Saints+Essay+PP

My saint is St. Leo the Great. St. Leo was a great man who did many memorable actions in his life. I chose St. Leo because he is my Confirmation saint, and because he had a lot of accomplishments that I myself strive for. He is a great saint and I'm going to tell you why. I'm going to be telling you about his life, relation to the church.

St. Leo was born around the year 400 A.D. He was born around current day Tuscany, and not much is known about his upbringing. In the year 431 St. Leo was a deacon in Rome, which gave him a respectable position of power. He was sent on a mission to settle a dispute between the two highest officials in Gual. During this time the current pope, Pope Sixtus III, died in the year 440. The people of Rome unanimously chose St. Leo to be their next pope. He officially became pope on September 29, 440. He is known as a doctor of the church because during his time as pope he wrote many letters and teachings. These letters and other documents contained many of the beliefs about Jesus Christ's life as mediator and savior. Although St. Leo had many great achievements during his time as pope he's by far most known for one. In the year 452, Attila the Hun invaded Italy. He started raiding many cities including Aquileia, and he was headed for Rome next. Attila demanded that King Alexander's daughter be sent to be his wife, or he would raid Rome. In response three negotiators were sent to speak to Attila, and leading the other negotiators was St. Leo himself. It's said that St. Leo met with Attila in his camp and convinced him to leave Rome and most importantly, he convinced him not to raid Rome. It's broadly questioned as to how St. Leo convinced this war chief, but he did. St. Leo had many other great achievements, and he died on November 10, 461.

St. Leo represents many Marks of the Church. St. Leo can be seen demonstrating more than one in his time as pope. For instance he shows that the Church is one. He shows that we are one because he is a doctor of the Church, and his teachings are recognized by all catholics. His doctrine is always believed and it is recognized in worship everywhere. Another mark he represents is holy because he is after all a Saint. As a saint it's safe to say that he lived a very holy and respectable life. It is clear that everything he did in his life was done in the name of God. Finally, St Leo represents the Catholic mark in many ways. Knowing that Catholic means universal you can see it's connection to St. Leo as he was a universal symbol of the Church for a good portion of his life, since he was the pope.

I think that it's clear what we can learn from St. Leo the Great. St. Leo can teach us that we should all respect God and live our lives serving him. This is evident as it's how he lived his life. He also shows us that we can all be leaders, even if were just leaders to a small group of people we still have a big impact on their lives. Finally and most importantly, St. Leo shows us that war may not always be the answer. He showed us that a raider like Attila wasn't just a raider, he showed us that with kindness and a plan to resolve a dispute you can always reach a positive outcome. These are just a few of the many things St. Leo taught us throughout his life. I hope it's as obvious to you as it is to me that St. Leo the Great was not only a great Saint but a great person.

Bibliography:
"St. Leo the Great." //- Saints & Angels//. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
 * This is a very well respected site. It's recognized by the church for its credibility.