Feast Day:      November 10

St. Leo the Great was Pope from 440 – 461. He was born and lived in the city of Tuscany, Italy. During this period Europe and the Catholic Church were under attack both physically and spiritually. The great Roman Empire was now being attacked and overrun by Attila the Hun. After conquering and destroying much of northern Italy, Attila marched toward Rome expecting to conquer that city as well. However, he was met by Pope St. Leo the Great who persuaded him to withdraw and leave the city of Rome unharmed. And, 2 years later Pope St. Leo was able to negotiate and prevent another attack by vandals and protect the city of Rome.

Beyond his leadership and negotiation skills, the greatest accomplishments by St. Leo the Great were the many wonderful writings he contributed as one of the early Church Fathers: 143 letters and 96 sermons.  The most popular of these was the Tome which declared the doctrine of Incarnation, defining at the Council of Chalcedon, in 451, that Jesus Christ is one Divine Person with two complete natures – a human nature and a divine nature.

He was named declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV. And, he actively fought against heresies which were threatening The Church of the 5^th century, among them was the heresy of Pelagianism which denied original sin and Christian grace. It was through his great writings and his leadership that he was able to significantly impact the direction and acknowledgement of the role of the papacy as head of the Church.

For Reflection:  St. Leo the Great exemplifies the response of a holy person to the call which God gives to each of us at Baptism – to know God, love God, and serve God. We know God as we see and hear Him in His Word (the written Word of The Gospel and The Word made flesh in Jesus, His Son). We love God in His creation – every person and creature. We serve God as we love and serve His creatures –  everyone we encounter each day (our family, friends, neighbors, strangers, the poor, homeless). And, God asks us to proclaim His Word and His love to all the world.

You can express your love and devotion to your Christian faith, the saints, and St. Leo the Great as you wear a lovely   St. Leo saint medal.

Bio: Marianne Buzzelli is a Catholic Secular Franciscan, writer, and entrepreneur, dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ and to the love of Jesus, Mary, our saints, and The Church.

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