St. Lawrence Our Patron
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- Last Updated: July 12, 2025, 4:05 pm
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Saint Lawrence – Our Parish Patron
We all say we belong to St. Lawrence Parish in Utica, Michigan. But how many of us really know anything about our Parish namesake? Not many would be my guess—and I would be included in those numbers.
Who Was St. Lawrence?
St. Lawrence, sometimes spelled Laurence, is believed to have been born on December 31, 225 AD, in the village of Huesca, in north-eastern Spain, close to the border with France. Not much is known about his early years—primarily because neither Google nor Facebook were around.
We do know that Lawrence encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, a famous teacher in Greece, in the village of Caesaraugusta, in the Aragon area of Spain. The two men traveled together from Spain to Rome. The future Pope was very impressed with Lawrence, and when he became Pope in 257, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon. Lawrence was only 22 years old. Later, the Pope appointed Lawrence as Archdeacon of Rome, the first of seven deacons who served in the Cathedral Church. This position was one of great trust, including the care of the treasury and riches of the Church, as well as the distribution of alms to the indigent throughout the City of Rome.
Persecution and Martyrdom
At the beginning of August 258, the Roman Emperor Valerian issued an edict that all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons should immediately be put to death. Pope Sixtus II was captured on August 6, 258, and was immediately executed.
After the death of Pope Sixtus II, the Prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. Lawrence asked for three days to gather the wealth. He worked swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the indigent as possible, to prevent it being seized by the Prefect. On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, Lawrence presented himself to the Prefect and stated:
“Here are the true treasures of the Church: the indigent, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering. You see, the Church is truly rich, far richer than your Emperor. Behold in these poor persons the treasures which I promised to show you; to which I will add pearls and precious stones, those widows and consecrated virgins, which are the Church's crown.”
There is a legend that says the Prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals beneath it and had Lawrence placed on it, hence Lawrence's association with the gridiron. After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!" From this, St. Lawrence derives his patronage of the poor, cooks, and chefs.
This is only a legend and is attributed to a mistake in translating the edict of the Prefect. A theory of how the tradition arose is proposed: as the result of a mistake in transcription, the omission of the letter "p"—by which the customary and solemn formula for announcing the death of a martyr, passus est ("he suffered," that is, was martyred)—was made to read assus est ("he was roasted"). Pope Sixtus II was decapitated four days before Lawrence. It is thought that Lawrence suffered the same fate.
Legacy and Inspiration
Many conversions to Christianity throughout Rome reportedly followed Lawrence’s death, including those of several senators witnessing his execution. The Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura (St. Lawrence Outside the Walls), Rome, was built over his burial place. He is named in the canon of the Roman Mass.
