On August 10, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St.
Lawrence of Rome. I remember his story from my childhood: His
name is evocative of romance, of danger, of grit and guts and
grace. Among the hundreds of saints who have been formally
canonized by the Church, St. Lawrence stood out in my youthful
mind as a sort of Robin Hood figure—loving the poor, jovial in
his daring example before the King. In particular, I was
entranced by three stories from his life: the legend of the
sacred chalice, the treasures of the Church, and his brave good
humor during his martyrdom. In essence, the Holy Grail, the holy
girls, and the holy grill. THE HOLY GRAIL As a deacon, Lawrence
was entrusted with the Church’s treasures—including, according
to lore, the cup from which Jesus and his Apostles drank at the
Last Supper. When it seemed that this most precious of relics
might be taken from him, Lawrence found a way to send the cup to
his parents in Huesca (in present-dayAragon) for safekeeping,
along with a letter explain