Today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Leo the Great, also known as Pope Saint Leo I, who, is considered among one of the greatest popes and was the first pope to be given the title “the Great.”
Born into a Roman aristocratic family in the fourth century in Tuscany in the Roman Empire (present-day Italy), Leo I became a well-known deacon by 431, serving under Pope Celestine I. Much respected for his love of God, intelligence, and persuasive nature, be helped to bring about reconciliation between various Christian groups at odds with each other.
Leo I was consecrated pope on September 29, 440, as successor to Saint Sixtus III and quickly moved to stamp out heresy, regarding it as a cause of corruption and disunity in the Church, among other initiatives. A major proponent of papal primacy, Leo authored over 400 letters and nearly 100 sermons promoting these ideas. They held that power was passed on to Saint Peter alone and that this power was passed on by him to his successors. Leo also enhanced the prestige of the papacy and influenced its role in Western leadership when threatened by invading tribes.
Leo died on November 10, 461 and was buried in the sacristy in the original Saint Peter’s Basilica, also built in the fourth century, though was later reinterred inside the basilica in 688. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754.
Saint Leo the Great, pray for the people of the Diocese of Cheyenne!
