BLESSED LEO OF ASSISI. - Born in the last decades of the 13th century, died in 1271. An intimate and faithful companion of St Francis, who called him “God’s little sheep” for the simplicity and innocence of his life, Fr Leo—perhaps already a priest—embraced the Franciscan life at the very beginning. He was not, however, among the first twelve companions of the Saint, who chose him as his confessor and often also as his secretary and confidant.
For him St Francis wrote the autograph blessing still preserved in the basilica of the Saint at Assisi, the Praises of the Lord, and a letter. After the Saint’s death, he too suffered at the hands of Fr Elias. He later lived in small hermitages. In 1243 he was certainly at Greccio, where he signed the dedicatory letter of the famous Legenda trium sociorum (written by him and the other companions of St Francis, Fr Angelo and Fr Rufino) addressed to the Minister General, Fr Crescenzio da Jesi.
It is difficult to determine the strictly Leonine element in the various versions and reworkings that his memoirs underwent through successive compilers, especially in the Speculum perfectionis. His writings were often appealed to by the Franciscan Spirituals at the beginning of the 14th century. He certainly wrote a life of Fr Giles (v.): it is not known whether his two short works Verba s. Francisci and De intentione Regulae s. Francisci formed part of a larger work.
The name of Fr Leo is especially well known for the famous dialogue on perfect joy contained in ch. VIII of the Fioretti of St Francis.