17
17
0
On August 10, 258, Saint Lawrence, Christian martyr, was burned to death. It is purported that he told a joke during his martyrdom. He is the patron saint of cooks and comedians among others. From the article:
"Saint of the Day for August 10
(c. 225 – August 10, 258)
Saint Lawrence’s Story
The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly.
He was a Roman deacon under Pope Saint Sixtus II. Four days after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom, probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian.
Legendary details of Lawrence’s death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. The church built over his tomb became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages.
A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels of the altar to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”
Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”
The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”
Reflection
Once again we have a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one who has received extraordinary honor in the Church since the fourth century. Almost nothing—yet the greatest fact of his life is certain: He died for Christ. We who are hungry for details about the lives of the saints are again reminded that their holiness was after all, a total response to Christ, expressed perfectly by a death like this."
"Saint of the Day for August 10
(c. 225 – August 10, 258)
Saint Lawrence’s Story
The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly.
He was a Roman deacon under Pope Saint Sixtus II. Four days after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom, probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian.
Legendary details of Lawrence’s death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. The church built over his tomb became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages.
A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels of the altar to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”
Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”
The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”
Reflection
Once again we have a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one who has received extraordinary honor in the Church since the fourth century. Almost nothing—yet the greatest fact of his life is certain: He died for Christ. We who are hungry for details about the lives of the saints are again reminded that their holiness was after all, a total response to Christ, expressed perfectly by a death like this."
Saint Lawrence
Posted from franciscanmedia.org
World History
Ancient History
Death Penalty
Christianity
Religion
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 9
9
9
0
9
9
0
A very interesting share.
P.S. I don’t believe there is a relationship, but my ancestry is not complete at this time.
P.S. I don’t believe there is a relationship, but my ancestry is not complete at this time.
(9)
(0)
7
7
0
Saint Lawrence Deacon of Fortitude who Valued His Flock & 4 Great Miracles - Feast August 10th
Saint Lawrence Deacon of Fortitude who Valued His Flock - 4 Great Miracles Feast August 10th Annually Links - 1) http://orthodoxchristian.blogspot.com/2004/0...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that Saint Lawrence was burned to death on August 10, 258.
Saint Lawrence Deacon of Fortitude who Valued His Flock & 4 Great Miracles - Feast August 10th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnICVg6J_HY
Image:
1. Jacopo Palma the Younger, The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence,
2. Mausoleum of Gallia Placidia, is a wonderful mosaic of St. Lawrence.
3. St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church by Bernardo Strozzi
4. The Martyrdom of St Lawrence by Orazio Borgianni
Biographies
1. sspx.org/en/news-events/news/st-lawrence-shrine-included-fatima-pilgrimage
2. Vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_19022000_slaw_en.html
1. Background from {{https://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/st-lawrence-shrine-included-fatima-pilgrimage]}
Fatima is the destination for this pilgrimage, but will also visit Huesca, St. Lawrence's birthplace. Learn more while there is time to join!
At the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, in the northern province of Aragon in Spain, lies its historic capital, Huesca, which boasts the privilege of being birthplace of two great martyrs and deacons: St. Lawrence and St. Vincent.
During the pilgrimage “Fatima to Lourdes via Catholic Shrines of Spain,” which is scheduled for August 17-28, 2017, pilgrims will not only visit the churches built in Huesca where St. Lawrence and St. Vincent were born, they will also pray before the relics of St. Valerius in Zaragoza’s Cathedral.
This 12-day pilgrimage also includes three days in Fatima to participate in the official SSPX festivities for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children. A few seats are still available. For more information on this pilgrimage, please visit their site or contact Regina Pilgrimages at [login to see] .
St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Tradition tells us that St. Lawrence was born of Orentius and Patientia, both martyrs, in the city of Huesca, Spain. In the year 257, St. Lawrence was appointed by Pope St. Sixtus II as the first of the seven deacons who served in the patriarchal church of Rome. He was the most important of the deacons, entrusted with the treasury and riches of the Church and with the distribution of alms among the poor.
The following year, the Emperor Valerian issued an edict ordering the immediate death of all bishops, priests, and deacons. Pope St. Sixtus II was captured and beheaded on August 6, 258 with the other six deacons. Tradition says that St. Lawrence met him on his way to martyrdom and said, “Father, where are you going without your deacon?” And the pope answered, “I am not leaving you, my son, in three days you will follow me.”
With the death of Pope Sixtus II, the prefect of Rome summoned St. Lawrence and demanded that he turn over the riches of the Church. St. Lawrence asked for three days to gather them, and during this time, he worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, in order to prevent its being seized by the prefect. He then invited all the poor, lame, beggars, orphans, widows, elderly, blind, and lepers whom he assisted, and on the third day, he appeared before the prefect. He presented to him the poor and the sick he had congregated and said, “This is the Church’s treasure!” This infuriated the greedy pagan who sentenced him to a slow, cruel death by roasting on a gridiron.
The slow fire roasted his flesh little by little, but St. Lawrence’s love for God burned stronger still. And in the midst of his atrocious sufferings, by the strength of God’s grace, he managed to say, “Turn me over. I am done on this side.” He prayed and offered his sufferings for the conversion of Rome and for the spreading of the Catholic Faith throughout the world. Just before he died, St. Lawrence said, “It is cooked enough now.” Thus he entered into the glory of heaven, rejoining the other six deacons and Pope St. Sixtus II who had preceded him in martyrdom. Several senators who were present at his death were so powerfully moved by his heroic fortitude and piety that they became Christians on the spot. These noblemen took the martyr’s body and gave it an honorable burial in the Veran field, near the road to Tivoli, on the 10th of August, 258. Within 50 years of his martyrdom, the Christian Emperor Constantine had a patriarchal church built over his tomb, the site now known as the Basilica of St. Lawrence-Outside-the-Walls, where his relics can be venerated today.
St. Lawrence is one of the most widely venerated saints of the Catholic Church. He is one of the patrons of Rome, where one finds two basilicas and many churches dedicated to him. In Huesca, where his family home once stood, now stands a Basilica built in his honor and which houses relics of St. Lawrence, including one of his fingers. His feast day is August 10 and he is the patron saint of firefighters, cooks, comedians, librarians, and students.
The Holy Grail & St. Lawrence
Tradition tells us that amongst the treasures of the Church entrusted to St. Lawrence was the Holy Grail, the chalice used by Our Lord at the Last Supper. To protect this precious relic from the prefect of Rome, St. Lawrence entrusted it to a friend, the Spanish soldier Proselius, whom he knew would travel back to Huesca and asked him to give to his parents for safe keeping.
In turn, St. Lawrence’s family sent the Holy Chalice to the monastery of San Juan de la Peña (north of Huesca) for preservation and veneration. In 1399, the relic was handed over to the King of Aragon, Martin “The Human” who kept it in the Royal Palace of Zaragoza and then in the Royal Palace of Barcelona in 1410 when he died. Towards 1424, his successor King Alfonso the Magnanimous kept it in the Valencia Palace. Because of his stay in Naples, it was given with the rest of the royal relics to the Valencia Cathedral in 1437.
Since the 15th century, the Holy Grail has been kept and venerated in the Cathedral of Valencia and it was carried during the procession of Holy Thursday up to the 18th century. During the Napoleonic Wars, between 1809 and 1813, the chalice was taken to Alicante, Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca, escaping from Napoleonic invaders. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), it was hidden in the city of Carlet, south of Valencia.
Today, traditions tell us the Holy Grail is located and venerated in a special chapel in the cathedral of Valencia in Spain.
Prayer to St. Lawrence
O glorious St. Lawrence, Martyr and Deacon, who, being subjected to the most bitter torments, didst not lose thy faith nor thy constancy in confessing Jesus Christ, obtain in like manner for us such an active and solid faith, that we shall never be ashamed to be true followers of Jesus Christ, and fervent Christians in word and in deed. Amen.'
2. Background from {[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_19022000_slaw_en.html]}
ST LAWRENCE
PROTO-DEACON OF THE ROMAN CHURCH
Fr. Francesco Moraglia; Professor of Dogmatic Theology
Genua
The history of the Church has transmitted to us several accounts of the great Bishops and Priests who have illuminated the profound mystery of the Ordained ministry at a pastoral and theological level. Among the Bishop we remember Ireneus of Lyons, Augustine Winfried, Boniface, Barolomeo Las Casas and Ildefonso Schuster. In the present age priests such as Philip Neri, John Mary Vianney, Don Bosco, Peter Chanel and Maximillian Kolbe have been significant figures. The ministry of Deacons also becomes more clear when seen in the light of the great deacons of the Church's history. An example is St Lawrence, Martyr and Porto-Deacon of the Roman Church. Together with St Stephen and St Philip, Lawrence must certainly be one of the most renowned Deacons of antiquity.
In the West, the diaconate, considered as a permanent ministry in itself, and not just oriented towards the Priesthood, was less frequent by the fifth century. Up to that time it had been a flourishing institution but by the beginning of the fifth century, largely because of greater involvement of priests in the pastoral ministry, the first grade of Holy Orders was largely reduced to the role of an access to the successive grade of the Priesthood. It is therefore easy to understand why the Diaconate became restricted, indeed almost fossilized at the level of theological reflection and pastoral practice.
In the sixteenth century, the Council of Trent attempted to respond to this situation but we had to await the Second Vatican Council and the middle of the twentieth century to see the restoration of the diaconate "as a proper and permanent grade of the hierarchy...". Immediately following this affirmation article 29 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium states "Should the roman Pontiff think fit, it will be possible to confer this diaconal order even upon married men, provided thy be of more mature age, and also on suitable young men, for whom, however, the law of celibacy must remain in force." In his Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem (8 June 1967) Pope Paul VI reiterates that the diaconate "is not to be considered as a mere step towards the priesthood, but it is so adorned with its own indelible character and its own special grace so that those who are called to it 'can permanently serve the mysteries of Christ and the Church'" (EV, 2/1369).
The fact also that the diaconate in the Latin Church did not have a permanent form for some fifteen centuries would suggest a certain need to make up for lost time on the level of theological reflection and pastoral practice by means of a wide ranging reflection on the part of the entire ecclesial community. The permanent Diaconate indeed constitutes an important enrichment for the Church's mission.
Clearly, the restoration of the permanent Diaconate, desired authoritatively by the last Council, can only come about in harmony with the Church's venerable tradition. Particularly important in this respect is the joint declaration of 22 February 1988 made by the Congregation for the Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy which prefaces the Basic norms for the formation of permanent deacons and the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests. This declaration serves as a clarification and can be taken as an orientation for the future. It says: "The total reality of the Diaconate — embracing its fundamental doctrinal vision, discernment of vocation, as well as the life, ministry, spirituality and formation of deacons — calls for a review of the journey thus far made, so as to arrive at a global vision of this grade of Sacred Orders corresponding to the desire and intention of the Second Vatican Council" (Basic norms for the formation of permanent deacons - Directory for the ministry and life of permanent deacons. Vatican City 1998, pg. 7).
Returning to what we have said about the great Bishops, Priests and Deacons who have illustrated and marked the ordained ministry, thereby winning for it a profound understanding, it is logical that we should turn the figure of Lawrence, whose personal experience forces us to re-examine the first grade of the ordained ministry, which, because of the aforementioned historical factors, still awaits full appreciation and acceptance. New emphasis is required to be given to the re-discovery of the diaconal ministry understood as a permanent ministry which can express itself with greater fruitfulness in the life of the Church.
The personal adventures of Lawrence, Proto Deacon of the Roman Church, come down to us trough an ancient tradition, already widely known by the fourth century. This tradition, accepted by the Church, is also to be found in the liturgical texts. The most notable events of Lawrence's life are described particularly well in the Passio Polychromi of which we have three version (dating from the fifth to the seventh centuries). It is a fact that this account of Lawrence contains elements of legend, although some of the information contained in the Passio were known to earlier writers such as St Ambrose, which is clear from his De Officiis (cf PL XVL, 89-92).
