CROS, LEONARD. - Jesuit, b. at Vabres (Aveyron) on 31 Oct. 1831, d. at Vitoria (Spain) on 17 Jan. 1913. He devoted his entire life to the spiritual direction of young people, to various priestly ministries, and to literary publications in the houses of Bordeaux, Toulouse, Pau, Castres, and Vitoria; and he earned great merit, above all, for his tenacious campaign in favor of early Communion for children and frequent Communion.
Among the numerous religious writings of C., we mention only: *Le cœur de se 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 the historical or more strictly hagiographical terrain, he began with biographies intended 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* (1874). Soon he wished to limit himself to the research and transcription of archival documents relating to the history of the Society of Jesus and its saints, and in this he displayed remarkable sagacity and diligence. He published: *St Jean François Régis. 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 documentation. C. also made an interesting personal contribution to the history of the apparitions at 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 especially 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).