St Lawrence the martyr and deacon of Rome (Feast day, August 10)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lawrence was born in Osca (Huesca), a Spanish city, in the first half of the 3rd century. He came to Rome,  the centre of Christianity. He was noted for his piety, his charity in favour of the poor people and for his behaviour and integrity. 

On account of his endowments, Pope Sixtus II named him Deacon of the Church.  He had to superintend the administration of goods, accept donations, look after them and provide for the needy, orphans and widows. 

On account of these duties, Lawrence was one of the most well-known personages of the early Roman Christianity, and one of the most venerated martyrs, so much so, that his memory was preserved by many churches and chapels built in his honour. 

History tells us that Lawrence was captured by the soldiers of the Emperor Valerian, on the 6th of August, 258 in the catacombs of St. Callixtus together with Pope Sixtus II and other deacons.  While the Pontiff with the other deacons suffered martyrdom, Lawrence was set apart, so as to extort from him the treasures of the Church.  It is related that when the emperor Valerian commanded him to hand over the treasures of the Church, Lawrence  brought to him the poor and the sick people and said: “Here are the treasures of the Church”. 

Afterwards Lawrence was taken into custody by the Centurion Hippolytus who confined him in the dungeon of his palace located on Urbana Street where the Church of S. Lorenzo in Fonte is located. 

In this dark damp narrow place there was a prisoner named Lucillus who was blind.  Lawrence comforted his fellow prisoner, encouraged him, catechized him in the doctrine of Christ and used a spring of water gushing out from the ground to baptize him.  After the baptism Lucillus recovered his sight. The centurion Hippolytus often used to visit his prisoners; and having ascertained the prodigious event and more over struck by the serenity and the meekness of the prisoners illuminated by God’s grace he became a Christian, receiving baptism from Lawrence. 

Afterwards Hippolytus being recognized as a Christian was tied to the tails of horses and dragged along on stones and brambles until he died. Lawrence was burnt alive on a grill in a place not too far from the site of the prison and his ashes were placed in the Verano graveyard in the Saint Ciriaca catacomb.  St. Lawrence’s martyrdom is dated in the Roman martyrology, on the August 10, 258 A.D. 

As a reminder of these events three churches were built in Rome which are still in existence.  St. Lawrence in Fonte (site of the prison), St Lawrence in Panisperna (the place of the martyrdom) and St. Lawrence in Verano (site of the burial). 

Click here to read a poem on the life of St Lawrence

Click here to learn about the powerful intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors and ways to help them.

Advertisement

Pray for the souls of deceased priests

Don’t forget to include in your prayers for the dead, the souls of priest.  They are often overlooked because people think that they went straight to heaven.  No doubt some of them did, but not all of them. They are human beings like us with merits and faults.

Go to this webpage for some reflections on this subject.

and also go to this page for information on the powerful intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and ways to help them.

Charity for the Holy Souls in Purgatory is the best form of charity.

More ideas for helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory

There are people who work as organisational experts, who advise people how to organise their life with housework and errands etc. so that we get things done quicker and more efficiently, and use up those “dead moments”. One of their good ideas is that we take our writing pad and pen, and catch up with writing notes to family and friends, while we are waiting in the doctor’s reception room or waiting for the train, or take with us a book that we otherwise don’t have time to read, or our knitting, crocheting kit etc. They advise us to use the “dead time”, those boring moments when we are stuck waiting for someone and we can’t do the laundry, or sweep the floor or catch up with something else. Their ideas are good, but I think that to pray the St Gertrude prayer for the Holy Souls (silently), while we are waiting for the doctor, or walking along the street, hanging out the washing, (which is not strictly a do nothing moment, but is the kind of activity that you can do while praying at the same time), would be really beneficial to them and to our own souls. It would beat writing your thank you letters or making your to-do lists, during the waiting times. A printed out copy of the prayer would help you to focus better, but watch out for the cars if you are crossing the road! An extra tip:  As well as helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory yourself, ask the saints to pray for them also. 

Below is a small homegrown prayer, which I would like to share with you, and which I hope that you will make your own. 

Merciful Jesus, Please grant that I and my family and a vast number of people throughout the world, will have an ardent charity for the Poor Souls in Purgatory and will encourage others to pray for them also.  Amen.  

For more way to help the Holy Souls in Purgatory Press here. There are many stories of their powerful intercession for their benefactors on the web page as well.  Below is the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great . (Many souls are released from Purgatory each time it is said).

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,  Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family.  Amen.

The St Gertrude prayer for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St Gertrude the Great to release many souls from Purgatory each time that it is said.

 

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,  Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family.  Amen.

 

The above prayer was given approval in 1936 by the Bishop of Liera, Portugal. This prayer is widely publicised with the claim that 1000 souls are released each time that it is said. However  “1000 souls” was replaced from the original word “many” and the words: “those in my own home and within my family” were added after 1936.

 

Reflections on the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

which is displayed in this posting

 

Many souls who are in Purgatory need only one prayer for their release, and unfortunately they are detained until this prayer has been offered for them. The fact that the “St. Gertrude” prayer releases many souls each time it is said indicates how great is the Mercy of God.  It also shows that God is making allowances for weak human nature that tends to run away from anything that looks like penance. The fact that many souls can be released by the “St Gertrude” prayer is a large incentive to the living to say this easy prayer as often as possible; thereby increasing their merit, reducing their own Purgatory, and obtaining the assistance of the Holy Souls in their needs.

 

Learn more ways to help the Holy Souls in Purgatory and about their powerful intercession for their benefactors by pressing here.

 

If you have received any favours through the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, please email me with the details and I might be able to publish them on this blog.  My contact information is on the right hand column. Please put in the subject line of the email the following words:  Holy Souls Favours

 

The healing of migraine headaches (Saint Philomena the Wonder Worker)

A lady came to my house. She was selling cleaning detergents in support of a charity. We had a chat.  She told me that she suffered from constant migraine headaches. I asked her if she would like a book and a novena card on Saint Philomena and explained that this saint is a great miracle worker. Even though the lady is a member of the Anglican Church, she willingly agreed. A year later the same lady returned and I recognised her and asked. “Aren’t you the lady that I gave a Saint Philomena book to?” “Yes” she replied.  I then asked her if she had prayed to Saint Philomena. The lady told me that she had prayed to the saint and that her migraine headaches were healed. In addition she said that she had asked Saint Philomena to improve her ten pin bowling score and this was also granted.

Useful links 

Novena to St Philomena the Wonder worker for the healing of autism

Each person who is enrolled in this novena will be prayed for regularly by a priest at Lourdes, in France.