In our efforts to amplify the few details of Lawrence's life, let us begin with those preserved for the feast of his Martyrdom (10 August) in the Depositio Martyrm which dates from 354 A.D.. According to the Roman Missal "Lawrence, the renowned Deacon of the Roman Church, confirmed his service of charity by martyrdom under Valerian (258), four days after the decapitation of Pope Sixtus II. According to a tradition widely diffused by the fourth century, he patiently sustained a terrible martyrdom on the grid-iron, having distributed the goods of the community to the poor whom he regarded as the true treasure of the Church". These notes end by recalling that Lawrence's martyrdom is also mentioned in the Roman Canon. Thus the Church in her official liturgical texts takes to herself what tradition, even in its differing internal versions, hands down concerning Lawrence. It is not our intention to enter into the merits of a number of contemporary hypotheses advanced by recent historical criticism which tend to place the martyrdom of Lawrence at the beginning of the third century and which present a figure substantially different from the traditional one. For example, Lawrence was Spanish rather than Roman. On this specific point it should be recalled that the Praefatio Mensae of the twelfth century Leonine Sacramentary tells us that Lawrence was a civis Romanus. Paolo Toschi, however, notes with regard to these recent studies that they "do not a priori eliminate the possibility of a true and proper tradition existing in Rome. St Ambrose, with obvious rhetorical embellishments, retells the tragic capture and death by fire of Lawrence. We know this sentence was inflicted on Fruttoso and on the deacons Eulogius and Augurius of Tarragona during the reign of Valerian. Moreover, the word "animadvertere" used in the decree of presentation in the redaction of Cyprian can also refer to forms of capital execution other than "decollation" (cf Bibliotheca Sanctorum, 1539). Here we shall accept the traditional date for the Martyrdom of Lawrence as transmitted to us in the liturgical texts, and limit ourselves to stating it in a more articulate manner.
Lawrence is believed to have been born in Spain, at Osca, a town in Aragon, near the foot of the Pyrenees. As a youth he was sent to Saragoza to complete his humanistic and theological studies. It was here that he first encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin. He was a teacher in what was then one of the most renowned centres of learning. The future Pope was one of the most famous and esteemed teachers.
Lawrence, who would subsequently become the head of the deacons of the Roman Church, was remarkable for his human qualities, his subtlety of mind and for his intelligence. Between master and disciple a communion of life and friendship grew. With the passage of time a love for Rome, the centre of Christianity and seat of the Vicar of Christ was consolidated and grew stronger in both. Eventually, following a migratory wave which was then very pronounced, both left Spain for the City where the Apostle Peter had established his See and given supreme witness. Thus Master and disciple were able to realize their ideal of evangelization and missionary activity to the point of shedding their blood, in Rome, the heart of Christianity. Sixtus was raised to the Chair of Peter and began a pontificate that would last for less than a year. Without hesitation, he desired to have Lawrence, his friend and disciple, at his side so as to entrust to him the important office of proto-deacon. Both sealed their life of communion and friendship by dying at the hands of the same persecutor, a few days apart from each other. St Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, preserves an account of the death of St Sixtus in one of his letters. Commenting on the situation of great uncertainty and unease in which the Church found herself because of increasing hostility towards Christians, he notes: "The Emperor Valerian has consigned to the Senate a decree by which he has determined that all Bishops, Priests and Deacons will be immediately put to death". Cyprian then continues: "I communicate to you that Sixtus suffered martyrdom on 6 August together with four Deacons while they were in a cemetery. The Roman authorities have established a norm according to which all Christians who have been denounced must be executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury" (CSEL 3, 839-840).
The cemetery to which the holy Bishop of Carthage alludes is that of St Callixtus. Sixtus was captured here while celebrating the Sacred Liturgy. His remains were entered in the cemetery of St. Calixtus after his martyrdom.
In his De Officiis (1, 41, 205-207) we have Ambrose's particularly eloquent account of the martyrdom of St Lawrence. It was subsequently taken up by Prudentius and by St Augustine. Hence it passes to Maximus of Turin, St Peter Chrisologus and to Leo the Great before emerging again in some of the formularies of the Roman Sacramentals, the Missale Gothicumm and in the Caerimoniale Visigoticum (Bibliotheca Sanctorum, .....1538-1539).
Ambrose dwells, firstly, on the encounter and dialogue of Lawrence and Sixtus. He alludes to the distribution of the Church's goods to the poor and ends by mentioning the grid-iron, the instrument of Lawrence's torture, and remarks on the phrase which the proto-Deacon of the Roman Church addresses to his torturers: "assum est...versa et manduca" (cf. Bibliotheca Sanctorum ...., col 1538-1539).
We shall dwell on the Ambrosian text of the De Officiis (Cap. 41,nn. 205-206-207), which is very moving in its intensity and strength of expression. Thus writes St Ambrose:
"St Lawrence wept when he saw his Bishop, Sixtus, led out to his martyrdom. He wept not because he was being let out to die but because he would survive Sixtus. He cried out to him in a loud voice: 'Where are you going Father, without your son? Where do you hasten to, holy Bishop, without your Deacon? You cannot offer sacrifice without a minister. Father, are you displeased with something in me? Do you think me unworthy? Show us a sign that you have found a worthy minister. Do you not wish that he to whom you gave the Lord's blood and with whom you have shared the sacred mysteries should spill his own blood with you? Beware that in your praise your own judgment should not falter. Despise the pupil and shame the Master. Do not forget that great and famous men are victorious more in the deeds of their disciples than in their own. Abraham made sacrifice of his own son, Peter instead sent Stephen. Father, show us your own strength in your sons; sacrifice him whom you have raised, to attain eternal reward in that glorious company, secure in your judgment".
In reply Sixtus says: "I will not leave you, I will not abandon you my son. More difficult trials are kept for you. A shorter race is set for us who are older. For you who are young a more glorious triumph over tyranny is reserved. Soon, you will see, cry no more, after three days you will follow me. It is fitting that such an interval should be set between Bishop and Levite. It would not have been fitting for you to die under the guidance of a martyr, as though you needed help from him. Why do want to share in my martyrdom? I leave its entire inheritance to you. Why do need me present? The weak pupil precedes the master, the strong, who have no further need of instruction, follow and conquer without him. Thus Elijah left Elisha. I entrust the success of my strength to you".
This was the contest between them which was worthy of a Bishop and of a Deacon: who would be the first to die for Christ (It is said that in tragedy, the spectators would burst into applause when Pilade said he was Orestes and when Orestes himself declared that he was Orestes) the one who would be killed instead of Orestes, and when Orestes prevented Pilades from being killed in place of himself. Neither of these deserved to live for both were guilty of patricide. One because he had killed his father, the other because he had been an accomplice in patricide.) In the case of Lawrence, nothing urged him to offer himself as a victim but the desire to be a holocaust for Christ. Three days after the death of Sixtus, while the terror raged, Lawrence would be burned on the grid-iron: "This side is done, turn and eat". With such strength of soul he conquered the flames of the fire" (Ambrose, De Officiis).
According to Ambrose, the Deacon is one who:
1. having been sacramentally constituted in the service of offering (diakonia), lives his diaconal ministry giving supreme witness to Christ in martyrdom - the theological meaning of the service of charity by acceptance of that greater love or charity which is martyrdom;
2. in virtue of the structural link which binds him to the Bishop (the first stage of Orders), lives "ecclesial communion" by specific service to the Bishop, beginning with the Eucharist and in reference to the Eucharist;
3. in virtue of the Sacrament (that is, to the extent tat he is rooted in the first grade of Orders), devotes himself totally to the service of an integral charity and not merely to a human or social solidarity, and thereby manifests the most characteristic element of the diaconia.
Let us now examine these characteristics starting with:
1. The Deacon is one who having been sacramentally constituted in the service of offering (diakonia), lives his diaconal ministry giving supreme witness to Christ in martyrdom - the theological meaning of the service of charity by acceptance of that greater love or charity which is martyrdom.
The principle characteristic defining the Deacon in se, and his ministry, is that he is ordained for the service of charity. Martyrdom, which is a witness to the point of shedding one's blood, must be considered an expression of greater love or charity. It is service to a charity that knows no limits. The ministry of charity in which the Deacon is deputed by ordination is not limited to service at table, or indeed to what former catechetical terminology called corporal works of mercy, nor to the spiritual works of mercy. The diaconal service of charity must include imitation of Christ by means of unconditional self-giving since he is the fruitful witness ...... (cf Ap 1, 5:13; 14).
In the case of Lawrence, as St Ambrose explains, "no other desire urged him but that of offering himself to the Lord as a holocaust" (de Officiis, 1,41, n. 207). By means of the witness borne before his persecutors, it is evident that the diaconal ministry is not to be equated with that of service to one's neighbour, understood or reduced solely to their material needs. Lawrence, in that act which expresses a greater love for Christ and which leads to his giving up his own life, also permits his tormentors, in a certain sense, to experience the Incarnate Word who, in the end, is the personal and common destiny of all mankind. This is a theological service of charity to which every Deacon must tend or, at least, be disposed to accept.
This does not mean that in his ministry the Deacon gives exhaustive witness to charity which is, and always remains, the vocation and mission of the Church. Rather it means that, in virtue of Ordination, the Deacon in a specific sacramental way, bears in himself the "forma Christi" for the service of charity. It implies a "ministerial exercise" of charity which is done for Christ and the brethren. It can reach the point of demanding the complete giving of self...the point of sacrificing one's life. Thus the words addressed to Sixtus by Lawrence are perfectly clear: "Abraham made sacrifice of his own son, Peter instead sent Stephen. Father, show us your own strength in your sons; sacrifice him whom you have raised, to attain eternal reward in that glorious company, secure in your judgment" (De Officiis 1, 41, n. 205.
It should be mentioned however, that this witness to greater charity/love by those ordained for the service of charity does not exempt the Church as Spouse from giving herself to Christ in the gift of martyrdom through which is made manifest the absolute value and the unbreakable union of truth and charity in the Lord's disciples. In martyrdom this is made manifest beyond any form of ambiguity or reticence (cf I Cor 13, 4-5; Phil 4, 15). Here it is useful to recall article 42 of Lumen Gentium: "Martyrdom makes the disciple like his master, who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world, and through it he is conformed to him by the shedding of blood. Therefore the Church considers it the highest gift and supreme test of love. And while it is given to few, all however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the cross amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks".
Notwithstanding the universal call to heroic charity, one fact is incontrovertible: there is a specific "ordained ministry" in the Church which is an ordained ministry of men who are sacramentally constituted for the service of charity.
2. The Deacon, in virtue of the structural link which binds him to the Bishop (the first stage of Orders), lives "ecclesial communion" by specific service to the Bishop, beginning with the Eucharist and in reference to the Eucharist.
This is another characteristic which emerges from the exchange between Sixtus and Lawrence in the cemetery of St Calixtus. It clearly emphasises that it is the sacramental bond which unites the Deacon with the Bishop. It underlines that the Deacon is a "man of communion", precisely through a specific service to the Bishop. This service, then, is realized concretely in faithfully discharging what is required of him, in ecclesial needs and urgencies, by the Bishop, in virtue of the fullness of the priesthood and the government of the Church, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, which is entrusted to him.
In the diaconal ministry, everything revolves around the altar, since in the Church, everything, beginning with charity, has its origin in the Most Holy Eucharist. This point is especially important for Ambrose's account of the martyrdom of Lawrence. ... (De Officiis 1,41, n.205).
The communion and affection between Bishop and Deacon which are manifest in a common dependence and in a common link with the Eucharist, expresses a profoundly theological vision of the Church, surpassing concepts which abuse or reduce the Church as Spouse to the merely political or sociological or which equiparate her to one of many human institutions. It is therefore necessary to free oneself of every secular or secularizing outlook which leads ultimately to loss or compromise of the meaning and regenerating power of the Mystery. There is a risk of seeing in the Pope and the Bishops, as well as in Priests and Deacons as just so many steps in an infinite bureaucracy, similar in many respects to the civil service, whose only competence is to oversee a not too clearly defined general public order.
