St. Leopold Mandić

Bogdan Ivan Mandić was born May 12, 1866 in a coastal town of modern-day Montenegro (then the Austrian Empire). He was the 12th child of an owner of a fishing fleet. The family was ethnically Croat and from a noble family, through over time they lost their wealth. Bogdan was a sickly and malformed child, growing to only about 4’5”. He had a clumsy walk and a stutter. But that did not stop him from pursuing his education and dreams of becoming a priest.

There were Capuchin friars serving the community, and when Bogdan was 16, he went to Italy to study and join their order. After two years, he was admitted into the novitiate and given the name Leopold. He continued his studies in Padua and Venice.

In 1890 he was ordained to the priesthood. He served in areas around northern Italy and Croatia as well as taught seminarians. In 1906 he was assigned to the friary in Padua where he spent the rest of his life. He was known as a sympathetic and compassionate confessor. He was also known for his work setting up orphanages and visiting the sick in the community.

St. Florian

Florian was born in Roman-occupied present-day Austria around 250. As a young man he joined the Roman army and advanced quickly, becoming the commander of the army in the province of Noricum (modern Austria and part of Slovenia). In additional to other duties, he organized firefighting brigades.

During this time was Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. When word reached Rome that Florian was not enforcing the persecutions in his province, he was put under investigation. He was ordered to sacrifice to the Roman gods and refused. He was scourged and sentenced to be burned at the stake.

It is said that at the pyre, Florian said, “If you wish to know that I am not afraid of your torture, light the fire, and in the name of the Lord I will climb onto it.” The soldiers in charge of the execution then decided instead of burning him to drown him in the Enns River near the Danube with a millstone around his neck.

Take Time Off and Smell the Flowers

Today is May 1, May Day. In Europe, May Day began as a spring festival celebrating the coming of summer at the period between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. The Romans would celebrate Flora, the goddess of flowers. May Day celebrations usually include flowers, wheat, outdoor activities, and dancing. Festivals may include the crowning of a “May Queen,” a young girl who personified the season of youth and growth.

In the Church, the month of May is dedicated to Mary. The May Crowning involves creating flower crowns or garlands and placing them on a statue of the Blessed Virgin. Mary bares the title Queen of Heaven; she is also the Mother of the Church (celebrated this month). But these are not stars or crowns of gold. These springtime crowns represent her steadfast faith, attainable for any who follow Christ: the “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8), the “crown of life” (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10), and the “crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4).

There is a more recent understanding of May Day as well. Through the labor movement in the nineteenth century, particularly the Haymarket strike massacre, May Day has become International Workers’ Day. It has been used as a day for public protests and demonstrations around the world as well as parades and military displays in communist countries.