Fr. Bob Kus 
Although there are many St. Lawrence’s in the Catholic Church, the one that concerns us in our parish is the deacon who lived in the third century and gave his life as a martyr in Rome. The above statue is a representation of St. Lawrence (Lorenzo) that sits in the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in El Hatillo, a community of Alubarén. The patron saint of Alubarén is St. Lawrence.
Lawrence was born probably in Valencia, Spain and eventually made his way to Rome. Pope Sixtus II ordained young Lawrence and made him one of the seven deacons of Rome. In fact, he appointed Lawrence as the deacon of the cathedral. In that position, archdeacon Lawrence had the responsibility of overseeing the funds of the Church and ensuring that those in need, such as the poor, crippled, widows, and others were cared for.
When the Roman empire decided to persecute the Christian Church, they martyred Pope Sixtus II. Lawrence, knowing the authorities would soon come after him and demand all the treasures of the Church, immediately got busy and gave away all the treasures to the poor and needy. So, when the authorities demanded he turn over the riches of the Church to them, he introduced the poor, blind, lame, and other unfortunate folks to the authorities, telling them that the people were the treasures of Christ’s Church. Needless to say, this infuriated the Roman authorities, and they sentenced Lawrence to death.
A wild legend, that has survived to this day, says that to kill Lawrence, they put him on a grill to be burned. The legend says that Lawrence at one point said, “You should turn me over, for I’m done on this side. Then, take a bite.”
St. Lawrence’s feast day is August 10th. In Alubarén, there is a weeklong festival each year featuring games, music, a procession, Mass, food, and other surprises for the people.
St. Lawrence is a patron saint of many places in the world in addition to Alubarén, F.M., Honduras, and he is a patron saint of a variety of occupations and activities such as barbeques, brewers, chefs, cooks, comedians, deacons, librarians, miners, poor people, restauranteurs, seminarians, wine growers and wine makers, and others.
