Lawrence of Brindisi (22 July 1559 – 22 July 1619), born Giulio Cesare Russo, was a Roman Catholic priest and a theologian as well as a member of the

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

. An accomplished linguist, in addition to his native Italian, Lawrence could read and speak Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Czech, Spanish, and French fluently. Lawrence was ordained a priest at the age of 23. Lawrence was beatified on 1 June 1783 and canonized as a saint on 8 December 1881.

Biography

Giulio Cesare Russo was born in

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, to a family of

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

merchants. The Conventuals of Brindisi were entrusted with his education. Showing an early gift for oratory, he was always the one chosen to address, in accordance with the Italian custom, a short sermon to his compatriots on the Infant Jesus during the Christmas festivities.Candide, Henri. "St. Lorenzo da Brindisi." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 12 December 2021 He was twelve when his father died, and continued his education at Saint Mark's College in Venice under the supervision of one of his uncles. Cesare joined the Capuchins in Verona as Brother Lawrence. He received further instruction from the University of Padua. An accomplished linguist, in addition to his native Italian, Lawrence could read and speak Latin, Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish, and French fluently. While still a deacon he preached the Lenten sermons in Venice. Lawrence was ordained a priest at the age of 23."Saint Lawrence of Brindisi", Franciscan Media
/ref> At the age of thirty-one, Lawrence was elected superior of the Capuchin Franciscan province of Tuscany. In 1596 he was appointed definitor general in Rome for the Capuchins. Pope Clement VIII assigned him the task of preaching to the Jews in the city. His knowledge of the Hebrew language was of great help in this regard. Beginning in 1599, Lawrence established Capuchin monasteries in modern Germany and Austria, furthering the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

and bringing many

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

back to the Catholic faith. He also founded friaries in Vienna, Prague, and Graz. It was on the occasion of the foundation of the convent of Prague in 1601 that he was named the

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

for the army of Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor, and successfully recruited Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur, to help fight against the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

. He then led the army during the

siege of Székesfehérvár The siege of Székesfehérvár also known as the siege of Stuhlweissenburg (French language, French: , French language, German: , ) began on 4 September 1601 when an Holy Roman Empire, Imperial force sent by Holy Roman emperor Rudolf II, Holy Roma ...

in Hungary from the Ottoman Empire, armed only with a crucifix. In 1602, he was elected vicar general of the

Capuchin friars The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM) ...

, at that time the highest office in the Order. He was elected again in 1605, but refused the office. Until his death, he was the best adviser of his successors. 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 60th birthday in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. He was entombed at the Poor Clares' Convento de la Anunciada (Convent of the Annunciation) in Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain.

Favourite blessing

Veneration

He was beatified in 1783 by Pope Pius VI and was canonized in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. In 1959 Pope John XXIII declared him Doctor of the Church with the title “Apostolic Doctor”."Saint Lawrence of Brindisi", Capuchin Friars, Province of St. Mary
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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.

References

External links