July 21: Optional Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, a Capuchin Franciscan priest and Doctor of the Universal Church, was born on July 22, 1559 in Brindisi, Italy. He is considered the greatest linguist among the Doctors. In addition to his native Italian, Lawrence could read and speak fluently Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish and French. He labored in many fields, serving as an army chaplain, diplomat, leader of the Counter-Reformation in Austria and Bohemia, teacher of Scripture, exegete and mariologist. Unusual for a scholar, Lawrence was acutely sensitive to the needs of others.

At age 31, he was elected Major Superior of the Capuchin Franciscan province of Tuscany. He combined brilliance, compassion and administrative skill to carry out his duties. In 1602, he was elected Minister General of the Capuchins. Under his guidance, the Order grew both geographically and in numbers. St. Lawrence is a tremendous model for priests in their studies and preaching. He died exactly sixty years to the day from the date of his birth and was canonized in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII.

The Life of St. Lawrence of Brindisi

His name was Julius Caesar, and he was born at Brindisi in the kingdom of Naples in 1559. Educated in Venice at the College of St. Mark, he entered the Capuchins and was given the name Lawrence. Finishing his studies at the University of Padua, he showed a flair for languages, mastering Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish, and French, and showed an extraordinary knowledge of the text of the Bible.

While still a deacon, St. Lawrence of Brindisi became known as an excellent preacher and after his ordination startled the whole of northern Italy with his amazing sermons. Sent into Germany by the pope to establish Capuchin houses, he became chaplain to Emperor Rudolf II and had a remarkable influence on the Christian soldiers fighting the Muslims when they were threatening Hungary in 1601. Through his efforts, the Catholic League was formed to give solidarity to the Catholic cause in Europe. Sent by the emperor to persuade Philip III of Spain to join the League, he established a Capuchin friary in Madrid. He also brought peace between Spain and the kingdom of Savoy.

His compassion for the poor, the needy, and the sick was legendary. Elected minister-general of his order in 1602, he made the Capuchins a major force in the Catholic Restoration, visiting every friary in the thirty-four provinces of the order and directing the work of nine thousand friars. He himself was a dominant figure in carrying out the work of the Council of Trent and was described by Pope Benedict XV as having earned "a truly distinguished place among the most outstanding men ever raised up by Divine Providence to assist the Church in time of distress."

In 1619, he undertook a journey to see King Philip III of Spain on behalf of the oppressed people of Naples who were ruled by a tyrannical governor. Lawrence reached Lisbon where the king was residing, and it was there that his last illness overtook him. His body was carried back to Spain and buried in the church of the Poor Clares at Villafranca del Bierzo.

Lawrence was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881 and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959.

Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints, Rev. Clifford Stevens.

Collect Prayer

O God, who for the glory of your name and the salvation of souls bestowed on the Priest Saint Lawrence of Brindisi a spirit of counsel and fortitude, grant, we pray, that in the same spirit, we may know what must be done and, through his intercession, bring it to completion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.