The encounter between Sixtus and Lawrence invites us, should such be necessary, to reject such a vision and to re-discover in the heart of the institutional Church -which is always indispensable- and in ecclesial structures -which are necessary instruments, the living and infinite reality of grace which animates them and which invites us to re-discover the theological link which binds them to Christ, the One, True, Bishop, Priest and Deacon. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (Phil 1,1) and in his first letter to Timothy (3, 1-3) already associates Bishop and Deacon. This close bond is subsequently attested to in the "Traditio Apostolica" (beginning of the third century, Hippolytus of Rome ?) which defines the grace given to the Deacon at Ordination as "a simple service to the Bishop", without the priesthood. The mid-third century "Didascalia Apostolorum" describes the Deacon as the "servant of the Bishop and of the poor".
Finally, the structural relationship between Deacon and Bishop is clearly expressed in to-day's liturgy of Ordination. The ceremony, in contrast with that for the Ordination of Bishops and Priests, reserves the imposition of hands to the Ordaining Bishop alone, precisely to highlight this characteristic, singular bond linking Bishop and Deacon.
3. The Deacon, in virtue of the Sacrament (that is, to the extent that he is rooted in the first grade of Orders), devotes himself totally to the service of an integral charity and not merely to a human or social solidarity, and thereby manifests the most characteristic element of the diaconia.
Ambrose's account of the martyrdom of Lawrence portrays Lawrence as one who, in virtue of the Sacrament received, is totally dedicated to the service of charity in the specific context of third century Imperial Rome, in the throws of violent persecution. In this situation, Lawrence is called to concrete action before the ecclesial community and before the world. These actions would be transformed into signs of God's love and charity, from which all things derive and to which all things return. By this service the Deacon expresses the characteristic ministry of his diaconia which consists in the service of charity, in accord with a sacramental mandate. His is an animation which affects the Church or areas of Catholic life which is truly catholic in character (katalon= the totality without exclusion). His service aspires to the totality of mankind without exception. Its content is a good which responds to all the expectations of man's soul, mind and body (cf 1Thes 5, 23). It eschews all partiality and interest groups.
The Ambrosian account of Lawrence's martyrdom also contains a useful allusion for our reflection: Sixtus, already a prisoner, entrusts the entire Church to the first of his Deacons, Lawrence, for a period that would last for three days. "A shorter race is set for us who are older. For you who are young a more glorious triumph over tyranny is reserved. Soon, you will see, cry no more, after three days you will follow me. It is fitting that such an interval should be set between Bishop and Levite" (De Officiis, n.206).
In a spirit of service and obedience to his Bishop - who had been definitively taken from his people - Lawrence, as Deacon, would guide the Church for three days, and for the last time would administer the goods of the Bride of Christ. This he would do in a manner which, in itself, would have significance. It would show how , in the Church, everything is oriented and consummated by values which begin with charity and with realities which are destined to remain, even when this world has passed away (cf Cor 13,8).
For those who look on this reality from the outside or merely superficially, all this seems exclusively bound up with material needs and with the present. It would appear solely to be no more than the distribution of material goods to the poor. In reality, however, Lawrence's act, done in a spirit of fidelity to the office entrusted to him by the Bishop and by ecclesial ministry, propels him and the entire Church entrusted to him until his own martyrdom, beyond history into an eschatological dimension - the "time" and "space" in which God manifests the fullness of his charity and love.
Thus Lawrence, an ordained minister of charity, brings to completion the task given to him. This he does not only by following his Bishop in the shedding of his own blood in martyrdom, but also in his act of distributing the communities resources (as expressed in material goods) to the poor. His gesture shows how, in the Church, all things have a value once oriented towards charity, or when placed at the service of charity or when they can be transformed into charity.
As the letter to the Thessalonians reminds, this service extends not only to the "body" but also to the "mind" and to the "soul". This is perfectly clear from the prayer which, according to the acts of the martyrdom of Lawrence contained in the Passio Polychromi, was recited by Lawrence for the City of Rome before being exposed on the grid-iron. The city accorded him ultimate victory over paganism and chose him as its third patron. From the fourth century, Rome celebrates his feast as next in importance after that of Peter and Paul. In honour of the holy Deacon some thirty-four chapels and churches would be dedicated to the holy Deacon in ancient and medieval Rome. This would be a visible sign of gratitude to him who, in fidelity to his ministry, was a true minister of charity in midst of Rome.
At the end of our reflection on the ministry of deacons, understood in a "permanent" form, we can say the following:
1. It is necessary to look critically on those positions- which in reality have been superseded - which interpret or present the diaconate as a ministry leading to the clericalisation of the laity and to the laicization of the clergy, thereby weakening the identity of both.
2. The Deacon, who is distinguished from Bishops and Priests in that he is not ordained "ad sacerdotium sed ad ministerium", is constituted in an authentic grade of the hierarchy and cannot be regarded merely as an accessory to the priesthood.
3. The Deacon is destined for the service of charity in close dependence on the Eucharist and to the privileged service of the poor. He is destined both to the service of the table (corporal works of mercy) and to the service of the word (spiritual works of mercy). He also remains open to that service of a greater love or charity which is martyrdom.
Finally, the institution of the permanent diaconate represents, and is a sign of an important enrichment for the Church and her mission, especially in the light of the Holy Father's continued appeals for new evangelization at the dawn of the third Christian Millennium. The beauty, power and the heroism of Deacons such as Lawrence help us to discover and come to a deeper meaning of the special nature of the diaconal ministry."
FYI SSG Stephen RogersonPO3 Phyllis MaynardSFC (Join to see)1SG Steven ImermanSP5 Geoffrey Vannerson COL Mikel J. Burroughs SFC Richard WilliamsonSSG Pete FishGySgt Gary CordeiroPO2 (Join to see)MSG Felipe De Leon BrownTSgt George Rodriguez]SPC Nancy GreeneSSG Franklin BriantSSG Robert Mark OdomSgt Jim BelanusSGT Denny EspinosaTSgt David L.PO1 Robert George
Saint Lawrence Deacon of Fortitude who Valued His Flock & 4 Great Miracles - Feast August 10th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnICVg6J_HY
Image:
1. Jacopo Palma the Younger, The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence,
2. Mausoleum of Gallia Placidia, is a wonderful mosaic of St. Lawrence.
3. St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church by Bernardo Strozzi
4. The Martyrdom of St Lawrence by Orazio Borgianni
Biographies
1. sspx.org/en/news-events/news/st-lawrence-shrine-included-fatima-pilgrimage
2. Vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_19022000_slaw_en.html
1. Background from {{https://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/st-lawrence-shrine-included-fatima-pilgrimage]}
Fatima is the destination for this pilgrimage, but will also visit Huesca, St. Lawrence's birthplace. Learn more while there is time to join!
At the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains, in the northern province of Aragon in Spain, lies its historic capital, Huesca, which boasts the privilege of being birthplace of two great martyrs and deacons: St. Lawrence and St. Vincent.
During the pilgrimage “Fatima to Lourdes via Catholic Shrines of Spain,” which is scheduled for August 17-28, 2017, pilgrims will not only visit the churches built in Huesca where St. Lawrence and St. Vincent were born, they will also pray before the relics of St. Valerius in Zaragoza’s Cathedral.
This 12-day pilgrimage also includes three days in Fatima to participate in the official SSPX festivities for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children. A few seats are still available. For more information on this pilgrimage, please visit their site or contact Regina Pilgrimages at [login to see] .
St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Tradition tells us that St. Lawrence was born of Orentius and Patientia, both martyrs, in the city of Huesca, Spain. In the year 257, St. Lawrence was appointed by Pope St. Sixtus II as the first of the seven deacons who served in the patriarchal church of Rome. He was the most important of the deacons, entrusted with the treasury and riches of the Church and with the distribution of alms among the poor.
The following year, the Emperor Valerian issued an edict ordering the immediate death of all bishops, priests, and deacons. Pope St. Sixtus II was captured and beheaded on August 6, 258 with the other six deacons. Tradition says that St. Lawrence met him on his way to martyrdom and said, “Father, where are you going without your deacon?” And the pope answered, “I am not leaving you, my son, in three days you will follow me.”
With the death of Pope Sixtus II, the prefect of Rome summoned St. Lawrence and demanded that he turn over the riches of the Church. St. Lawrence asked for three days to gather them, and during this time, he worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, in order to prevent its being seized by the prefect. He then invited all the poor, lame, beggars, orphans, widows, elderly, blind, and lepers whom he assisted, and on the third day, he appeared before the prefect. He presented to him the poor and the sick he had congregated and said, “This is the Church’s treasure!” This infuriated the greedy pagan who sentenced him to a slow, cruel death by roasting on a gridiron.
The slow fire roasted his flesh little by little, but St. Lawrence’s love for God burned stronger still. And in the midst of his atrocious sufferings, by the strength of God’s grace, he managed to say, “Turn me over. I am done on this side.” He prayed and offered his sufferings for the conversion of Rome and for the spreading of the Catholic Faith throughout the world. Just before he died, St. Lawrence said, “It is cooked enough now.” Thus he entered into the glory of heaven, rejoining the other six deacons and Pope St. Sixtus II who had preceded him in martyrdom. Several senators who were present at his death were so powerfully moved by his heroic fortitude and piety that they became Christians on the spot. These noblemen took the martyr’s body and gave it an honorable burial in the Veran field, near the road to Tivoli, on the 10th of August, 258. Within 50 years of his martyrdom, the Christian Emperor Constantine had a patriarchal church built over his tomb, the site now known as the Basilica of St. Lawrence-Outside-the-Walls, where his relics can be venerated today.
St. Lawrence is one of the most widely venerated saints of the Catholic Church. He is one of the patrons of Rome, where one finds two basilicas and many churches dedicated to him. In Huesca, where his family home once stood, now stands a Basilica built in his honor and which houses relics of St. Lawrence, including one of his fingers. His feast day is August 10 and he is the patron saint of firefighters, cooks, comedians, librarians, and students.
The Holy Grail & St. Lawrence
Tradition tells us that amongst the treasures of the Church entrusted to St. Lawrence was the Holy Grail, the chalice used by Our Lord at the Last Supper. To protect this precious relic from the prefect of Rome, St. Lawrence entrusted it to a friend, the Spanish soldier Proselius, whom he knew would travel back to Huesca and asked him to give to his parents for safe keeping.
In turn, St. Lawrence’s family sent the Holy Chalice to the monastery of San Juan de la Peña (north of Huesca) for preservation and veneration. In 1399, the relic was handed over to the King of Aragon, Martin “The Human” who kept it in the Royal Palace of Zaragoza and then in the Royal Palace of Barcelona in 1410 when he died. Towards 1424, his successor King Alfonso the Magnanimous kept it in the Valencia Palace. Because of his stay in Naples, it was given with the rest of the royal relics to the Valencia Cathedral in 1437.
Since the 15th century, the Holy Grail has been kept and venerated in the Cathedral of Valencia and it was carried during the procession of Holy Thursday up to the 18th century. During the Napoleonic Wars, between 1809 and 1813, the chalice was taken to Alicante, Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca, escaping from Napoleonic invaders. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), it was hidden in the city of Carlet, south of Valencia.
Today, traditions tell us the Holy Grail is located and venerated in a special chapel in the cathedral of Valencia in Spain.
Prayer to St. Lawrence
O glorious St. Lawrence, Martyr and Deacon, who, being subjected to the most bitter torments, didst not lose thy faith nor thy constancy in confessing Jesus Christ, obtain in like manner for us such an active and solid faith, that we shall never be ashamed to be true followers of Jesus Christ, and fervent Christians in word and in deed. Amen.'
2. Background from {[http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_19022000_slaw_en.html]}
ST LAWRENCE
PROTO-DEACON OF THE ROMAN CHURCH
Fr. Francesco Moraglia; Professor of Dogmatic Theology
Genua
The history of the Church has transmitted to us several accounts of the great Bishops and Priests who have illuminated the profound mystery of the Ordained ministry at a pastoral and theological level. Among the Bishop we remember Ireneus of Lyons, Augustine Winfried, Boniface, Barolomeo Las Casas and Ildefonso Schuster. In the present age priests such as Philip Neri, John Mary Vianney, Don Bosco, Peter Chanel and Maximillian Kolbe have been significant figures. The ministry of Deacons also becomes more clear when seen in the light of the great deacons of the Church's history. An example is St Lawrence, Martyr and Porto-Deacon of the Roman Church. Together with St Stephen and St Philip, Lawrence must certainly be one of the most renowned Deacons of antiquity.
