A pharmacist who became a priest, he devoted himself in Lucca to catechesis and clerical reform and founded the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God. In Rome he helped prepare priests for foreign missions, laying groundwork for the missionary college of Propaganda Fide.
Life
Saint John Leonardi was born near Lucca, Italy, in 1541. He first worked as a pharmacist before choosing the priesthood and was ordained in 1572. He devoted himself to the renewal of the Church after the Council of Trent, with special zeal for teaching the faith to children and young people.
He founded the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God and took a deep interest in forming priests for the foreign missions. In 1609 he caught the plague while caring for the sick in Rome and died. He was canonized in 1938, and the Church remembers him on October 9.
Spirituality
John Leonardi's spirituality is the conviction that renewing the Church begins with oneself and with basic formation in faith. He valued teaching children the catechism and the holiness of priests above grand plans, and he stayed beside the sick to the very end.
Reflection
John Leonardi began Church renewal with teaching children the faith. What small effort could I offer for the Sunday school and young people of our parish?