The body – relic – of the Saint Leopold Mandić will arrive today in Dubrovnik making it the second time this favorite Catholic saint arrived in Croatia. First time was last year where more than 200 thousand people saw the body in Zagreb.
Today, the relic arrives in the Church of Our Lady of Mercy and our DuList will live stream the whole event.
Live streaming starts today, September 16 at 9 pm and will last till the solemn ceremony of the relics of St. Francis. Leopold Bogdan Mandić on Sunday at 2 pm.
Around 8 pm a solemn parade with the body of St. Leopold will be formed, accompanied by festanjuli, trombunjeri and bratovštine (brotherhoods) from Dubrovnik, heading to the Church of of Our Lady of Mercy. The reception mass will be led by Fr. Jure Šarcević, Provincial of the Croatian Capuchin Province.
The relic of St. Leopold will be exposed all night in the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, and during the night hours the vigil will be organized and led by Fr. Mijo Šarčević, parish vicar of the Parish of St. Vida Varaždin. There will be an opportunity for St. confession. This event ends at 4 am. The next day, holy mass will be held at 7 am, 9 am and 11 am. At 2 pm the relic will continue to Split.
Biography of the Saint
St. Leopold Mandić was born on 12 May 1866 and died on 30 July 1942. He was a Croatian Capuchin friar and Catholic priest, who suffered from disabilities that would plague his speech and stature. He developed tremendous spiritual strength in spite of his disabilities.
He spent almost all his adult life in Italy, living in Padua from 1906 until his death. He also spent one year in an Italian prison during World War I, since he would not renounce his Croatian nationality. He also dreamed unceasingly about reuniting the Catholic and Orthodox churches and going to the Orient.
He became known as Apostle of Confession and Apostle of Unity. He made a famous prayer that is the forerunner of today’s ecumenism.