In the West, the diaconate, considered as a permanent ministry in itself, and not just oriented towards the Priesthood, was less frequent by the fifth century. Up to that time it had been a flourishing institution but by the beginning of the fifth century, largely because of greater involvement of priests in the pastoral ministry, the first grade of Holy Orders was largely reduced to the role of an access to the successive grade of the Priesthood. It is therefore easy to understand why the Diaconate became restricted, indeed almost fossilized at the level of theological reflection and pastoral practice.
In the sixteenth century, the Council of Trent attempted to respond to this situation but we had to await the Second Vatican Council and the middle of the twentieth century to see the restoration of the diaconate "as a proper and permanent grade of the hierarchy...". Immediately following this affirmation article 29 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium states "Should the roman Pontiff think fit, it will be possible to confer this diaconal order even upon married men, provided thy be of more mature age, and also on suitable young men, for whom, however, the law of celibacy must remain in force." In his Apostolic Letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem (8 June 1967) Pope Paul VI reiterates that the diaconate "is not to be considered as a mere step towards the priesthood, but it is so adorned with its own indelible character and its own special grace so that those who are called to it 'can permanently serve the mysteries of Christ and the Church'" (EV, 2/1369).
The fact also that the diaconate in the Latin Church did not have a permanent form for some fifteen centuries would suggest a certain need to make up for lost time on the level of theological reflection and pastoral practice by means of a wide ranging reflection on the part of the entire ecclesial community. The permanent Diaconate indeed constitutes an important enrichment for the Church's mission.
Clearly, the restoration of the permanent Diaconate, desired authoritatively by the last Council, can only come about in harmony with the Church's venerable tradition. Particularly important in this respect is the joint declaration of 22 February 1988 made by the Congregation for the Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy which prefaces the Basic norms for the formation of permanent deacons and the Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests. This declaration serves as a clarification and can be taken as an orientation for the future. It says: "The total reality of the Diaconate — embracing its fundamental doctrinal vision, discernment of vocation, as well as the life, ministry, spirituality and formation of deacons — calls for a review of the journey thus far made, so as to arrive at a global vision of this grade of Sacred Orders corresponding to the desire and intention of the Second Vatican Council" (Basic norms for the formation of permanent deacons - Directory for the ministry and life of permanent deacons. Vatican City 1998, pg. 7).
Returning to what we have said about the great Bishops, Priests and Deacons who have illustrated and marked the ordained ministry, thereby winning for it a profound understanding, it is logical that we should turn the figure of Lawrence, whose personal experience forces us to re-examine the first grade of the ordained ministry, which, because of the aforementioned historical factors, still awaits full appreciation and acceptance. New emphasis is required to be given to the re-discovery of the diaconal ministry understood as a permanent ministry which can express itself with greater fruitfulness in the life of the Church.
The personal adventures of Lawrence, Proto Deacon of the Roman Church, come down to us trough an ancient tradition, already widely known by the fourth century. This tradition, accepted by the Church, is also to be found in the liturgical texts. The most notable events of Lawrence's life are described particularly well in the Passio Polychromi of which we have three version (dating from the fifth to the seventh centuries). It is a fact that this account of Lawrence contains elements of legend, although some of the information contained in the Passio were known to earlier writers such as St Ambrose, which is clear from his De Officiis (cf PL XVL, 89-92).
In our efforts to amplify the few details of Lawrence's life, let us begin with those preserved for the feast of his Martyrdom (10 August) in the Depositio Martyrm which dates from 354 A.D.. According to the Roman Missal "Lawrence, the renowned Deacon of the Roman Church, confirmed his service of charity by martyrdom under Valerian (258), four days after the decapitation of Pope Sixtus II. According to a tradition widely diffused by the fourth century, he patiently sustained a terrible martyrdom on the grid-iron, having distributed the goods of the community to the poor whom he regarded as the true treasure of the Church". These notes end by recalling that Lawrence's martyrdom is also mentioned in the Roman Canon. Thus the Church in her official liturgical texts takes to herself what tradition, even in its differing internal versions, hands down concerning Lawrence. It is not our intention to enter into the merits of a number of contemporary hypotheses advanced by recent historical criticism which tend to place the martyrdom of Lawrence at the beginning of the third century and which present a figure substantially different from the traditional one. For example, Lawrence was Spanish rather than Roman. On this specific point it should be recalled that the Praefatio Mensae of the twelfth century Leonine Sacramentary tells us that Lawrence was a civis Romanus. Paolo Toschi, however, notes with regard to these recent studies that they "do not a priori eliminate the possibility of a true and proper tradition existing in Rome. St Ambrose, with obvious rhetorical embellishments, retells the tragic capture and death by fire of Lawrence. We know this sentence was inflicted on Fruttoso and on the deacons Eulogius and Augurius of Tarragona during the reign of Valerian. Moreover, the word "animadvertere" used in the decree of presentation in the redaction of Cyprian can also refer to forms of capital execution other than "decollation" (cf Bibliotheca Sanctorum, 1539). Here we shall accept the traditional date for the Martyrdom of Lawrence as transmitted to us in the liturgical texts, and limit ourselves to stating it in a more articulate manner.
Lawrence is believed to have been born in Spain, at Osca, a town in Aragon, near the foot of the Pyrenees. As a youth he was sent to Saragoza to complete his humanistic and theological studies. It was here that he first encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin. He was a teacher in what was then one of the most renowned centres of learning. The future Pope was one of the most famous and esteemed teachers.
Lawrence, who would subsequently become the head of the deacons of the Roman Church, was remarkable for his human qualities, his subtlety of mind and for his intelligence. Between master and disciple a communion of life and friendship grew. With the passage of time a love for Rome, the centre of Christianity and seat of the Vicar of Christ was consolidated and grew stronger in both. Eventually, following a migratory wave which was then very pronounced, both left Spain for the City where the Apostle Peter had established his See and given supreme witness. Thus Master and disciple were able to realize their ideal of evangelization and missionary activity to the point of shedding their blood, in Rome, the heart of Christianity. Sixtus was raised to the Chair of Peter and began a pontificate that would last for less than a year. Without hesitation, he desired to have Lawrence, his friend and disciple, at his side so as to entrust to him the important office of proto-deacon. Both sealed their life of communion and friendship by dying at the hands of the same persecutor, a few days apart from each other. St Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, preserves an account of the death of St Sixtus in one of his letters. Commenting on the situation of great uncertainty and unease in which the Church found herself because of increasing hostility towards Christians, he notes: "The Emperor Valerian has consigned to the Senate a decree by which he has determined that all Bishops, Priests and Deacons will be immediately put to death". Cyprian then continues: "I communicate to you that Sixtus suffered martyrdom on 6 August together with four Deacons while they were in a cemetery. The Roman authorities have established a norm according to which all Christians who have been denounced must be executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury" (CSEL 3, 839-840).
The cemetery to which the holy Bishop of Carthage alludes is that of St Callixtus. Sixtus was captured here while celebrating the Sacred Liturgy. His remains were entered in the cemetery of St. Calixtus after his martyrdom.
In his De Officiis (1, 41, 205-207) we have Ambrose's particularly eloquent account of the martyrdom of St Lawrence. It was subsequently taken up by Prudentius and by St Augustine. Hence it passes to Maximus of Turin, St Peter Chrisologus and to Leo the Great before emerging again in some of the formularies of the Roman Sacramentals, the Missale Gothicumm and in the Caerimoniale Visigoticum (Bibliotheca Sanctorum, .....1538-1539).
Ambrose dwells, firstly, on the encounter and dialogue of Lawrence and Sixtus. He alludes to the distribution of the Church's goods to the poor and ends by mentioning the grid-iron, the instrument of Lawrence's torture, and remarks on the phrase which the proto-Deacon of the Roman Church addresses to his torturers: "assum est...versa et manduca" (cf. Bibliotheca Sanctorum ...., col 1538-1539).
We shall dwell on the Ambrosian text of the De Officiis (Cap. 41,nn. 205-206-207), which is very moving in its intensity and strength of expression. Thus writes St Ambrose:
"St Lawrence wept when he saw his Bishop, Sixtus, led out to his martyrdom. He wept not because he was being let out to die but because he would survive Sixtus. He cried out to him in a loud voice: 'Where are you going Father, without your son? Where do you hasten to, holy Bishop, without your Deacon? You cannot offer sacrifice without a minister. Father, are you displeased with something in me? Do you think me unworthy? Show us a sign that you have found a worthy minister. Do you not wish that he to whom you gave the Lord's blood and with whom you have shared the sacred mysteries should spill his own blood with you? Beware that in your praise your own judgment should not falter. Despise the pupil and shame the Master. Do not forget that great and famous men are victorious more in the deeds of their disciples than in their own. Abraham made sacrifice of his own son, Peter instead sent Stephen. Father, show us your own strength in your sons; sacrifice him whom you have raised, to attain eternal reward in that glorious company, secure in your judgment".
In reply Sixtus says: "I will not leave you, I will not abandon you my son. More difficult trials are kept for you. A shorter race is set for us who are older. For you who are young a more glorious triumph over tyranny is reserved. Soon, you will see, cry no more, after three days you will follow me. It is fitting that such an interval should be set between Bishop and Levite. It would not have been fitting for you to die under the guidance of a martyr, as though you needed help from him. Why do want to share in my martyrdom? I leave its entire inheritance to you. Why do need me present? The weak pupil precedes the master, the strong, who have no further need of instruction, follow and conquer without him. Thus Elijah left Elisha. I entrust the success of my strength to you".
This was the contest between them which was worthy of a Bishop and of a Deacon: who would be the first to die for Christ (It is said that in tragedy, the spectators would burst into applause when Pilade said he was Orestes and when Orestes himself declared that he was Orestes) the one who would be killed instead of Orestes, and when Orestes prevented Pilades from being killed in place of himself. Neither of these deserved to live for both were guilty of patricide. One because he had killed his father, the other because he had been an accomplice in patricide.) In the case of Lawrence, nothing urged him to offer himself as a victim but the desire to be a holocaust for Christ. Three days after the death of Sixtus, while the terror raged, Lawrence would be burned on the grid-iron: "This side is done, turn and eat". With such strength of soul he conquered the flames of the fire" (Ambrose, De Officiis).
According to Ambrose, the Deacon is one who:
1. having been sacramentally constituted in the service of offering (diakonia), lives his diaconal ministry giving supreme witness to Christ in martyrdom - the theological meaning of the service of charity by acceptance of that greater love or charity which is martyrdom;
2. in virtue of the structural link which binds him to the Bishop (the first stage of Orders), lives "ecclesial communion" by specific service to the Bishop, beginning with the Eucharist and in reference to the Eucharist;
3. in virtue of the Sacrament (that is, to the extent tat he is rooted in the first grade of Orders), devotes himself totally to the service of an integral charity and not merely to a human or social solidarity, and thereby manifests the most characteristic element of the diaconia.
Let us now examine these characteristics starting with:
1. The Deacon is one who having been sacramentally constituted in the service of offering (diakonia), lives his diaconal ministry giving supreme witness to Christ in martyrdom - the theological meaning of the service of charity by acceptance of that greater love or charity which is martyrdom.
The principle characteristic defining the Deacon in se, and his ministry, is that he is ordained for the service of charity. Martyrdom, which is a witness to the point of shedding one's blood, must be considered an expression of greater love or charity. It is service to a charity that knows no limits. The ministry of charity in which the Deacon is deputed by ordination is not limited to service at table, or indeed to what former catechetical terminology called corporal works of mercy, nor to the spiritual works of mercy. The diaconal service of charity must include imitation of Christ by means of unconditional self-giving since he is the fruitful witness ...... (cf Ap 1, 5:13; 14).
