08-10 · feast · red
St. Lawrence
Feast of the Roman deacon and martyr — courage, care for the poor, and a death the Church has never sentimentalized away.
What we celebrate
August 10 is the feast of St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr of Rome. The Church honors a man who identified the treasure of the Church with her poor and paid for that truth with his life.
How to keep the day
Give alms that cost you. Pray for deacons. Read his passion account and ask whether your “treasures” would survive his answer to the prefect.
Gift guide
Charity in his name beats decorative martyr kitsch. If you give an object, let it be useful to someone who needs it.
Gift guide
Lawrence gifts should serve the poor or steel the spine — alms given in his name, a deacon’s story told without irony, red for martyrdom not fashion.
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