On December 20, 1676, St. Leonard was born in Porto Maurizio, Italy. His mother, Anna Maria Benza, and father, sea captain Domenico Casanova, gave him the name Paul Jerome Casanova.

At the age of 13, he was sent to study medicine under his uncle Agostino, but when the he rejected medicine, his uncle disowned him. After that, he started attending the Jesuit College in Rome.

He became a member of the Franciscans of the Strict Observance on October 2, 1697, and adopted the moniker Brother Leonard. In 1703, he received his ordination in Rome. He spent some time teaching and had planned to serve as a missionary in China, but he had to stay in his hometown of Porto Maurizio for four years in order to heal and regain his strength due to a bleeding ulcer.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice was dispatched to Florence in 1709, where he preached throughout the city and surrounding areas. He was frequently asked to travel and preach in different places since he was a superb preacher. He sought to strengthen devotion to the Stations of the Cross, the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Conception.

Establishing the Stations of the Cross in more than 500 locations, including the Colosseum, was one of his achievements. In 1744, Pope Benedict XIV dispatched him as a missionary to Corsica, where he restored discipline to the local holy orders. However, his preaching success was severely hindered by local politics.

Exhausted, he returned to Rome and passed away in the Saint Bonaventure monastery there that evening on November 26, 1751. In 1867, he was canonized. He is revered as the patron saint of parish missions.

Other Saints of the Day
St. Amator
St. Martin of Arades
St. Nicon the Metanoeite
St. John Berchmans
St. Dominic Doan Xuyen