In the case of Lawrence, as St Ambrose explains, "no other desire urged him but that of offering himself to the Lord as a holocaust" (de Officiis, 1,41, n. 207). By means of the witness borne before his persecutors, it is evident that the diaconal ministry is not to be equated with that of service to one's neighbour, understood or reduced solely to their material needs. Lawrence, in that act which expresses a greater love for Christ and which leads to his giving up his own life, also permits his tormentors, in a certain sense, to experience the Incarnate Word who, in the end, is the personal and common destiny of all mankind. This is a theological service of charity to which every Deacon must tend or, at least, be disposed to accept.
This does not mean that in his ministry the Deacon gives exhaustive witness to charity which is, and always remains, the vocation and mission of the Church. Rather it means that, in virtue of Ordination, the Deacon in a specific sacramental way, bears in himself the "forma Christi" for the service of charity. It implies a "ministerial exercise" of charity which is done for Christ and the brethren. It can reach the point of demanding the complete giving of self...the point of sacrificing one's life. Thus the words addressed to Sixtus by Lawrence are perfectly clear: "Abraham made sacrifice of his own son, Peter instead sent Stephen. Father, show us your own strength in your sons; sacrifice him whom you have raised, to attain eternal reward in that glorious company, secure in your judgment" (De Officiis 1, 41, n. 205.
It should be mentioned however, that this witness to greater charity/love by those ordained for the service of charity does not exempt the Church as Spouse from giving herself to Christ in the gift of martyrdom through which is made manifest the absolute value and the unbreakable union of truth and charity in the Lord's disciples. In martyrdom this is made manifest beyond any form of ambiguity or reticence (cf I Cor 13, 4-5; Phil 4, 15). Here it is useful to recall article 42 of Lumen Gentium: "Martyrdom makes the disciple like his master, who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world, and through it he is conformed to him by the shedding of blood. Therefore the Church considers it the highest gift and supreme test of love. And while it is given to few, all however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the cross amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks".
Notwithstanding the universal call to heroic charity, one fact is incontrovertible: there is a specific "ordained ministry" in the Church which is an ordained ministry of men who are sacramentally constituted for the service of charity.
2. The Deacon, in virtue of the structural link which binds him to the Bishop (the first stage of Orders), lives "ecclesial communion" by specific service to the Bishop, beginning with the Eucharist and in reference to the Eucharist.
This is another characteristic which emerges from the exchange between Sixtus and Lawrence in the cemetery of St Calixtus. It clearly emphasises that it is the sacramental bond which unites the Deacon with the Bishop. It underlines that the Deacon is a "man of communion", precisely through a specific service to the Bishop. This service, then, is realized concretely in faithfully discharging what is required of him, in ecclesial needs and urgencies, by the Bishop, in virtue of the fullness of the priesthood and the government of the Church, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, which is entrusted to him.
In the diaconal ministry, everything revolves around the altar, since in the Church, everything, beginning with charity, has its origin in the Most Holy Eucharist. This point is especially important for Ambrose's account of the martyrdom of Lawrence. ... (De Officiis 1,41, n.205).
The communion and affection between Bishop and Deacon which are manifest in a common dependence and in a common link with the Eucharist, expresses a profoundly theological vision of the Church, surpassing concepts which abuse or reduce the Church as Spouse to the merely political or sociological or which equiparate her to one of many human institutions. It is therefore necessary to free oneself of every secular or secularizing outlook which leads ultimately to loss or compromise of the meaning and regenerating power of the Mystery. There is a risk of seeing in the Pope and the Bishops, as well as in Priests and Deacons as just so many steps in an infinite bureaucracy, similar in many respects to the civil service, whose only competence is to oversee a not too clearly defined general public order.
The encounter between Sixtus and Lawrence invites us, should such be necessary, to reject such a vision and to re-discover in the heart of the institutional Church -which is always indispensable- and in ecclesial structures -which are necessary instruments, the living and infinite reality of grace which animates them and which invites us to re-discover the theological link which binds them to Christ, the One, True, Bishop, Priest and Deacon. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (Phil 1,1) and in his first letter to Timothy (3, 1-3) already associates Bishop and Deacon. This close bond is subsequently attested to in the "Traditio Apostolica" (beginning of the third century, Hippolytus of Rome ?) which defines the grace given to the Deacon at Ordination as "a simple service to the Bishop", without the priesthood. The mid-third century "Didascalia Apostolorum" describes the Deacon as the "servant of the Bishop and of the poor".
Finally, the structural relationship between Deacon and Bishop is clearly expressed in to-day's liturgy of Ordination. The ceremony, in contrast with that for the Ordination of Bishops and Priests, reserves the imposition of hands to the Ordaining Bishop alone, precisely to highlight this characteristic, singular bond linking Bishop and Deacon.
3. The Deacon, in virtue of the Sacrament (that is, to the extent that he is rooted in the first grade of Orders), devotes himself totally to the service of an integral charity and not merely to a human or social solidarity, and thereby manifests the most characteristic element of the diaconia.
Ambrose's account of the martyrdom of Lawrence portrays Lawrence as one who, in virtue of the Sacrament received, is totally dedicated to the service of charity in the specific context of third century Imperial Rome, in the throws of violent persecution. In this situation, Lawrence is called to concrete action before the ecclesial community and before the world. These actions would be transformed into signs of God's love and charity, from which all things derive and to which all things return. By this service the Deacon expresses the characteristic ministry of his diaconia which consists in the service of charity, in accord with a sacramental mandate. His is an animation which affects the Church or areas of Catholic life which is truly catholic in character (katalon= the totality without exclusion). His service aspires to the totality of mankind without exception. Its content is a good which responds to all the expectations of man's soul, mind and body (cf 1Thes 5, 23). It eschews all partiality and interest groups.
The Ambrosian account of Lawrence's martyrdom also contains a useful allusion for our reflection: Sixtus, already a prisoner, entrusts the entire Church to the first of his Deacons, Lawrence, for a period that would last for three days. "A shorter race is set for us who are older. For you who are young a more glorious triumph over tyranny is reserved. Soon, you will see, cry no more, after three days you will follow me. It is fitting that such an interval should be set between Bishop and Levite" (De Officiis, n.206).
In a spirit of service and obedience to his Bishop - who had been definitively taken from his people - Lawrence, as Deacon, would guide the Church for three days, and for the last time would administer the goods of the Bride of Christ. This he would do in a manner which, in itself, would have significance. It would show how , in the Church, everything is oriented and consummated by values which begin with charity and with realities which are destined to remain, even when this world has passed away (cf Cor 13,8).
For those who look on this reality from the outside or merely superficially, all this seems exclusively bound up with material needs and with the present. It would appear solely to be no more than the distribution of material goods to the poor. In reality, however, Lawrence's act, done in a spirit of fidelity to the office entrusted to him by the Bishop and by ecclesial ministry, propels him and the entire Church entrusted to him until his own martyrdom, beyond history into an eschatological dimension - the "time" and "space" in which God manifests the fullness of his charity and love.
Thus Lawrence, an ordained minister of charity, brings to completion the task given to him. This he does not only by following his Bishop in the shedding of his own blood in martyrdom, but also in his act of distributing the communities resources (as expressed in material goods) to the poor. His gesture shows how, in the Church, all things have a value once oriented towards charity, or when placed at the service of charity or when they can be transformed into charity.
As the letter to the Thessalonians reminds, this service extends not only to the "body" but also to the "mind" and to the "soul". This is perfectly clear from the prayer which, according to the acts of the martyrdom of Lawrence contained in the Passio Polychromi, was recited by Lawrence for the City of Rome before being exposed on the grid-iron. The city accorded him ultimate victory over paganism and chose him as its third patron. From the fourth century, Rome celebrates his feast as next in importance after that of Peter and Paul. In honour of the holy Deacon some thirty-four chapels and churches would be dedicated to the holy Deacon in ancient and medieval Rome. This would be a visible sign of gratitude to him who, in fidelity to his ministry, was a true minister of charity in midst of Rome.
At the end of our reflection on the ministry of deacons, understood in a "permanent" form, we can say the following:
1. It is necessary to look critically on those positions- which in reality have been superseded - which interpret or present the diaconate as a ministry leading to the clericalisation of the laity and to the laicization of the clergy, thereby weakening the identity of both.
2. The Deacon, who is distinguished from Bishops and Priests in that he is not ordained "ad sacerdotium sed ad ministerium", is constituted in an authentic grade of the hierarchy and cannot be regarded merely as an accessory to the priesthood.
3. The Deacon is destined for the service of charity in close dependence on the Eucharist and to the privileged service of the poor. He is destined both to the service of the table (corporal works of mercy) and to the service of the word (spiritual works of mercy). He also remains open to that service of a greater love or charity which is martyrdom.
Finally, the institution of the permanent diaconate represents, and is a sign of an important enrichment for the Church and her mission, especially in the light of the Holy Father's continued appeals for new evangelization at the dawn of the third Christian Millennium. The beauty, power and the heroism of Deacons such as Lawrence help us to discover and come to a deeper meaning of the special nature of the diaconal ministry."
FYI SSG Stephen RogersonPO3 Phyllis MaynardSFC (Join to see)1SG Steven ImermanSP5 Geoffrey Vannerson COL Mikel J. Burroughs SFC Richard WilliamsonSSG Pete FishGySgt Gary CordeiroPO2 (Join to see)MSG Felipe De Leon BrownTSgt George Rodriguez]SPC Nancy GreeneSSG Franklin BriantSSG Robert Mark OdomSgt Jim BelanusSGT Denny EspinosaTSgt David L.PO1 Robert George
(7)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
St Lawrence: Archdeacon and Martyr
St. Lawrence, Archdeacon of Rome, was martyred in 258 AD under Emperor Valerian. Pope St. Sixtus II was martyred three days before him, and St. Romanus, a so...
St Lawrence: Archdeacon and Martyr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL3kpSpGGG8
Images:
1. St. Lawrence (San Lorenzo) Giotto circa 1320-1323
2. St. Lawrence giving alms, Fra Angelico, 1449, Cappella Niccolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
3. Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, Fra Angelico, 144-1449, Cappella Niccolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
4. The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Damaso or simply San Lorenzo in Damaso is a parish and titular church in central Rome, Italy that is dedicated to St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.
Biographies
1. instituteforchristianformation.org/LawrenceDeaconMartyr.html
2. wikiwand.com/en/Saint_Lawrence
Background from {[http://www.instituteforchristianformation.org/LawrenceDeaconMartyr.html]}
Saint Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr
Feast Day (Feast): August 10
On August 10 each year we celebrate the feast day of Saint Lawrence. In our Liturgical Calendar, this feast day has a ranking of a “Feast.” Recall that the highest ranking feast days are Solemnities, then come Feasts, then Memorials, and finally (optional) memorials. This alone tells you of the esteem with which the Church holds Lawrence, not to mention that his name is included in the Roman Canon.
According to tradition, Saint Lawrence was born in Spain. He studied in Saragoza, where he met the man who would later become Pope Sixtus II. Lawrence became his disciple, and a strong friendship grew between the two. Both eventually migrated to Rome. When Pope Sixtus II was elected pontiff he wanted Lawrence to serve as his proto deacon, the head of the deacons of Rome. In this role, Lawrence was in charge of the Church’s temporal goods and in distributing alms to the poor.
St. Lawrence (San Lorenzo)
Giotto
circa 1320-1325
Home Seasoning the Seasons Seasons Feasts of the Lord Feasts of Mary The Saints
At this time (3rd century), there was great hostility towards the Church and Christianity. The Emperor Valerian decreed that all bishops, priests, and deacons be put to death. On August 6, 258, less than one year into the reign of his pontificate, Pope Sixtus II and four deacons (Januarius, Vincent, Magnus, and Stephen) were arrested while celebrating the Eucharist, and were beheaded. We now celebrate the feast day (optional memorial) of Saint Sixtus II, Pope, and Companions, Martyrs, on August 7.
