CROS, LÉONARD. - Jesuit, b. at Vabres (Aveyron) on 31 Oct. 1831, d. at Vitoria (Spain) on 17 Jan. 1913. He devoted his whole life to the spiritual direction of young people, to the various priestly ministries and to literary publications, in the houses of Bordeaux, Toulouse, Pau, Castres and Vitoria; and he acquired great merits, first of all, for his ceaseless campaign in favor of the early Communion of children and frequent Communion.
Among C.'s numerous religious writings, only the following are cited: Le cœur de la Gertrude, ou un cœur selon le cœur de Jésus (Toulouse 1869; Italian trans., Turin 1930); Le confesseur de l'enfance et de la jeunesse (Toulouse 1877); Enfants à la S. Table, Difficultés d'écoliers (Brussels 1911).
On historical or more strictly hagiographical ground, he made his debut with biographies for practical purposes: Vie du b. Jean Berchmans (Toulouse 1870, often reprinted; Italian trans., Turin 1921); Vie intime de St Louis (Toulouse 1871); Les vrais enseignements de s. Louis à son fils (ibid. 1874). He soon wished to limit himself to the research and transcription of archival documents relating to the history of the Society of Jesus and of its saints, and in this he displayed extraordinary sagacity and application. He gave to the press: St Jean François Régis. Son pays, sa famille, sa vie. Documents nouveaux (Toulouse 1894); St François Xavier. Son pays, sa famille, sa vie. Documents nouveaux. Première série (ibid. 1894); St François Xavier. Sa vie et ses lettres (2 vols., Paris 1900). For the following researches (on St. Ignatius of Loyola, Bl. Peter Faber, St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, etc.) he left behind a very rich body of documentation. C. also made an interesting personal contribution to the history of the apparitions of Lourdes: Notre-Dame de Lourdes. Récits et mystères (Toulouse 1892; 2nd ed. 1901); N.-D. de Lourdes. Le réel divin des apparitions (Paris 1892); and principally the posthumous works: N.-D. de Lourdes et Bernadette (Toulouse 1925); Histoire de N.-D. de Lourdes d'après les documents et les témoins (3 vols., Paris 1925-27).