St. Lawrence
Feast 08-10
Patron of
About
Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of Rome, entrusted with the care of the Church's treasury and the distribution of alms to the poor. During the persecution of Emperor Valerian in 258, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence hand over the Church's riches.
Lawrence asked for three days to gather them, then presented the poor, the crippled, and the blind, saying, "These are the treasure of the Church." For this defiance he was martyred, tradition says, by being roasted alive on a gridiron. According to legend he told his executioners, "Turn me over; I am done on this side."
Lawrence is one of the most venerated martyrs of the early Church, and his name appears in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Because of the manner of his death, he is the patron saint of cooks, chefs, and comedians, and his feast is celebrated on August 10.
Suggested prayer
O God, who gave St. Lawrence courage to present the poor as the treasure of the Church and to endure the gridiron with holy humor, grant through his intercession that cooks and all who serve may share his courage and charity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