St. Lawrence giving alms
Fra Angelico, 1449
Cappella Niccolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
Tradition says that Lawrence knew he would suffer the same fate as the pope and the other deacons, so he not only turned over all the wealth he had on hand to the poor, he also sold the Church’s goods, including liturgical vessels, and gave that money to the poor, as well. When a Roman official heard of this, he imagined the Church must have considerable wealth and treasures and demanded that Lawrence turn over all these treasures to the Roman government. Lawrence said he would do so but needed a few days to get all the wealth and treasures inventoried and ready to be handed over. When Lawrence returned, what he presented to the officials was not money or silver or gold – he presented the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the ill. He told the Roman official that these were the Church’s wealth.
The Roman official became outraged. Lawrence was sentenced to death, but unlike Pope Sixtus II and the other deacons, who were beheaded, Lawrence was sentenced to a slow, painful death. He was to be burned alive over a gridiron with flaming coals beneath it.
The details of the story that circulated about Lawrence’s death were well-known by early Christian writers. Saint Augustine noted that Lawrence went cheerfully to his death, reportedly saying to his torturers, as he was being roasted alive on the gridiron, "This side is done, turn and eat". Lawrence was put to death on August 10, 258, just four days after Pope Sixtus II and the other four deacons were martyred.
The name “Lawrence” means “Crowned with Laurel.” There are many people, male and female, who are named for Saint Lawrence. If you are named Larry, Lars, Laurel, Lauren, Laurence, Laurent, Laurenz, Laurie, Laurence, Lorenzo, Lonny, Loren, or Renzo – or another derivative of the name Lawrence – August 10 is your feast day! Because of the manner in which Saint Lawrence was put to death, and the cunning remark he was reported to have said while being martyred, one tradition on his feast day is to celebrate with an outdoor barbeque or cookout. And because of Saint Lawrence’s devotion to the poor, you might also honor him by almsgiving on his feast (and throughout the year!).
Saint Lawrence’s feast day is also celebrated by Eastern Rite and Orthodox Christians. You can read about Saint Lawrence (Saint Laurence) at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America’s web site here.
After Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Lawrence is venerated as the patron of Rome. He is also a patron of the poor, cooks, and even comedians (think again of the remark he reportedly made while being burned alive!).
Like Saint Lawrence, following the teachings of Jesus, may we, too, always know that the poor are the treasure of the Church. We have a wonderful example of how to live this teaching daily from our current pope, Pope Francis"
2. Background from {{https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Saint_Lawrence]}
Saint Lawrence
Martyr Born 31 December AD 225[1]
Valencia[2] or less likely Osca, Hispania (modern-day Spain)
Died 10 August AD 258 (aged 32) Rome
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodoxy
Anglican Communion
Lutheranism
Canonized Pre-congregation
Major shrine Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome
Feast 10 August
Attributes: Usually holding a gridiron and wearing a dalmatic
Patronage
Rome, Grosseto, Rotterdam (Netherlands), Huesca (Spain), San Lawrenz, Gozo and Birgu (Malta), Barangay San Lorenzo San Pablo (Philippines), Canada, Colombo City, comedians, archivists, librarians, students, miners, tanners, chefs, Balagtas, Bulacan, Balangiga, Eastern Samar, roasters, poor, firefighters
Saint Lawrence or Laurence (Latin: Laurentius, lit. "laurelled"; 31 December AD 225[1] – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, Italy, under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258. Lawrence encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin and one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers, in Caesaraugusta (today Zaragoza). Eventually, both left Spain for Rome. When Sixtus became the Pope in 257, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the cathedral church.
Life
Lawrence is thought to have been born on December 31, AD 225,[1] in Valencia, or less probably, in Huesca, the town from which his parents came in the later region of Aragon that was then part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis.[2] The martyrs Orentius (Modern Spanish: San Orencio) and Patientia (Modern Spanish: Santa Paciencia) are traditionally held to have been his parents.[3][4]
Lawrence encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin and one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers, in Caesaraugusta (today Zaragoza). Eventually, both left Spain for Rome. When Sixtus became the Pope in 257, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the cathedral church. He is therefore called "archdeacon of Rome", a position of great trust that included the care of the treasury and riches of the Church and the distribution of alms to the indigent.[5]
St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church by Bernardo Strozzi
St Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, notes that Roman authorities had established a norm according to which all Christians who had been denounced must be executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury. At the beginning of August 258, the Emperor Valerian issued an edict that all bishops, priests, and deacons should immediately be put to death. Pope Sixtus II was captured on 6 August 258, at the cemetery of St Callixtus while celebrating the liturgy and executed forthwith.[6]
After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. St Ambrose is the earliest source for the narrative that Lawrence asked for three days to gather the wealth.[7] He worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the indigent as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to deliver the treasures of the Church he presented the indigent, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering, and declared that these were the true treasures of the Church.[8] One account records him declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom and can be compared to the parallel Roman tale of the jewels of Cornelia.
On 10 August, Lawrence, the last of the seven deacons, and therefore, the ranking Church official, suffered a martyr's death.[9]
Martyrdom
As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was responsible for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor.[8] Ambrose of Milan relates that when the treasures of the Church were demanded of Lawrence by the prefect of Rome, he brought forward the poor, to whom he had distributed the treasure as alms.[9] "Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the Church's crown."[5] The prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals beneath it, and had Lawrence placed on it, hence Lawrence's association with the gridiron. After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!"[8][10] From this St. Lawrence derives his patronage of cooks, chefs, and comedians.
Lawrence was sentenced at San Lorenzo in Miranda, imprisoned in and baptized fellow prisoners at San Lorenzo in Fonte, martyred at San Lorenzo in Panisperna, and was buried in San Lorenzo fuori le Mura. The Almanac of Filocalus for 354 states that he was buried in the Catacomb of Cyriaca on the Via Tiburtina[9] by Hippolytus and Justin the Confessor, a presbyter. One of the early sources for his martyrdom was the description of Aurelius Prudentius Clemens in his Peristephanon, Hymn 2.
Historian Patrick J. Healy opines that the traditional account of how Lawrence was martyred is "not worthy of credence",[11][page needed] as the slow lingering death cannot be reconciled "with the express command contained in the edict regarding bishops, priests, and deacons (animadvertantur) which ordinarily meant decapitation."[11][page needed] A theory of how the tradition arose is proposed that as the result of a mistake in transcription, the omission of the letter "p" – "by which the customary and solemn formula for announcing the death of a martyr – passus est ["he suffered," that is, was martyred] – was made to read assus est [he was roasted]."[11][page needed] The Liber Pontificalis, which is held to draw from sources independent of the existing traditions and Acta regarding Lawrence, uses passus est concerning him, the same term it uses for Pope Sixtus II, who was martyred by decapitation during the same persecution 4 days earlier.[11][page needed]
Emperor Constantine I is held to have erected a small oratory in honour of Lawrence, which was a station on the itineraries of the graves of the Roman martyrs by the seventh century. Pope Damasus I rebuilt or repaired the church, now the Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, while the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo in Panisperna was erected over the site of his martyrdom. The gridiron of the martyrdom was placed by Pope Paschal II in the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina.[citation needed]
Associated Roman churches
The Roman Catholic Church erected six churches on the sites in Rome traditionally associated with his martyrdom:
• Minor Basilica of St Lawrence in Damaso (Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Damaso): site where he performed his duties as deacon of Rome;
• Minor Basilica of St Mary in Domnica alla Navicella (Basilica Minore di Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella): site where he customarily distributed alms to the indigent;
• Annexed Church of St Lawrence in Miranda (Chiesa Annessa San Lorenzo de’ Speziali in Miranda): site of his sentencing and condemnation by the Prefect of Rome;
• Annexed Church of St Lawrence in Fonte (Chiesa Annessa San Lorenzo in Fonte): site of his imprisonment by the centurion Ippolito and of the fountain in which the Saint baptized his fellow prisoners;
• Church of St Lawrence in Panisperna (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Panisperna): site of his actual martyrdom/death and the oven used to roast him to death; and
• Papal Minor Basilica of St Lawrence outside the Walls (Basilica Minore Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura: site of his burial and sepulchre.
Also in Rome are three other significant churches that are dedicated to Saint Lawrence but not associated with his life:
• Minor Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina (Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Lucina), which possesses the relics of the gridiron on which and the chains with which he was martyred;[12]
• Church of St. Lawrence in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum, Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum, Pontificio Santuario della Scala Santa), proximate to the Archbasilica of St. John in Laterano, which was originally a private Papal chapel when the edifice that houses it was a Papal palace, and which housed some of the most precious relics of the Roman Catholic Church, hence the title "Sancta Sanctorum" ("Holy of Holies"); and
• Church of St Lawrence in Piscibus (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Piscibus), which is proximate to the Basilica of St. Peter.
Saint Lawrence Martyr Church in Redondo Beach, California
Miracles
The life and miracles of Lawrence were collected in The Acts of St Lawrence but those writings have been lost. The earliest existing documentation of miracles associated with him is in the writings of Gregory of Tours (538–594), who mentions the following:
A priest named Fr. Sanctulus was rebuilding a church of St Lawrence, which had been attacked and burnt, and hired many workmen to accomplish the job. At one point during the construction, he found himself with nothing to feed them. He prayed to St. Lawrence for help, and looking in his basket he found a fresh, white loaf of bread. It seemed to him too small to feed the workmen, but in faith he began to serve it to the men. While he broke the bread, it so multiplied that his workmen fed from it for ten days.[5][better source needed]
The mediaeval Church of St Mary Assumed (Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta) in the small commune of Amaseno, Lazio, Italy houses the famous reliquary of the ampulla containing relics of Lawrence, namely a quantum of his blood, a fragment of his flesh, some fat and ashes. Tradition holds that annually, on the Feast of St. Lawrence, and sometimes on other occasions, the blood in the ampulla miraculously liquefies during the Feast and re-coagulates by the following day.[13][better source needed]
Veneration
Due to his conspiring to hide and protect the written documents of the Church, Lawrence is known as the patron saint of archivists and librarians.[14]
Roman Catholic Church
Lawrence is one of the most widely venerated saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Legendary details of his death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. Devotion to him was widespread by the fourth century. His liturgical celebration on 10 August has the rank of feast in the General Roman Calendar, consistent with the oldest of Christian calendars, e. g. the Almanac of Philocalus for the year 354, the inventory of which contains the principal feasts of the Roman martyrs of the middle of the fourth century. He remains one of the saints enumerated in the "Roman Canon" of the Holy Mass as celebrated in the Latin Church.[citation needed]
Lawrence is especially honoured in the city of Rome, of which he is considered the third patron after St. Peter and St. Paul.[15] The church built over his tomb, the Papal Minor Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, became one of the seven principal churches of Rome and a favourite place of Roman pilgrimages.[10] The area proximate to the Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is named the "Quartiere San Lorenzo".[citation needed]
Because the Perseid Meteor Shower typically occurs annually in mid-August on or proximate to his feast day, some refer to the shower as the "Tears of St Lawrence".[5]
His intercession to God is invoked by librarians, archivists, comedians, cooks and tanners as their patron. He is the patron saint of Ampleforth Abbey, whose Benedictine monks founded one of the world's leading public schools for Catholics, located in North Yorkshire (North East England).[citation needed]
On his feast the reliquary containing his burnt head is displayed in the St. Peter's Basilica for veneration.[
Anglican Communion
Within Anglicanism Lawrence's name is traditionally spelled Laurence or Lawrence. His feast is on 10 August which is in the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer, the volume of prayers which, in its 1662 format, was the founding liturgical document of a majority of Anglican provinces. In the Book of Common Prayer the feast is titled "S Laurence, Archdeacon of Rome and Martyr". His feast on 10 August has been carried into the contemporary calendars of most Anglican provinces,[16] including the Church of England,[17] which designates it as a lesser festival under the title "Laurence, deacon, martyr, 258".
