St. Lawrence of Rome (225-258 AD) is the patron saint of archivists, brewers, chefs, comedians, laundry workers, students, tanners, and wine makers, to name a few alphabetically. You’d be surprised to learn a saint with such a diverse patronage portfolio may have only been the stuff of legends.
Then again, that just makes me like him more.
Though Lawrence lived long before TMZ and Lifetime documentaries, some hazy details survive today. He is said to have been a promising young archdeacon of Rome, assigned to this position by longtime friend Pope Sixtus II. Lawrence was in charge of the Church’s riches in that little corner of the world, and he often found himself documenting the history of Christianity to make it accessible for the masses.
In August 258, Roman Emperor Valerian issued an edict that all bishops, priests, and deacons should immediately be put to death. When confronted to hand over not only his life but the riches of the Church, Lawrence asked for three days’ time to assemble everything—during which he proceeded to distribute as much wealth as he could to the poor.
When Valerian came to collect his dues, the archbishop of Rome instead presented the emperor with the suffering, crippled, and blind, proclaiming that these people were the true treasures of the church.
Long story short, he was grilled to death on a large gridiron—not before uttering his famous last words: “Turn me over, I’m well done on this side!”
The story of Saint Lawrence may not be true. And I’m okay with that, because I believe the real impact he has made on me is exactly that: the power of story.
When Hamlet dies in the play bearing his name, his final wish is to have his story told. I don’t think St. Lawrence ever desired that, but fiery death aside, he lived a good life—promoting literacy, venerating the marginalized, and keeping the peace within his domain. That itself seems like the stuff of legends.
To give posterity a hero to keep forever—to create such a story that the essence of the good you do lives on forever—that’s pretty legendary, too. To live a life worth telling and retelling for generations is a lofty goal, but an admirable one as well.
Aside from his slow-roasted demise, St. Lawrence isn’t too bad of a guy to model your life around. I have no dreams of holding high office in the Catholic church, but I do aspire to be someone with their priorities in order. Someone who values all the right things.
Someone who knows what their real treasures are.
And, when the end finally comes, I hope I’ll have a funny quip to be remembered by.