Lawrence

Master of the Acts of Mercy (1460/1470 ) (link)

Feast Day August 10

Patron of Cooks, Comedians, Deacons, Librarians

Situations Burns, Fire, Poverty

Professions Comedians, Cooks, Firefighters, Librarians

Saint Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of Rome under Pope Sixtus II, martyred in 258 AD during the persecution of Emperor Valerian. When ordered to hand over the Church’s treasures, he gathered the poor, the sick, and the disabled, presenting them as “the true treasures of the Church.” He was martyred on a gridiron and is said to have told his executioners, “Turn me over, I am done on this side.”