Anglo-Catholics venerate Lawrence, who is the patron of many Anglican parish churches, including 228 in England.[18][19] A major church in Sydney, Australia, in the former civil parish of St Laurence, is known as "Christ Church St Laurence". The Anglican charitable society, Brotherhood of St Laurence also bears his name.[citation needed]
Legacy
According to Francesco Moraglia the role of deacon is distinguished by service of the poor. He is destined both to the service of the table (corporal works of mercy) and to the service of the word (spiritual works of mercy). "The beauty, power and the heroism of [d]eacons such as Lawrence help to discover and come to a deeper meaning of the special nature of the diaconal ministry."[6]
Many churches, schools, parishes, towns, and geographic features throughout the world are named for Lawrence of Rome. Depending on locality they are named St. Lawrence, St. Laurence, San Lorenzo, St. Laurent, St. Lorenz or similarly in other languages. San Lorenzo del Escorial, the monastery built by King Philip II of Spain, commemorates his victory at the Battle of St. Quentin (1557) on the Feast of St. Lawrence.[20] The monastery and the attached palace, college, and library are laid out in a grid pattern that resembles the gridiron of Lawrence's martyrdom. The gridiron of Lawrence is also thought the basis of the design of the Certosa di San Lorenzo di Padula, which is a monastery in Padula, Salerno, Italy. Two universities bear his name: St. Lawrence University (non-Catholic) in Canton, St. Lawrence County, New York, United States, and St. Lawrence University in Kampala, Uganda.
On his second voyage, French explorer Jacques Cartier, arriving in the river estuary of the North American Great Lakes on the Feast of St. Lawrence in 1535, named it the Gulf of St. Lawrence.[21] The river emptying into the gulf was named the St. Lawrence River. Many names in what are now Québec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada are references to this important seaway, e. g., the Laurentian mountains north of the city of Montreal, Saint-Laurent (borough), Saint Lawrence Boulevard which spans the width of the Island of Montreal, and St. Lawrence County, New York, United States near Lake Ontario.
The rescue operation for the miners trapped in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident in Chile was named Operacíon San Lorenzo after Lawrence, patron saint of miners.[22]
In Freemasonry the Order of St. Lawrence the Martyr is a masonic degree whose ritual is based upon the story of Lawrence. It is one of the constituent degrees of the Allied Masonic Degrees.
Patronage
• Against Fire
• Against Lumbago
• Archives
• Archivists
• Armories
• Armourers
• BBQs
• Brewers
• Butchers
• Chefs
• Comedians
• Confectioners
• Cooks
• Cutlers
• Deacons
• Glaziers
• Laundry workers
• Librarians
• Libraries
• Miners
• Paupers
• Poor people
• Restaurateurs
• Schoolchildren
• Seminarians
• Stained glassWorkers
• Students
• Tanners
• Vine Growers
• Vitners
• Wine Makers
• Ceylon
• Sri Lanka
• Diocese of Alba, Italy
• Diocese of Amarillo Texas
• Diocese of Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Esbonderup, Denmark
• Gross Gartach, Germany
• Naurod, Germany
• Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
• Gyõrszemere község, Hungary
• Abano Terme, Italy
• Alba, Italy
• Angrogna, Italy
• Berzo Demo, Italy
• Berzo Inferiore, Italy
• Brissogne, Italy
• Cabella Ligure, Italy
• Camino, Italy
• Cavatore, Alessandria, Italy
• Chambave, Aosta, Italy
• Denice, Italy
• Folgaria, Italy
• Gamalero, Italy
• Lund, Sweden
• Montevarchi, Italy
• Mortara, Italy
• Pontinvrea, Italy
• Rome, Italy
• Santena, Italy
• Scala, Italy
• Seravezza, Italy
• Tivoli, Italy
• Zagarolo, Italy
• Limbazi, Latvia
• Il-Birgu, Malta
• San Lawrenz, Gozo, Malta
• Huesca, Spain
FYI SFC William Farrell SSgt (Join to see) SPC Tom DeSmetSGT (Join to see) SPC Woody Bullard SSgt Brian Brakke Sgt Albert Castro Sgt Vance Bonds SFC (Join to see) SSG Diane R.MSG Andrew White SSG(P) (Join to see) LTC Bill Koski CWO3 Dave Alcantara SPC Americo Garcia Sgt Jay JonesCWO3 Dennis M. CMDCM Gene TreantsSGM Bill Frazer CWO3 Randy Weston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL3kpSpGGG8
Images:
1. St. Lawrence (San Lorenzo) Giotto circa 1320-1323
2. St. Lawrence giving alms, Fra Angelico, 1449, Cappella Niccolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
3. Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, Fra Angelico, 144-1449, Cappella Niccolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
4. The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Damaso or simply San Lorenzo in Damaso is a parish and titular church in central Rome, Italy that is dedicated to St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr.
Biographies
1. instituteforchristianformation.org/LawrenceDeaconMartyr.html
2. wikiwand.com/en/Saint_Lawrence
Background from {[http://www.instituteforchristianformation.org/LawrenceDeaconMartyr.html]}
Saint Lawrence, Deacon & Martyr
Feast Day (Feast): August 10
On August 10 each year we celebrate the feast day of Saint Lawrence. In our Liturgical Calendar, this feast day has a ranking of a “Feast.” Recall that the highest ranking feast days are Solemnities, then come Feasts, then Memorials, and finally (optional) memorials. This alone tells you of the esteem with which the Church holds Lawrence, not to mention that his name is included in the Roman Canon.
According to tradition, Saint Lawrence was born in Spain. He studied in Saragoza, where he met the man who would later become Pope Sixtus II. Lawrence became his disciple, and a strong friendship grew between the two. Both eventually migrated to Rome. When Pope Sixtus II was elected pontiff he wanted Lawrence to serve as his proto deacon, the head of the deacons of Rome. In this role, Lawrence was in charge of the Church’s temporal goods and in distributing alms to the poor.
St. Lawrence (San Lorenzo)
Giotto
circa 1320-1325
Home Seasoning the Seasons Seasons Feasts of the Lord Feasts of Mary The Saints
At this time (3rd century), there was great hostility towards the Church and Christianity. The Emperor Valerian decreed that all bishops, priests, and deacons be put to death. On August 6, 258, less than one year into the reign of his pontificate, Pope Sixtus II and four deacons (Januarius, Vincent, Magnus, and Stephen) were arrested while celebrating the Eucharist, and were beheaded. We now celebrate the feast day (optional memorial) of Saint Sixtus II, Pope, and Companions, Martyrs, on August 7.
St. Lawrence giving alms
Fra Angelico, 1449
Cappella Niccolina, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican
Tradition says that Lawrence knew he would suffer the same fate as the pope and the other deacons, so he not only turned over all the wealth he had on hand to the poor, he also sold the Church’s goods, including liturgical vessels, and gave that money to the poor, as well. When a Roman official heard of this, he imagined the Church must have considerable wealth and treasures and demanded that Lawrence turn over all these treasures to the Roman government. Lawrence said he would do so but needed a few days to get all the wealth and treasures inventoried and ready to be handed over. When Lawrence returned, what he presented to the officials was not money or silver or gold – he presented the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the ill. He told the Roman official that these were the Church’s wealth.
The Roman official became outraged. Lawrence was sentenced to death, but unlike Pope Sixtus II and the other deacons, who were beheaded, Lawrence was sentenced to a slow, painful death. He was to be burned alive over a gridiron with flaming coals beneath it.
The details of the story that circulated about Lawrence’s death were well-known by early Christian writers. Saint Augustine noted that Lawrence went cheerfully to his death, reportedly saying to his torturers, as he was being roasted alive on the gridiron, "This side is done, turn and eat". Lawrence was put to death on August 10, 258, just four days after Pope Sixtus II and the other four deacons were martyred.
The name “Lawrence” means “Crowned with Laurel.” There are many people, male and female, who are named for Saint Lawrence. If you are named Larry, Lars, Laurel, Lauren, Laurence, Laurent, Laurenz, Laurie, Laurence, Lorenzo, Lonny, Loren, or Renzo – or another derivative of the name Lawrence – August 10 is your feast day! Because of the manner in which Saint Lawrence was put to death, and the cunning remark he was reported to have said while being martyred, one tradition on his feast day is to celebrate with an outdoor barbeque or cookout. And because of Saint Lawrence’s devotion to the poor, you might also honor him by almsgiving on his feast (and throughout the year!).
Saint Lawrence’s feast day is also celebrated by Eastern Rite and Orthodox Christians. You can read about Saint Lawrence (Saint Laurence) at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America’s web site here.
After Saints Peter and Paul, Saint Lawrence is venerated as the patron of Rome. He is also a patron of the poor, cooks, and even comedians (think again of the remark he reportedly made while being burned alive!).
Like Saint Lawrence, following the teachings of Jesus, may we, too, always know that the poor are the treasure of the Church. We have a wonderful example of how to live this teaching daily from our current pope, Pope Francis"
2. Background from {{https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Saint_Lawrence]}
Saint Lawrence
Martyr Born 31 December AD 225[1]
Valencia[2] or less likely Osca, Hispania (modern-day Spain)
Died 10 August AD 258 (aged 32) Rome
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodoxy
Anglican Communion
Lutheranism
Canonized Pre-congregation
Major shrine Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura in Rome
Feast 10 August
Attributes: Usually holding a gridiron and wearing a dalmatic
Patronage
Rome, Grosseto, Rotterdam (Netherlands), Huesca (Spain), San Lawrenz, Gozo and Birgu (Malta), Barangay San Lorenzo San Pablo (Philippines), Canada, Colombo City, comedians, archivists, librarians, students, miners, tanners, chefs, Balagtas, Bulacan, Balangiga, Eastern Samar, roasters, poor, firefighters
Saint Lawrence or Laurence (Latin: Laurentius, lit. "laurelled"; 31 December AD 225[1] – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, Italy, under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258. Lawrence encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin and one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers, in Caesaraugusta (today Zaragoza). Eventually, both left Spain for Rome. When Sixtus became the Pope in 257, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the cathedral church.
Life
Lawrence is thought to have been born on December 31, AD 225,[1] in Valencia, or less probably, in Huesca, the town from which his parents came in the later region of Aragon that was then part of the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis.[2] The martyrs Orentius (Modern Spanish: San Orencio) and Patientia (Modern Spanish: Santa Paciencia) are traditionally held to have been his parents.[3][4]
Lawrence encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek origin and one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers, in Caesaraugusta (today Zaragoza). Eventually, both left Spain for Rome. When Sixtus became the Pope in 257, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the cathedral church. He is therefore called "archdeacon of Rome", a position of great trust that included the care of the treasury and riches of the Church and the distribution of alms to the indigent.[5]
St. Lawrence Distributing the Treasures of the Church by Bernardo Strozzi
St Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, notes that Roman authorities had established a norm according to which all Christians who had been denounced must be executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury. At the beginning of August 258, the Emperor Valerian issued an edict that all bishops, priests, and deacons should immediately be put to death. Pope Sixtus II was captured on 6 August 258, at the cemetery of St Callixtus while celebrating the liturgy and executed forthwith.[6]
After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. St Ambrose is the earliest source for the narrative that Lawrence asked for three days to gather the wealth.[7] He worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the indigent as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect, and when ordered to deliver the treasures of the Church he presented the indigent, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering, and declared that these were the true treasures of the Church.[8] One account records him declaring to the prefect, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom and can be compared to the parallel Roman tale of the jewels of Cornelia.
On 10 August, Lawrence, the last of the seven deacons, and therefore, the ranking Church official, suffered a martyr's death.[9]
Martyrdom
As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was responsible for the material goods of the Church and the distribution of alms to the poor.[8] Ambrose of Milan relates that when the treasures of the Church were demanded of Lawrence by the prefect of Rome, he brought forward the poor, to whom he had distributed the treasure as alms.[9] "Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the Church's crown."[5] The prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals beneath it, and had Lawrence placed on it, hence Lawrence's association with the gridiron. After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!"[8][10] From this St. Lawrence derives his patronage of cooks, chefs, and comedians.
Lawrence was sentenced at San Lorenzo in Miranda, imprisoned in and baptized fellow prisoners at San Lorenzo in Fonte, martyred at San Lorenzo in Panisperna, and was buried in San Lorenzo fuori le Mura. The Almanac of Filocalus for 354 states that he was buried in the Catacomb of Cyriaca on the Via Tiburtina[9] by Hippolytus and Justin the Confessor, a presbyter. One of the early sources for his martyrdom was the description of Aurelius Prudentius Clemens in his Peristephanon, Hymn 2.
