HE FOUGHT WITH A CROSS!?!?!?!

Dear Reader,

This Sunday is the XVIth of Ordinary time but also today is the Feast of St. Lawrence of Brindisi. a brave Capuchin monk/friar/priest.

ENJOY

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, O.F.M. Cap. (July 22, 1559 – July 22, 1619) was born Giulio Cesare Russo, was a priest and a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. Giulio was born in Brindisi, Kingdom of Naples, to a family of Venetian merchants. He was educated at Saint Mark's College in Venice, and joined the Capuchins in Verona as Brother Lawrence. He received further instruction from the University of Padua.

Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, O.F.M. Cap.

An accomplished linguist, Lawrence spoke most European and Semitic languages fluently. He was appointed definitor general to Rome for the Capuchins in 1596; Pope Clement VIII assigned him the task of converting the Jews in the city. Beginning in 1599, Lawrence established Capuchin monasteries in modern Germany and Austria, furthering the Counter-Reformation and bringing many Protestants back to the Catholic faith. St. Lawrence of Brindisi ofm. Cap. In 1601, he served as the imperial chaplain for the army of Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor, and successfully recruited Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur to help fight against the Ottoman Turks.

He then led the army during the capture of Székesfehérvár in Hungary from the Ottoman Empire, armed only with a crucifix. In 1602, he was elected vicar general of the Capuchin friars, at that time the highest office in the Order. He was elected again in 1605, but refused the office. He entered the service of the Holy See, becoming papal nuncio to Bavaria. After serving as nuncio to Spain, he retired to a monastery in 1618. He was recalled as a special envoy to the King of Spain regarding the actions of the Viceroy of Naples in 1619, and after finishing his mission, died on his birthday in Lisbon.

He was beatified in 1783 by Pope Pius VI, canonized in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII, and declared a doctor of the Church by Pope John XXIII in 1959. His feast day is July 21, in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms.

What a Boss. We had a very similar Father in our Order at Jasna Gora during the Swedish invasion of Poland, Fr. Augustyn Kordecki O.S.P.P.E. Which I would like to write about more in the future. he would process around the battlements with the Blessed Sacrament. What a legend.

Our Blessed Father Augustine Kordecki O.S.P.P.E.

But, as we should let us finish with a prayer.

Almighty and Ever living God, for the glory of Your Name and the salvation of souls, You conferred upon St. Lawrence, the spirits of counsel and fortitude. Grant us, in the same Spirit, to know what we are to do, and through his prayers, to do what we have come to know. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.


and a Quote:

"God is love, and all his operations proceed from love. Once he wills to manifest that goodness by sharing his love outside himself, then the Incarnation becomes the supreme manifestation of his goodness and love and glory. So, Christ was intended before all other creatures and for his own sake. For him all things were created and to him all things must be subject, and God loves all creatures in and because of Christ. Christ is the first-born of every creature, and the whole of humanity as well as the created world finds its foundation and meaning in him. Moreover, this would have been the case even if Adam had not sinned.
 ~ St. Lawrence of Brindisi


Vale Amicus, till next time...