March 23, 2011. It feels like spring has finally arrived, as people crowded St. Peter's Square for the first general audience to be held outside in 2011. Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, a Capuchin friar who lived during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The pope commended the friar for his work ethic and commitment to spreading the Gospel, something he said that everyone could learn from.

Benedict XVI
“The new evangelization needs well-prepared, zealous and courageous apostles like Saint Lawrence so that the light and beauty of the Gospel may reach into the depths of every human heart.”

Saint Lawrence established Capuchin monasteries throughout what is modern day Germany and Austria.

His work helped to bring many Protestants back to the Catholic faith and spread peace throughout Europe.

Benedict XVI
“This son of the Franciscan tradition also applied himself heroically to efforts towards peace and reconciliation between the nations and peoples of Europe. His witness serves as an excellent example for our age, so fraught with violence, ethical relativism and religious indifference.”

Saint Lawrence was beatified by Pope Pius VI in 1783 and canonized almost a century later in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII.

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