St. Leo the Great

St. Leo the Great was born to a noble family in Tuscany, Italy, circa 400. This priest led the church as pope from 440-461, during Attila the Hun’s invasion. When Attila was invading Rome, Leo greeted him and asked for leave. As Leo was speaking, Attila had a vision of a man carrying a sword; the man said he would kill him if he did not listen to Pope Leo. Some believe that the man in the vision was St. Peter because St. Leo had a devotion to him. St. Leo called the Council of Chalcedon to condemn heresies. This saint wrote sermons to encourage Christians, and some of these sermons are still intact. He died in Rome in 461 and was proclaimed a doctor of the church in 1574.