Saint Lawrence of Brindisi

Giulio Cesare Russo was born in Brindisi on July 22, 1559, the son of a Venetian merchant. He lost his father early, studied with the Conventual Franciscans of the city, and — following the custom of those friars, who had young boys preach on solemn feasts — he began speaking in public as a child. When his mother died he was left alone and penniless, with no help even from his relatives, and at fourteen he went to Venice to live with an uncle. He joined the Capuchins, taking the name Lawrence. And this is where the extraordinary part begins: he learned languages. Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, German, French, Spanish, on top of Latin and Italian. He knew the Bible by heart in Hebrew, and when he preached to the Jews of Rome he did it in their own language. He was minister general of the Order and, above all, a diplomat across half of Europe: sent to Germany, Bohemia, Austria and Spain to negotiate on behalf of popes and emperors. In 1601, at Székesfehérvár, in Hungary, he found himself with the imperial army facing the Turks, and he led the troops on horseback with a crucifix in his hand; the battle was won, and the credit went to him. He died in Lisbon on July 22, 1619, his sixtieth birthday, while on a diplomatic mission for the Spanish court. Leo XIII proclaimed him a saint in 1881; in 1959 he was named a doctor of the Church. If your name is Lawrence, today is your name day — even though many wait for August 10.