gather: St. Lawrence
Beef brisket and life cycles
‘Mid the blazing
Conflagration,
Wondering, praising,
Veneration
Pay we Lawrence, laurel-crowned;
Awe-struck bowing,
Venerate him;
Our love showing,
Supplicate him,
As a martyr most renowned.Excerpt from “St. Lawrence” in The liturgical poetry of Adam of St. Victor, from the Text of Gautier (1881)
For the past few years, I’ve hosted a Liturgical Life group. We’re a diverse gathering - of all ages, from a variety of denominations, learning alongside each other and working to graft the traditions of the liturgical calendar into our own varied circumstances.
At our St. James’ Day gathering this past July, some friends who are avid meat smokers & grillers (with their own handmade, bespoke barbeque sauce and mustard) asked about any upcoming saint days that could be enriched by their unique pot-luck offerings.
Looking ahead at the feasts for August, our stalwart pal St. Lawrence - martyred on a gridiron over a bed of hot coals - gave us a wink and a nod. He is, after all, the patron saint of cooks…especially those who work with fire.
Though some regions would avoid grilled & smoked meat on St. Lawrence’s feast, others would lean into his grisly martyrdom, featuring the culinary arts of grillers and smokers.
We were treated to an incredible smoked brisket, and then had a meaningful visit to the cattle herd to talk more about their life cycle on the farm…