SAINT LEO OF CATANIA

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The name Leo is a rather rare and unusual name in our time, however, there are approximately 14 Saints with this name, starting from Leo I the Great (Pope of Rome) up to Leo of Optina… Yet, perhaps the most mysterious and mystical of them is Leo of Catania (in Italian: Leone Taumaturgo) – Leo the Wonderworker, who was born in Ravenna (then under the protectorate of the Eastern Roman Empire) around the beginning of the 700s. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but it is believed that he lived in the lapse of time between the reigns of Emperors Justinian II and Constantine VI. He struggled especially against the paganism and sorcery still prevalent in the Byzantine Sicily.

Already at a young age, Leo became a Benedictine monk and moved to Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, where the local bishop Cyril soon nominated him to be an archdeacon. It is known that after the death of Saint Savin, Leo was elected the fifteenth bishop of the Sicilian city of Catania. Hence the addition to his name – … of Catania.

By the way, the legend claims that the inhabitants of Catania had a collective dream… An Angel suggested that they look for a candidate for the post of bishop not in Sicily, but in Calabria, where a man exuding holiness lived in a monastery… At first, Leo persistently refused such a high honor, since he considered himself unworthy of such a test, but later, after numerous and persistent requests, he nevertheless agreed, and in 765 he took up this high and honorable position.

As a bishop, Leo was famous for his kindness and mercy, Christian love for the poor and strangers, as well as his intransigence towards paganism and magic, for which, obviously, the Almighty honored him with the gift to perform miracles and healings from various diseases and witchcraft.

He left the memory of prodigies and charitable deeds, an admirable apostolate that had earned him great love of the people and the high title – “il Maraviglioso” (“The Wonderworker”, or “He who performs Miracles”).

For example, here is a widely known miracle that glorified Saint Leo during his lifetime…

According to a local account, among the candidates who were excluded from being vested with the episcopate, there was a character called Heliodorus – a sorcerer, who amazed the people with the dubious miracles of his magic. Moreover, he was a Catanian dignitary of noble birth. Well, eventually he denied his Christian beliefs because of envy and rage for a choice so sudden and unexplainable to him, bearing a malice towards the foreign-born nominee and his fellow-citizens. Therefore, he began devoting himself to the occult sciences and magic with the sole aim to grow into Leo’s worst adversary and noisome disturber. In order to acquire easily compliant followers he tried to fascinate and lead astray with any sort of wizardries his occasional spectators.

Leo always tried peacefully to convince Heliodorus that his behavior and deviltries were thoroughly wrong, but always in vain. They met each other for the last time on 778 AD and their final clash had a large echo throughout Sicily.

In “The Hagiography of Saint Leo of Catania”, Dimitri Rostovsky describes their confrontation as follows:

“On a solemn holiday the Saint, in the presence of his parishioners, was performing the Divine service in the church with all his clergy. The sorcerer Heliodorus also entered the temple as a hypocritical Christian and began to secretly perform his magic; thus, he achieved that some of the people began to stomp their feet in the church like horses and growl like animals; some other people began to laugh uncontrollably, and others began to get angry <…>

The Servant of God, having understood the thoughts of Heliodorus, knelt before the throne of God and, having prayed fervently, stood up, left the altar and, taking the sorcerer by the neck with his omophorion, tied him up. Leading him out from the church to the middle of the city, he commanded the people to immediately bring more wood and build a strong fire. When his order was carried out, Bishop Leo asked Heliodorus about all his sorceries and enchantments. After that, holding him bound with his omophorion, he entered the fire with him and, being in the midst of the flames, held him and did not leave his place until the wicked sorcerer was not completely burned to ashes. Bishop Leo, having returned to the church, finished the Divine service”. – Harsh, but fair… Moreover, Leo himself went through the heat of the flames along with the sinner… However, the Almighty punished only Heliodorus! Well, Saints cannot be burned in a fire nor drowned in water…

However, the hardships of Bishop Leo in life did not end there…

During the reign of The Emperor Constantine V Copronymus, an ardent iconoclast, he fell into disgrace for the veneration of holy images. The Ascetic was forced to leave his parish and wander through the wooded heights between Longhi and Sinagra… During this long wandering, he reached a place called Rometta. Here, in The Peloritani Mountains, bordering Messina, he hollowed out a cave…all by himself, with his own hands. Living there he spiritually nourished the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, admonishing them and comforting their sorrows. Leo performed many miracles at that time: through his prayers, the blind received their sight, the sick were healed, and demons retreated from the possessed.

Actually, one day everything comes to an end… The persecution subsided; Leo returned to Catania, regained his bishopric and continued to fight the iconoclastic laws and the increasing spread of heresies even with greater force than ever.

Leo reposed peacefully in Catania on 20 February 789, at the age of 86.

The body of Bishop Leo was placed in The Church of The Holy Martyr Lucia, which he himself had built; subsequently his relics were transferred to The Church of Saint Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours, and currently the relics of Saint Leo of Catania are kept in Rome.

“The Hagiography of Saint Leo of Catania” tells that on the day of his repose, a certain “bleeding woman from Syracuse” came. She had learned that the prayers of the clergyman healed the most serious illnesses. Naturally, she was very upset when she saw that the bishop had died. However, she still decided to approach his bed and bow to The Ascetic. She touched his bed and was healed from that very moment.

What was Saint Leo of Catania like during his lifetime? – Probably same as the people who bear his name – an honest, intelligent man; a conscientious worker; a prominent, impressive, elegant, passionate and incredibly charming man…

Leo by nature has an indestructible will… – after all, it is not without reason that this name of Greek origin is given to newborns so that they would acquire some kind of superpower (the power of the lion – king of beasts!)… Therefore, it is not at all surprising that any fortress can fall under the onslaught of this fast, decisive, far-sighted man with well-developed intuition.

In addition… Leo thinks globally, does not like to delve into details, leaves it to others to do this, but he himself prefers to summarize the available facts and draw the right conclusion.

Moreover, Leo is a witty conversationalist with an excellent sense of humor, ironic, but without malice…

Of course, any Leo also has individual shortcomings, but not Saint Leo!

Like all Saints, Saint Leo of Catania teaches, heals, protects…; he is the Patron Saint of boys and men named Leo, doctors, travelers, as well as the Patron Saint of the Sicilian settlements (so dear to him): Rometta, Longhi and Sinagra. However, the main and special area of his responsibility is still connected with magic and mysticism… It is to Saint Leo that people turn with requests for deliverance from the consequences of sorcery and witchcraft, extrasensory and hypnotic influences.

Moreover, if it seems to someone that he has lost his true path in life, he can also turn to the Saint. Well-known for his kindness and mercy, Saint Leo of Catania will definitely help!

Saint Leo of Catania is venerated by both Catholics and Orthodox believers; In the Orthodox Church, the Saint’s Day of Remembrance is celebrated on 4 March (in a leap year), on 5 March (in a non-leap year), and in the Catholic Church – on 20 February.

And in the blue-blue sky, a star is shining bright.
It does belong to you, my love, it always, dear, does.

The one, who loves, is loved; the one, who’s righteous – blessed!
Let this star lead you all along to the garden, saved by God.