November 14 Celebration of Saints

November 14 Celebration of Saints

Saint Lawrence O’Toole

Saint Lawrence O’Toole was born Lorcán Ua Tuathail in Castledermot, Ireland in 1128.

When he was 10 years old, Lorcán was kidnapped. As a prisoner for two years he lived in austere confinement with little sustenance, an experience that strengthened his desire to live a pious life.

He entered the religious life as a young man and became the Abbot of the Glendalough Abbey in 1154, at the age of 26. During his first four months as abbot there was a severe famine and the area degraded to robberies and plundering. It is said he protected his community through his devout prayer and fasting.

As abbot, Lorcán was a religious reformer who worked to enhance the bonds between the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church. He aligned the abbey with the practices of European Frankish abbeys in Gaul, inviting Augustinian brothers to help coordinate the reforms. During that time he also became a member of the Augustine Order.

In 1162, at the age of 32, Lorcán became the Archbishop of Dublin. He continued his reforms and authorized the construction of several new churches, including the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, now known as Christ Church.

The city of Dublin was on an economic upswing, but it also had high levels of poverty. Lorcán focused on caring for its impoverished and marginalized residents. On Fridays and Saturdays he would fast on bread and water, and every year he would retreat in a cave near Glendalough for 40 days during Lent.

The walled city of Dublin was set upon by Norsemen in 1166 and Lorcán served as a mediator to stop the attack. For the rest of his life he would mediate conflicts between the Irish, English, Norse and Vikings, and it was said that all groups held him in high regard.

In 1179, Lawrence attended a council in Rome and received a papal bull from Pope Alexander III that confirmed the full rights and privileges of the Dublin See

Saint Lawrence O’Toole died the following year, on November 14, 1180 in Eu, Normandy. He was canonized a saint by Pope Honorius III in 1225. He is patron saint of the archdiosis of Dublin.

Read more about Saint Lawrence O’Toole. 

Other Saints for Today

Other saints for this day include:

Saint Alberic of Utrecht, Saint Clementinus, Saint Dubricus, Saint Gregory Palamas, Saint Hypatius of Gangra, Saint  Joseph Pignatelli, Saint Jucundus of Bologna, Saint Modanic, Saint Serapion and Saint Venaranda.