Lawrence of Brindisi
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, O.F.M. Cap. | |
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Born |
Brindisi, Italy | July 22, 1559
Died |
July 22, 1619 60) Lisbon, Portugal | (aged
Beatified | 1783 |
Canonized | 1881 by Leo XIII |
Major shrine | Villafranca del Bierzo |
Feast | July 21 |
Attributes | leading the army against the Turks, with the Infant Jesus |
Patronage | Brindisi |
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, O.F.M. Cap., (July 22, 1559 – July 22, 1619), born Giulio Cesare Russo, was a Catholic priest and theologian and a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.
Biography
Giulio was born in Brindisi, Kingdom of Naples, to a family of Venetian merchants. He was educated at Saint Mark's College in Venice, and joined the Capuchins in Verona as Brother Lawrence. He received further instruction from the University of Padua. An accomplished linguist, Lawrence spoke most European and Semitic languages fluently.
He was appointed definitor general to Rome for the Capuchins in 1596; Pope Clement VIII assigned him the task of converting the Jews in the city. Beginning in 1599, Lawrence established Capuchin monasteries in modern Germany and Austria, furthering the Counter-Reformation and bringing many Protestants back to the Catholic faith.
In 1601, he served as the imperial chaplain for the army of Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor, and successfully recruited Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur to help fight against the Ottoman Turks. He then led the army during the brief liberation of Székesfehérvár in Hungary from the Ottoman Empire, armed only with a crucifix.
In 1602, he was elected vicar general of the Capuchin friars, at that time the highest office in the Order. He was elected again in 1605, but refused the office. He entered the service of the Holy See, becoming papal nuncio to Bavaria. After serving as nuncio to Spain, he retired to a monastery in 1618. He was recalled as a special envoy to the King of Spain regarding the actions of the Viceroy of Naples in 1619, and after finishing his mission, died on his birthday in Lisbon.
Veneration
He was beatified in 1783 by Pope Pius VI, canonized in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII, and declared a doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959. His feast day is July 21.
Works
St. Lawrence of Brindisi Complete Works were published in 15 volumes, in a critical edition, between 1926 and 1956. They comprise:
- Mariale
- Lutheranismi hypotyposis
- Explanatio in Genesim
- Quadragesimale primum
- Quadragesimale secundum
- Quadragesimale tertium
- Quadragesimale quartum
- Adventus
- Dominicalia
- Sanctorale
- Sermones de tempore
His original manuscripts comprise 13 volumes in parchment and are located at the Archivio dei Cappuccini di Mestre.
See also
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lawrence of Brindisi. - St. Lorenzo Da Brindisi
- Saint Lorenzo of Brindisi
- Saint Lawrence of Brindisi
- A Homily by Lawrence of Brindisi
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lawrence of Brindisi. |
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