Lawrence of Brindisi

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Saint Lawrence of Brindisi
Born July 22, 1559 in Brindsi
Died July 22, 1619 in Lisbon
Beatified 1783
Canonized 1881

by Leo XIII

Major shrine Villafranca
Feast July 21
Attributes leading army, with Jesus
Patronage Brindisi

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (July 22, 1559, Brindisi, Puglia – July 22, 1619), born Giulio Cesare Russo, was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. 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.

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 Lorenzo. 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" for Rome for the Capuchins in 1596, and 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 Mercoeur to help fight against the Ottoman Turks. He then led the army during the capture of Székesfehérvár from the Ottoman Empire, armed only with a crucifix.

In 1602 he was elected vicar-general of the Capuchins, 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 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.

Backround

Born at Brindisi in 1559, the future Lawrence received the Italian baptismal name of Giulio Cesare—Julius Caesar. His father was Guglielmo de Rossi, a merchant, and his mother was Elisabetta Masella. Both were pious Catholics and their son gave early evidence of a religious vocation. He was educated under the Conventuals of Brindisi. Already a gifted speak by the age of six, he was consistently chosen to the annual children's sermon on the Baby Jesus during the Christmas festivities.

When Giulio was aged 12, his father died, and he was sent to Venice to with the clerics of St. Mark's Cathedral and under the supervision of one of his uncles. In 1575 he was received into the Order of Capuchins under the name of Brother Lorenzo and devoted himself to philosophical and theological studies at the University of Padua. Owing to his excellent memory, he mastered not only the principal European languages, but also most of the Semitic tongues. It was said he knew the entire original text of the Bible.

When still a deacon he preached the Lenten sermons in Venice. His gifts as an orator were so great that he was soon a called to all the principal cities of Italy to preach. His written sermons fill no less than eight folio volumes. His method of preaching was modeled after the great Franciscan missionaries, aiming primarily to reach people's hearts and ever mindful of the particular spiritual needs of his hearers.

From 1596 to 1602 he served as the Capuchin's "general definitor" in Rome, where Pope Clement VIII assigned him the task of preaching to the city's Jews, the Jewish population of the city having increased due to the pope's require the Jews of Italy to concentrate themselves in the ghettos of Rome and Ancona. Due in part to his knowledge of Hebrew, Larwence reportedly convinced a substantial number of the to covert. His success in Rome caused him to be called to several other European cities, where he also baptized numerous Jews.

At the same time he was commissioned to establish houses for his order in Germany and Austria. He faced serious challenges due to the progress of the Protestant Reformation, but succeeded in establishing monasteries at the provincial capitals of Vienna, Prague, and Graz.

At Prague in 1601 Lawrence was named chaplain of the Imperial army, which was then about to march against the Ottoman Turks. The Ottoman lead Mohammed III, since his accession in 1595, had conquered a large part of Hungary. The emperor, determined to prevent a further advance, sent Lawrence as his deputy to the German princes to obtain their cooperation. They responded to his appeal, and the Duke of Mercœur, who was also the Governor of Brittany, took command of the imperial army. With 18,000 men he prepared to attack 80,000 Turks and appealed to Lawrence for advice. Lawrence delivered a glowing speech tot he troops, inspiring them with confidence that they fought on the side of God. He then mounted on horseback and, crucifix in hand, took the lead of the army. Thus exposed to the enemy, the fact that he was not wounded was regarded as the result of miraculous protection. The city of Albe-Royal (now Stulweissenburg) was finally taken, and the Turks lost 30,000 men. A second battle then ensued, with Lawrence again in the lead. "Forward!" he reportedly cried, holding aloft the crucifix, "Victory is ours!" The Turks were again defeated, and the Duke of Mercœur attributed the honor of this double victory the help of God and the leadership of Lawrence of Brindisi.

On the strength of both his military and spiritual accomplishments, at the Chapuchin chapter (convention) of 1602 Lwarence was elected the order's vicar-general, the highest position in the Capuchin's constitution at the time. He quickly became an inspection tour that took him to Milan, Paris, Marseilles, and several cities of Spain. His reputation for holiness preceded him and people flocked to hear him preach and to receive his blessing.

His administration was perceived as great benefit to the order, and at the chapter of 1605 he offered a second term, which he declined to accept. He was then sent by the pope to evangelize Germany. He here worked to confirm the faith of the Catholics and reportedly brought back a great number of Protestant "heretics" as well.

When Catholic princes of Germany formed the alliance called the "Catholic League," Emperor Rudolph sent Lawrence to Philip III of Spain, where he succeeded in persuading him to join the League. He simultaneously acted as the ambassador of the both pope and of Madrid at the court of Maximilian of Bavaria, head of the League, in Munich. At the same time, he acted has his order's administrator for the provinces of Tyrol and Bavaria and as spiritual director of the Bavarian army. When a dispute which arose between the Catholic princes, Lawrence acted as arbiter. In addition to all these occupations, he undertook a missionary campaign throughout Germany to again deal with the Protestant challenge. He thus traveled for eight months in Bavaria, Saxony, and the Palatinate, together with several Capuchin colleagues.

Final journey

Lawrence withdrew to the monastery of Caserta in 1618, when he was requested by the leading men of Naples to go to Spain and apprise Philip III of the oppressive conduct of the Spanish Viceroy Ossuna. The viceroy attempted to prevent his departure, but Lawrence finally sailed from Genoa and carried out his mission successfully. However, the fatigues of the journey exhausted his strength, and he was unable to travel homeward. After several days suffering, he died at Lisbon on July, 22 1619. He reportedly predicted his death when he set out on his journey. He was buried in the cemetery of the Poor Clares of Villafranca.

Legacy

Amid so many busy undertakings, it is perhaps the greatest marvel of Lawrence of Brindisi's life that he was able to combine his external duties with a rich and contempleative inner life. He often fell into an ecstasy while celebrating the mass and was deeply devoted to the practice of the rosary. He often burst forth into spontaneous hymns of praise to the Virgin Mary, in whose name he reportedly worked miracles.

The known writings of St. Lorenzo of Brindisi comprise eight volumes of sermons, two didactic treatises on oratory, a commentary on Genesis, another on Ezekiel, and three volumes of religious polemics. Most of his sermons are written in Italian, the other works being in Latin. The three volumes of polemical writings have notes in Greek and Hebrew.

The process of his beatification was concluded in 1783, and he was canonized as a saint in December 1881. Together St. Anthony of Padua, St. Bonaventure, and Blessed John Duns Scotus, he is a Doctor of the Franciscan Order. In 1959 Pope John XXIII proclaimed him a Doctor of the Universal Church. His feast is kept on July 6.

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This article is part of the Doctors of the Church series

St. Gregory the Great | St.Ambrose | St. Augustine | St. Jerome | St. John Chrysostom | St. Basil | St. Gregory Nazianzus | St. Athanasius | St. Thomas Aquinas | St. Bonaventure | St. Anselm | St. Isidore | St. Peter Chrysologus | St. Leo the Great | St. Peter Damian | St. Bernard | St. Hilary of Poitiers | St. Alphonsus Liguori | St. Francis de Sales | St. Cyril of Alexandria | St. Cyril of Jerusalem | St. John Damascene | St. Bede the Venerable | St. Ephrem | St. Peter Canisius | St. John of the Cross | St. Robert Bellarmine | St. Albertus Magnus | St. Anthony of Padua | St. Lawrence of Brindisi | St. Teresa of Avila | St. Catherine of Siena | St. Thérèse of Lisieux

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