By CAROLE BRESLIN
One of Europe’s most popular pilgrimages is the Santiago de Compostela or the Way of St. James. People who make this pilgrimage begin from many locations around Europe, walking the hundreds of miles to the western coast of Spain. Some do it to complete a vow made when prayers were answered. Others do it for a petition or simply to accomplish a lifelong goal.
In the pilgrimage from Paris, the travelers stop at Catholic shrines along the way. One of the stops is at Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat, about 250 miles from Paris, which is the home of the cult of St. Leonard, a nobleman who became a priest in the sixth century.
Leonard was born to French nobility, his family being somewhat Christian. The little that is known about him was handed down through centuries by oral traditions. Not until the 11th century did someone write down anything about his history.
Because of his nobility, he spent quite a few years serving in the court of the pagan King Clovis I, the founder of the Merovingian dynasty. According to history, the wife of the king suggested Leonard pray to God to repel an invading army, which he obediently did. Providentially, the tide of the battle turned, with Clovis I and his army victorious.
The happy outcome led to a deeper conversion of Leonard. He may have been more surprised than the queen, but probably not as surprised as King Clovis I, who then converted to Christianity. Both Leonard and the king then received instruction in the Christian faith from Archbishop Remigius of Rheims, also a saint. Leonard learned much of his spirituality from Remigius. In 496, after the archbishop baptized King Clovis I, thousands of his subjects also converted to Christianity.
Subsequently, Leonard beseeched King Clovis to grant him the right to liberate prisoners if any were found worthy. He facilitated the release of many of them.
Since Leonard came from a Merovingian noble family he was offered a bishopric as was the custom of sixth-century Gaul — now known as France. Leonard declined the offer, choosing instead to enter the monastery and take the religious habit at Micy, near Orleans, some 50 miles south of Paris.
He began a life far from the worldly court. His new life consisted of prayer, fasting, penance, and preaching. Soon Leonard’s brother Lifiard also left the court and followed him to Orleans. Lifiard then built a monastery at Meun, located about 60 miles northwest of Orleans.
Despite Leonard’s growth in holiness, he heard the call to an even deeper intimacy with God, so he left Orleans. His destination this time was the forest in Limousin, just five miles northeast of present-day Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat. Along his journey, many families welcomed him into their homes. Many persons were converted. Although he may have eaten some meals with these families from time to time, his diet mainly consisted of herbs, wild fruits, and spring water.
Once Leonard arrived in Limousin, he built an oratory in which to live. He stayed in the small hut for the rest of his life, except for the occasional trip he made to preach at other churches.
As Leonard’s reputation for wisdom and holiness grew, more and more men came to him and sought his advice as well as his company. However, there were no accommodations in which these men could stay for any length of time.
A royal event provided the solution to this problem. The queen of the Franks, who was expecting a child, implored Leonard to pray that she have a son, and that the child would be delivered safely.
When his prayers were answered favorably, she donated some of the royal lands to Leonard. These lands were located in Noblat, just 13 miles from Limoges. Leonard and his followers then built a monastery.
The maintenance of this building, as well as the clearing of the land, was an enormous undertaking for which Leonard did not have the manpower, but God provides for all our needs. Many prisoners who had prayed in Leonard’s name to be freed found their prayers answered as they watched their chains break before their eyes.
These prisoners showed their gratitude by seeking out Leonard at his monastery. Many of these men appeared before Leonard with their chains still attached. Seeing them, Leonard sought to free them from their chains, as well as to free them from their slavery to sin.
After Leonard managed to have the chains removed, some stayed and assisted in the clearing of the land. Others not only stayed to help establish a farming community, but also dedicated the rest of their lives to God by staying with Leonard in his monastery.
The dates of the above events have not been preserved, but we do know that Leonard died in 559. After his death many miracles occurred. Some of these have been recorded such as in the small German town of Inchenhofen, in which over 4,000 recorded favors have been received through St. Leonard’s intercession.
His cult spread after the miraculous release of Bohemond I of Antioch from prison in 1103. He had prayed to St. Leonard to obtain his release.
After he gained his freedom, Bohemond I visited Noblat, where the remains of Leonard had been kept. Later, Bohemond I was a leader of the First Crusade.
Throughout the following centuries, many churches had been dedicated in his name in many countries: France, Scotland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Bohemia, and Poland. In England alone there are 177 shrines dedicated to St. Leonard.
On November 6, the feast of St. Leonard, Bad Tolz, Bavaria, holds a large festival in his honor. St. Leonard is the patron saint of political prisoners, captives, women in labor, and prisoners of war.
Dear St. Leonard, patron of political prisoners and captives, look upon these dire times and see the suffering of Christians throughout the world. Intercede for us, we pray, that if those unjustly imprisoned are not set free, that they will receive the grace of final perseverance and that they will give the supreme witness to the true faith if God asks it of them. Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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