Saint Lawrence of Brindisi

Giulio Cesare Russo was born in Brindisi, in southern Italy, on July 22, 1559. Orphaned young, he was educated in Venice and joined the Capuchin Franciscans in 1575, taking the name Lawrence. He studied at Padua and had an extraordinary gift for languages, mastering Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, French and Spanish, and knowing much of the Bible by heart.

He became a celebrated preacher, sent by the popes to Germany, Austria and Bohemia, and founded Capuchin houses across central Europe. In 1601 he served as chaplain to the imperial army fighting the Ottoman Turks in Hungary and rode at the head of the troops holding a crucifix, encouraging them to victory at Székesfehérvár. Elected Minister General of the Capuchins in 1602, he was also used as a peacemaker between Catholic princes. He died in Lisbon on his birthday, July 22, 1619, while on a diplomatic mission. He was canonized in 1881 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1959.

He is buried in the convent of the Poor Clares at Villafranca del Bierzo, in León, Spain, on the Way of Saint James. Brindisi honors him as a beloved son, and Capuchin friaries around the world celebrate him as one of their great saints.