Saint Lawrence
Feast day: August 10
Saint Lawrence, deacon of Rome, martyred in 258, who called the poor the Church’s treasure (10/08)
Who is he?
Saint Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of the Church of Rome, in the time of Pope Sixtus II. A deacon is someone who helps the bishop in the work of service: proclaiming the Gospel, assisting at Mass and caring for the poor. He is one of the martyrs the Church of Rome has loved most since ancient times.
Life story
He was put in charge of the money of the Church of Rome. That money was not used to make anyone rich, but to help the poor, widows and orphans.
In 258, the emperor Valerian ordered the persecution of Christians. On 6 August, Pope Sixtus II was arrested and killed together with several other deacons. According to tradition, when he saw Sixtus being led away, Lawrence sadly asked why his father was going without his deacon. Sixtus comforted him, saying that in a few days he would follow him.
According to tradition, a Roman official thought the Church had hidden away lots of gold and silver, so he ordered Lawrence to hand over all its treasure. Lawrence asked for three days to gather it. During those three days, he gave away everything to the poor. Then he brought before the official a crowd of poor people, disabled people, blind people and sick people, and said: “These are the treasure of the Church.”
The official was furious. On 10 August 258, Lawrence was martyred. According to tradition, he died on an iron gridiron set over a fire, but his heart stayed peaceful and cheerful to the last moment, because he knew he was about to go home to God. In Rome, a church was built right over his tomb and named after him very early on.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Lawrence faithfully served God in the poor, and bravely gave his life for Jesus. He lived exactly by the Lord’s words: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). He is the patron saint of deacons and of the poor.
A lesson for you
- See the poor, the sick and the lonely as people who are precious in God’s eyes.
- When you have treats or pocket money, cheerfully share some with those who need help.
- When people make fun of you for going to Mass or praying, keep your faith bravely and joyfully like Saint Lawrence.
Identifying marks
- An iron gridiron (a grill): according to tradition, he was martyred by being roasted on a gridiron; on the card the gridiron is cold, with no fire.
- A martyr’s palm branch: he died for the faith and shares in the victory with God.
- A red deacon’s vestment (a dalmatic) over a white robe: he was a deacon; red is the color of the martyrs.
- Stone columns of Rome: he served the Church in Rome.
- A money bag or a Gospel book (*): he looked after the Church’s money to help the poor, and a deacon’s job is to proclaim the Gospel.
(*) Only in some pictures and statues.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
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