Saint Laurence Justinian, Bishop & Confessor
S. Laurentii Iustiniani Episcopi et Confessoris
Saint Laurence Justinian, a nobleman of Venice who forsook the world for the cloister, became the first Patriarch of Venice and a master of the spiritual life, esteemed for his holiness, humility, and charity to the poor.
Saint Laurence Justinian was born in 1381 of a noble family of Venice. As a young man, drawn by grace to seek God above the honours and pleasures that his birth set before him, he renounced the prospects of the world and entered a community of Canons Regular living a life of poverty, prayer, and penance. So thoroughly did he embrace this hidden life that he is remembered as one who chose to beg his bread rather than rely on his family’s wealth, and who made humility the foundation of all his virtues.
Pastor and Patriarch of Venice
His holiness and wisdom could not long remain hidden. He was raised, against his own desire, to be Bishop of Venice, and afterward, when the ancient patriarchal dignity was joined to that see, he became the first Patriarch of Venice. In this high office he lived as poorly and humbly as before, keeping his house plain, giving freely to the poor, and refusing the pomp that others might have sought. He was a vigilant shepherd of his flock, reforming the clergy, providing for the worship of God, and labouring for the salvation of all entrusted to him, while never laying aside the spirit of prayer and penance that had marked his earlier years.
Saint Laurence was also a writer of considerable depth on the spiritual life. His treatises on the love of God and the way of perfection flow from his own experience of prayer, and unite sound doctrine with fervent devotion, leading the soul toward union with God. For the wisdom and unction of these writings he has long been honoured among the spiritual masters of the Church.
A holy death
Worn with age and labour, Saint Laurence Justinian died at Venice on the eighth of January in the year 1455, esteemed by all for his sanctity, and was afterward canonised. His feast came to be kept on the fifth of September, the anniversary of his elevation to the episcopate.
The collect of his feast prays that the venerable solemnity of blessed Laurence, God’s Confessor and Bishop, may increase in us both devotion and salvation. In Saint Laurence Justinian the Church honours a pastor who wore the highest dignity of his city as lightly as a poor man wears his cloak, who fed his people with the word of God and his own example, and who taught, by his writings and his life, the way of humble and ardent love of God.
The Collect
Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that the venerable solemnity of blessed Laurence, Thy Confessor and Bishop, may both increase our devotion and promote our salvation.
Da, quæsumus, omnípotens Deus: ut beáti Lauréntii Confessóris tui atque Pontíficis veneránda solémnitas, et devotiónem nobis áugeat et salútem.
Patronage
He is venerated as the first Patriarch of Venice and is honoured among the masters of the spiritual life.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his memorial is observed on 8 January, the anniversary of his death, rather than on 5 September.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Laurence Justinian?
In the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 5 September as a Third Class feast, the anniversary of his elevation to the episcopate. In the modern calendar his memorial is observed on 8 January, the day of his death.
Who was Saint Laurence Justinian?
He was a nobleman of Venice, born in 1381, who left the world to become a Canon Regular and was later made the first Patriarch of Venice. Renowned for his humility, charity, and writings on the spiritual life, he died in 1455 and was afterward canonised.
What is Saint Laurence Justinian remembered for?
He is remembered as the first Patriarch of Venice, who governed that great see in remarkable poverty and humility, and as a spiritual writer whose treatises on the love of God are prized for their depth and devotion. His life joined the duties of a high office to the spirit of a humble religious.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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