St. Laurence

Saint Laurence

Deacon & Martyr

Laurence was a Spaniard, and a protégé of the future pope St. Sixtus II. Pope Sixtus made Lawrence his archdeacon, and placed him in charge of the Church’s treasury. In the year of Our Lord 258, the Emperor had Sixtus and other clergy arrested and condemned to death. As Sixtus was led to his martyrdom, Laurence wept that he was not to die alongside his Holy Father. Sixtus reassured his deacon that he would follow the pope in martyrdom three days hence, and urged Laurence to distribute the Church’s treasures amongst the poor so that they would not be seized by the authorities. When the prefect of Rome demanded Laurence turn over the treasury, Lawrence arrived with a great crowd of the city’s poor, declaring “here are the riches of the Church.” The furious prefect ordered Lawrence bound and thrown onto a great gridiron over a slow fire. After suffering this torture for some time, the holy deacon serenely told his executioners, “You may turn me over, for I am done on this side.” Laurence died praying for the conversion of Rome, and ever since he has been a great patron of that city, and of all deacons. It has been said that because he had a sense of humor, Lawrence is a patron of comedians, and because the Church has a sense of humor, Lawrence is also a patron of cooks.

Traditional Roman Martyrology for August 10th

AT Rome, on the Tiburtine road, the birthday [into heaven] of the blessed archdeacon Lawrence, a martyr during the persecution of Valerian. After much suffering from imprisonment, from scourging with whips set with iron or lead, from hot metal plates, he at last completed his martyrdom by being slowly consumed on an iron instrument made in the form of a gridiron. His body was buried by blessed Hippolytus and the priest Justin in the cemetery of Cyriaca, in the Veran field.

Also, at Rome, the martyrdom of one hundred and sixty-five holy martyrs, who were soldiers under the emperor Aurelian.

At Bergamo, St. Asteria, virgin and martyr, in the persecution of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian.

At Alexandria, the commemoration of the holy martyrs, in the persecution of Valerian, under the governor Emilian. They were a long time subjected to various excruciating torments, and won the crown of martyrdom by different kinds of deaths.

At Carthage, the holy virgins and martyrs Bassa, Paula, and Agathonica.

At Rome, the holy confessor Deusdedit, a laboring man, who gave to the poor every Saturday what he had earned during the week.

In Spain, the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the name of our Lady of Ransom, foundress of the Order for the Redemption of Captives.

℣. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.

℟. Thanks be to God.