On Saturday, 31st October 2020, Rev. Fr Mario Attard OFMCap, and Rev. Papàs Martin Zammit of the Greek-Catholic church, met at the chapel of Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre (SAMOC) to venerate the holy relic of St Leopoldo Mandić, the patron saint of those suffering from cancer. The holy relic has been recently acquired for the chapel of SAMOC on the initiative of Fr Mario. St Leopoldo was born into a Croatian Catholic family in Castelnuovo di Cattaro (the present day Herceg-Novi in Montenegro) in 1866 and died in 1942. Since 1887 he had felt himself “called” to promote the union of Eastern Christians, separated as they were from the Latin Catholic Church. He hoped to return to his native land as a missionary, in pursuit of the ecumenical ideal, but his superiors did not grant his request, due to his frail physical condition. He spent the rest of his life praying for the healing of the divisions among Christians. May we all keep alive St Leopoldo’s spirit of reconciliation, and constantly strive to heal the rifts dividing Christ’s mystical body, His Church. O Saint of God, intercede for us Christians, and reconcile us to each other.
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