St. Lawrence of Brindisi (July 22, 1559 to July 22, 1619)

  "God is love and all his operations proceed from love."                                                                          (St. Lawrence of Brindisi)

   I've always found my "adrenaline high" by travelling to faraway places and most times I do it alone. I discovered early on that's the best way do things, since most people will say that they can't come along because they don't have the time or money.
  My words of advice are to take on any adventures that come your way. Do it when all is good in your life. Don't wait until you're divorced or find yourself in a state of boredom.
   That's why as I write this today, I can say I took the train to Brindisi, Italy (the heel of the boot) on the Adriatic coast, the last stop before the ferry to Greece.
  The city's patron saint is St. Lawrence of Brindisi who was born Julius Caesar Rossi on July 22, 1559. By the time he was 12-years-old, his parents had died. So, he was sent to Venice to live with his uncle and be educated at the College of St. Mark.
   St. Lawrence of Brindisi joined the Capuchin Friars in 1575. He graduated from the University of Padua and was ordained a priest at age 23.
  He spoke numerous languages including Italian, French, German, Latin, Greek, Spanish, and Hebrew which allowed him to communicate with all types of people, translate the Bible in its original form, and convert Jews and Protestants.
  In 1601, St. Lawrence of Brindisi became the Chaplain of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire. And although he was a highly educated, brilliant person, he cared about the needs of the common man.
  He died on his sixtieth birthday in 1619 in Lisbon, Portugal and is buried in Villafranca at the Cemetery of the Poor Clares.
  St. Lawrence of Brindisi was named an Apostolic Doctor of the Church in 1959 and his feast day is July 21.