Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Feast Day of St. Lawrence

Today is the Feast of St. Lawrence, one of the seven deacons of the Roman church and a victim of the persecution of the Emperor Valerian. In the year 258, in August, the same emperor issued an edict commanding all bishops, priests and deacons should be put to death immediately. (cf. Cyprian, Epist. LXXX, 1).

St. Lawrence has become one of the most venerated martyrs of the Roman church and his name is mentioned in the Roman Canon.

Here is his entry in the Roman Martyrology for August 10th:

"At Rome, on the Via Tiburtina, the birthday of blessed Lawrence, Archdeacon, who fulfilled martyrdom in the persecution of Valerian, after many torments -- imprisonment, various stripes, scorpions, rods and scourges and burning torches -- being last of all roasted on a gridiron. His body was buried by blessed Hippolytus and Justin the Priest in the cemetary of Cyriac in the Campo Verano."

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