Pope St. Leo the Great: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: November 10 (Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church)
Patron of: No widely recognized patronage.
About Pope St. Leo the Great
St. Leo I, pope from 440 to 461, is one of only two popes whom history calls "the Great." Probably born in Tuscany or Rome, he served as a deacon of the Roman Church and was an influential adviser before being elected pope while away on a diplomatic mission in Gaul.
Leo's pontificate came as the Western Roman Empire was collapsing. In 452 he went out to meet Attila the Hun near Mantua and persuaded him to turn back from Rome. In 455, when the Vandals captured the city, Leo could not stop the plunder but did obtain a promise to spare the people from massacre and burning. Just as important was his defense of the faith. His famous letter known as the Tome of Leo explained clearly that Christ is one divine Person with two natures, fully God and fully man. When it was read at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the bishops are said to have cried out, "Peter has spoken through Leo!" Nearly a hundred of his sermons survive, still read in the Liturgy of the Hours. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1754.
Prayers to Pope St. Leo the Great on Daily Catholic Prayers
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