Happy Saint Lawrence Day - August 10th

We’ve heard of St Patrick’s Day and we are familiar with St Nicholas, the dude in the red suit, prevalent in Western society around December, but who the dickens is St Lawrence???

This is something dear to me, for a number of reasons. The most obvious being that Lawrence is the surname of my beloved, but it goes further than that. I work in archives and St Lawrence is the patron saint of Archives & Libraries. He is the patron saint of a lot of things actually and I have developed a bit of a “Saint Crush” (if there is such a thing) on this very diverse and groovy character! Let me tell you about him, you’ll have a “Saint Crush” too before long!

Living between 225 and 258 AD, Saint Lawrence (or San Lorenzo, he was Spanish after all) was appointed the “Keeper of the Treasures of the Church.” This was about maintaining the written records of the Church, but he was also supposedly in possession of a challis that is said to have been used by Jesus and the disciples at the last supper.

On August 8 258 AD, Emperor Valerian captured St Lawrence and gave him 2 days to bring to him the ‘treasures’ of the church. This meant all the goods of monetary value as well as a list of all the members who could be extorted for wealth. St Lawrence threw a spanner in the works, which ultimately cost him his life, but granted him martyrdom. He gathered together the lowliest members of the church. The crippled, diseased, poor and orphaned and brought them to Emperor Valerian and declared, “These are the treasures of the church.”

To say Emperor Valerian was a little peeved was an understatement. He got together a bunch of his mates and arranged a BBQ, but there was no need to BYO chops and snags, because it was Lawrence himself who was chucked on the grill.

In the face of adversity, St Lawrence kept a sense of humour. While he was lying on the grill, no doubt in absolute agony, he called out to his captors, "I am already roasted on one side and, if thou wouldst have me well cooked, it is time to turn me on the other." (I got that quote of Wikipedia, so accuracy cannot be guaranteed, but I thought it polite to reference!) To that end, Lawrie has also earned patron sainthood of comedians and barbeque's as well!
So on the 10th of August, go to the Library, chuck a BBQ, go see a stand up comic or donate to a worthy charity. Do it in honour of St Lawrence, a lovable larrikin of a Saint!