November 6 + Saint Leonard of Limoges

Leonard was born to French nobility and 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 his God to repel an invading army, which Leonard obediently did. Providentially, the tide of the battle turned, with Clovis I and his army victorious.

The happy outcome not only strengthened Leonard's Christian beliefs, but King Clovis I converted to Christianity as well. Both Leonard and the king then received instruction in the Christian faith from Archbishop Remigius of Rheims, also a saint. 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, 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 a saint) left the court and followed him to Orleans. Lifiard built a monastery at Meun, located northwest of Orleans.

Despite Leonard’s growth in holiness, he heard the call to an even deeper intimacy with God. 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 were converted.

He built an oratory in which to live and stayed in a 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.

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.

Leonard died in 559. Throughout the following centuries, many churches had been dedicated in his name in many countries. In England alone there are 177 shrines dedicated to St. Leonard. He is the Patron Saint of political prisoners, captives, women in labor, and prisoners of war.