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Lauren's Name Day
10th August |
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Symbols are often associated with Saints, it often helped in the middle ages when people were unable to read thus Laurence has the following symbols associated
Historically Famous LaurensExtraordinary stories are told of this third-century martyr, and traditional Catholics believe he is wellworth cultivating because he is thought to hold the privilege of rescuing a soul from purgatory every Friday. This was awarded to him in recognition of the particularly horrible martyrdom he suffered, which was among many other tortures - to be roasted to death on a gridiron. Laurence was one of the seven deacons of Rome, appointed to serve the poor and needy; he also served Pope Sixtus II as his librarian, When Sixtus was arrested and put to death in one of Emperor Valerian's persecutions, Laurence was commanded to hand over all the wealth of the Church. He asked for three days' grace, and then presented to the authorities a huge crowd of poor and handicapped people, widows and orphans, saying: 'Here is the Church's treasure.' This so annoyed the Roman authorities that Laurence was also arrested. The story goes that he never lost his serenity throughout the dreadful agonies to which he was subjected; as he was stretched out on the grid iron his last words were: 'Turn me over, I'm cooked on this side.' |