrontiate i momenti della prova. Per voi, cari sposi novelli, la recita di questa preghiera costituisca l’appuntamento giornaliero della vostra famiglia che crescerà così, grazie all’intercessione di Maria, nell’unità e nella fedeltà al Vangelo.

SOURCE : https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/it/audiences/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20091007.html

Giovanni Leonardi

(1541-1609)

Beatificazione:

- 10 novembre 1861

- Papa Pio IX

Celebrazione

Canonizzazione:

- 17 aprile 1938

- Papa Pio XI

- Basilica Vaticana

Celebrazione

Ricorrenza:

- 9 ottobre

Omelia del Card. Bertone per il IV Centenario della morte di San Giovanni Leonardi

Religioso, che a Lucca abbandonò la professione di farmacista da lui esercitata, per diventare sacerdote. Fondò, quindi, l’Ordine dei Chierici regolari, poi detto della Madre di Dio, per l’insegnamento della dottrina cristiana ai fanciulli, il rinnovamento della vita apostolica del clero e la diffusione della fede cristiana in tutto il mondo, e per esso dovette affrontare molte tribolazioni. Pose a Roma le fondamenta del Collegio di Propaganda Fide e morì in pace in questa città, sfinito dal peso delle sue fatiche

"Di Cristo l'umanità ha estremo bisogno, perché Lui è la nostra misura"

Giovanni nasce nel 1541 a Diecimo, in provincia di Lucca, da una famiglia di modesti proprietari terrieri.

La sua vita sembra orientata verso la professione di speziale – come si chiama all’epoca il farmacista – ma quando in città scoppia una grave crisi, assieme al gruppo che frequenta dei cosiddetti “Colombini”, laici impegnati a vivere da autentici cristiani, si dà molto da fare per soccorrere i poveri. Matura, dunque, in lui, la vocazione al sacerdozio. Verrà ordinato nel 1571.

Da sacerdote Giovanni capisce subito che la priorità è l’educazione alla fede dei ragazzi, così sperimenta un metodo innovativo nell’insegnamento del catechismo, che spinge il vescovo di Lucca a estenderlo a tutte le chiese della città. Alle sue lezioni accorrono anche gli adulti, incantati dal suo modo di trasmettere la Parola, e le iniziative sono talmente tante che Giovanni ha bisogno di aiuto: nasce quindi la Compagnia della Dottrina Cristiana, gestita da laici, che nel 1574 diventerà una famiglia religiosa, la Confraternita dei sacerdoti riformati, e infine prenderà l’attuale nome di Chierici Regolari della Madre di Dio. Giovanni è un grande riformatore che cavalca quell’onda di novità che percorre la Chiesa cattolica della sua epoca, ma come si sa, gli innovatori non sono sempre ben visti.

I predicatori eretici che all’epoca non mancano iniziano a prendere di punta Giovanni, appoggiati anche da sacerdoti e laici che non apprezzano la sua azione riformatrice. Così nel 1584, approfittando di un suo viaggio a Roma, lo bandiscono in perpetuo come nemico della patria dalla sua città e la situazione non cambierà neppure dopo che l’inchiesta da lui sollecitata non avrà alcun esito. A Roma Giovanni viene inviato dal Papa come visitatore apostolico e riformatore dei monasteri benedettini: sopprimerà quelli con meno di 12 membri, uniformerà gli arredi, le vesti e il vitto in coerenza con il voto di povertà ed eliminerà le ingerenze laicali nella vita dei monaci.

In seguito, a Giovanni viene affidata la cura della chiesa di Santa Maria in Portico, dove introduce l’insegnamento regolare della dottrina cristiana. Tra il 1607 e il 1608, assieme ad altri sacerdoti, progetta una nuova congregazione di sacerdoti con l’obiettivo specifico di propagandare la fede cristiana tra le popolazioni che ancora non la conoscono. Nasce così il nucleo di quello che diventerà il Collegio Urbano di Propaganda Fide, del quale è considerato cofondatore.

Nel 1609 Giovanni muore; sarà canonizzato da Pio XI nel 1938. Tra i suoi iscritti lascia il Memoriale a Paolo V sulla riforma generale di tutta la Chiesa, in cui promuove la celebrazione di sinodi nazionali, il potenziamento della catechesi dei fanciulli e il rinnovamento del clero, premessa necessaria al rinnovamento del laicato.

SOURCE : https://www.causesanti.va/it/santi-e-beati/giovanni-leonardi.html

PREGHIERA DEI CATECHISTI

San Giovanni Leonardi amico e fratello,

fa’ che possiamo impegnarci come te

nell’ascolto e nell’annuncio della divina Parola.

La tua testimonianza di servo fedele del Vangelo

sia di modello per la nostra vita di cristiani e catechisti.

Accendi nei nostri cuori la carità evangelica

donaci la sapienza dei piccoli

infondi in noi la pazienza degli operai del Vangelo.

Tutto cooperi nella nostra vita

affinché il Signore Gesù sia conosciuto, amato, servito, testimoniato.

Fa’ che possiamo mantenerci fedeli

all’incontro con Cristo nel sacramento della penitenza e dell’eucaristia

per coltivare in noi il dono dell’amore oltre misura.

Maria Madre di Dio, c’insegni la via evangelica

del seme nascosto che produce molto frutto.

Amen.

SOURCE : https://www.causesanti.va/it/santi-e-beati/giovanni-leonardi.html

ICONOGRAPHIE CHRÉTIENNE

lundi 9 octobre 2017

Saint GIOVANNI LEONARDI, prêtre et fondateur de l'Ordre des Clercs réguliers de la Mère de Dieu

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