Historian Patrick J. Healy opines that the traditional account of how Lawrence was martyred is "not worthy of credence",[11][page needed] as the slow lingering death cannot be reconciled "with the express command contained in the edict regarding bishops, priests, and deacons (animadvertantur) which ordinarily meant decapitation."[11][page needed] A theory of how the tradition arose is proposed that as the result of a mistake in transcription, the omission of the letter "p" – "by which the customary and solemn formula for announcing the death of a martyr – passus est ["he suffered," that is, was martyred] – was made to read assus est [he was roasted]."[11][page needed] The Liber Pontificalis, which is held to draw from sources independent of the existing traditions and Acta regarding Lawrence, uses passus est concerning him, the same term it uses for Pope Sixtus II, who was martyred by decapitation during the same persecution 4 days earlier.[11][page needed]
Emperor Constantine I is held to have erected a small oratory in honour of Lawrence, which was a station on the itineraries of the graves of the Roman martyrs by the seventh century. Pope Damasus I rebuilt or repaired the church, now the Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, while the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo in Panisperna was erected over the site of his martyrdom. The gridiron of the martyrdom was placed by Pope Paschal II in the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina.[citation needed]
Associated Roman churches
The Roman Catholic Church erected six churches on the sites in Rome traditionally associated with his martyrdom:
• Minor Basilica of St Lawrence in Damaso (Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Damaso): site where he performed his duties as deacon of Rome;
• Minor Basilica of St Mary in Domnica alla Navicella (Basilica Minore di Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella): site where he customarily distributed alms to the indigent;
• Annexed Church of St Lawrence in Miranda (Chiesa Annessa San Lorenzo de’ Speziali in Miranda): site of his sentencing and condemnation by the Prefect of Rome;
• Annexed Church of St Lawrence in Fonte (Chiesa Annessa San Lorenzo in Fonte): site of his imprisonment by the centurion Ippolito and of the fountain in which the Saint baptized his fellow prisoners;
• Church of St Lawrence in Panisperna (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Panisperna): site of his actual martyrdom/death and the oven used to roast him to death; and
• Papal Minor Basilica of St Lawrence outside the Walls (Basilica Minore Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura: site of his burial and sepulchre.
Also in Rome are three other significant churches that are dedicated to Saint Lawrence but not associated with his life:
• Minor Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina (Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Lucina), which possesses the relics of the gridiron on which and the chains with which he was martyred;[12]
• Church of St. Lawrence in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum, Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum, Pontificio Santuario della Scala Santa), proximate to the Archbasilica of St. John in Laterano, which was originally a private Papal chapel when the edifice that houses it was a Papal palace, and which housed some of the most precious relics of the Roman Catholic Church, hence the title "Sancta Sanctorum" ("Holy of Holies"); and
• Church of St Lawrence in Piscibus (Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Piscibus), which is proximate to the Basilica of St. Peter.
Saint Lawrence Martyr Church in Redondo Beach, California
Miracles
The life and miracles of Lawrence were collected in The Acts of St Lawrence but those writings have been lost. The earliest existing documentation of miracles associated with him is in the writings of Gregory of Tours (538–594), who mentions the following:
A priest named Fr. Sanctulus was rebuilding a church of St Lawrence, which had been attacked and burnt, and hired many workmen to accomplish the job. At one point during the construction, he found himself with nothing to feed them. He prayed to St. Lawrence for help, and looking in his basket he found a fresh, white loaf of bread. It seemed to him too small to feed the workmen, but in faith he began to serve it to the men. While he broke the bread, it so multiplied that his workmen fed from it for ten days.[5][better source needed]
The mediaeval Church of St Mary Assumed (Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta) in the small commune of Amaseno, Lazio, Italy houses the famous reliquary of the ampulla containing relics of Lawrence, namely a quantum of his blood, a fragment of his flesh, some fat and ashes. Tradition holds that annually, on the Feast of St. Lawrence, and sometimes on other occasions, the blood in the ampulla miraculously liquefies during the Feast and re-coagulates by the following day.[13][better source needed]
Veneration
Due to his conspiring to hide and protect the written documents of the Church, Lawrence is known as the patron saint of archivists and librarians.[14]
Roman Catholic Church
Lawrence is one of the most widely venerated saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Legendary details of his death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. Devotion to him was widespread by the fourth century. His liturgical celebration on 10 August has the rank of feast in the General Roman Calendar, consistent with the oldest of Christian calendars, e. g. the Almanac of Philocalus for the year 354, the inventory of which contains the principal feasts of the Roman martyrs of the middle of the fourth century. He remains one of the saints enumerated in the "Roman Canon" of the Holy Mass as celebrated in the Latin Church.[citation needed]
Lawrence is especially honoured in the city of Rome, of which he is considered the third patron after St. Peter and St. Paul.[15] The church built over his tomb, the Papal Minor Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, became one of the seven principal churches of Rome and a favourite place of Roman pilgrimages.[10] The area proximate to the Basilica di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura is named the "Quartiere San Lorenzo".[citation needed]
Because the Perseid Meteor Shower typically occurs annually in mid-August on or proximate to his feast day, some refer to the shower as the "Tears of St Lawrence".[5]
His intercession to God is invoked by librarians, archivists, comedians, cooks and tanners as their patron. He is the patron saint of Ampleforth Abbey, whose Benedictine monks founded one of the world's leading public schools for Catholics, located in North Yorkshire (North East England).[citation needed]
On his feast the reliquary containing his burnt head is displayed in the St. Peter's Basilica for veneration.[
Anglican Communion
Within Anglicanism Lawrence's name is traditionally spelled Laurence or Lawrence. His feast is on 10 August which is in the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer, the volume of prayers which, in its 1662 format, was the founding liturgical document of a majority of Anglican provinces. In the Book of Common Prayer the feast is titled "S Laurence, Archdeacon of Rome and Martyr". His feast on 10 August has been carried into the contemporary calendars of most Anglican provinces,[16] including the Church of England,[17] which designates it as a lesser festival under the title "Laurence, deacon, martyr, 258".
Anglo-Catholics venerate Lawrence, who is the patron of many Anglican parish churches, including 228 in England.[18][19] A major church in Sydney, Australia, in the former civil parish of St Laurence, is known as "Christ Church St Laurence". The Anglican charitable society, Brotherhood of St Laurence also bears his name.[citation needed]
Legacy
According to Francesco Moraglia the role of deacon is distinguished by service of the poor. He is destined both to the service of the table (corporal works of mercy) and to the service of the word (spiritual works of mercy). "The beauty, power and the heroism of [d]eacons such as Lawrence help to discover and come to a deeper meaning of the special nature of the diaconal ministry."[6]
Many churches, schools, parishes, towns, and geographic features throughout the world are named for Lawrence of Rome. Depending on locality they are named St. Lawrence, St. Laurence, San Lorenzo, St. Laurent, St. Lorenz or similarly in other languages. San Lorenzo del Escorial, the monastery built by King Philip II of Spain, commemorates his victory at the Battle of St. Quentin (1557) on the Feast of St. Lawrence.[20] The monastery and the attached palace, college, and library are laid out in a grid pattern that resembles the gridiron of Lawrence's martyrdom. The gridiron of Lawrence is also thought the basis of the design of the Certosa di San Lorenzo di Padula, which is a monastery in Padula, Salerno, Italy. Two universities bear his name: St. Lawrence University (non-Catholic) in Canton, St. Lawrence County, New York, United States, and St. Lawrence University in Kampala, Uganda.
On his second voyage, French explorer Jacques Cartier, arriving in the river estuary of the North American Great Lakes on the Feast of St. Lawrence in 1535, named it the Gulf of St. Lawrence.[21] The river emptying into the gulf was named the St. Lawrence River. Many names in what are now Québec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada are references to this important seaway, e. g., the Laurentian mountains north of the city of Montreal, Saint-Laurent (borough), Saint Lawrence Boulevard which spans the width of the Island of Montreal, and St. Lawrence County, New York, United States near Lake Ontario.
The rescue operation for the miners trapped in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident in Chile was named Operacíon San Lorenzo after Lawrence, patron saint of miners.[22]
In Freemasonry the Order of St. Lawrence the Martyr is a masonic degree whose ritual is based upon the story of Lawrence. It is one of the constituent degrees of the Allied Masonic Degrees.
Patronage
• Against Fire
• Against Lumbago
• Archives
• Archivists
• Armories
• Armourers
• BBQs
• Brewers
• Butchers
• Chefs
• Comedians
• Confectioners
• Cooks
• Cutlers
• Deacons
• Glaziers
• Laundry workers
• Librarians
• Libraries
• Miners
• Paupers
• Poor people
• Restaurateurs
• Schoolchildren
• Seminarians
• Stained glassWorkers
• Students
• Tanners
• Vine Growers
• Vitners
• Wine Makers
• Ceylon
• Sri Lanka
• Diocese of Alba, Italy
• Diocese of Amarillo Texas
• Diocese of Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Esbonderup, Denmark
• Gross Gartach, Germany
• Naurod, Germany
• Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
• Gyõrszemere község, Hungary
• Abano Terme, Italy
• Alba, Italy
• Angrogna, Italy
• Berzo Demo, Italy
• Berzo Inferiore, Italy
• Brissogne, Italy
• Cabella Ligure, Italy
• Camino, Italy
• Cavatore, Alessandria, Italy
• Chambave, Aosta, Italy
• Denice, Italy
• Folgaria, Italy
• Gamalero, Italy
• Lund, Sweden
• Montevarchi, Italy
• Mortara, Italy
• Pontinvrea, Italy
• Rome, Italy
• Santena, Italy
• Scala, Italy
• Seravezza, Italy
• Tivoli, Italy
• Zagarolo, Italy
• Limbazi, Latvia
• Il-Birgu, Malta
• San Lawrenz, Gozo, Malta
• Huesca, Spain
FYI SFC William Farrell SSgt (Join to see) SPC Tom DeSmetSGT (Join to see) SPC Woody Bullard SSgt Brian Brakke Sgt Albert Castro Sgt Vance Bonds SFC (Join to see) SSG Diane R.MSG Andrew White SSG(P) (Join to see) LTC Bill Koski CWO3 Dave Alcantara SPC Americo Garcia Sgt Jay JonesCWO3 Dennis M. CMDCM Gene TreantsSGM Bill Frazer CWO3 Randy Weston
(6)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
Images:
1. Lawrence before Valerianus, detail from a fresco by Bl. Fra Angelico, c. 1447–50, Pinacoteca Vaticana
2. St. Lawrence in stained glass window by Franz Mayer & Co.. He is holding a palm branch, a symbol for martyrdom, and a griddle, the instrument of his death.
3. The shrine containing the gridiron that was used to roast St Lawrence to death according to tradition is in the Church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome.
4. The stone on which St Lawrence's body was laid after death, in San Lorenzo fuori le mura
FYI Robert Collet SSG Jose M. Hernandezsanchez SPC Paul C. CPO Charles HelmsCapt (Join to see) SGM Bill Frazer LTC Bill KoskiSGT Tim Fridley anthony-pandolfino CWO3 Randy Weston Alan K.SGT John Melvin1sg-dan-capriSGT Robert R.CPT Tommy Curtis]Sgt John H.PVT Mark Zehner
1. Lawrence before Valerianus, detail from a fresco by Bl. Fra Angelico, c. 1447–50, Pinacoteca Vaticana
2. St. Lawrence in stained glass window by Franz Mayer & Co.. He is holding a palm branch, a symbol for martyrdom, and a griddle, the instrument of his death.
3. The shrine containing the gridiron that was used to roast St Lawrence to death according to tradition is in the Church of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome.
4. The stone on which St Lawrence's body was laid after death, in San Lorenzo fuori le mura
FYI Robert Collet SSG Jose M. Hernandezsanchez SPC Paul C. CPO Charles HelmsCapt (Join to see) SGM Bill Frazer LTC Bill KoskiSGT Tim Fridley anthony-pandolfino CWO3 Randy Weston Alan K.SGT John Melvin1sg-dan-capriSGT Robert R.CPT Tommy Curtis]Sgt John H.PVT Mark Zehner
(5)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google