Saint Lawrence

[Written for the parish bulletin. The image is from the fresco behind the altar of San Lorenzo in Panisperna Church in Rome]

Today, August 10th, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr. In the year 258 the Roman Emperor Valerian led a persecution of Christian leaders putting to death Pope Sixtus II along with his seven deacon assistants, Saint Lawrence among them. As deacon he was in charge of the temporal goods of the Church and oversaw the care for the poor and needy in one of Rome’s quarters.

Lawrence is one of the patron saints of Rome and has been a popular saint throughout the centuries. Many stories have survived about his martyrdom. It is said that Roman authorities commanded Lawrence to surrender all the treasures of the Church in three days. Lawrence gathered all the sick, poor and old of the community and took them to the authorities saying “here are the treasures of the Church.” Enraged, the Roman prefect ordered Lawrence to be burnt alive on a gridiron. It is said that as he lay on it, he told his executioner, “turn me over, I’m done on this side.”

Lawrence is always depicted in art holding a gridiron and is the patron saint of cooks and chefs (since he did die on a grill!). Many churches stand in Rome today as remembrances of his witness to Christ. One where he is buried, Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, one where he was executed, Saint Lawrence in Panisperna, and one where the gridiron is kept, Saint Lawrence in Lucina.

May the witness of Saint Lawrence be for us a source of strength to always remain faithful to Christ!