Saint’s Life Story

His Early Life

Lorcán Ua Tuathail or Lawrence (also Laurence) O’Toole, was born around 1128 in Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland. He was the youngest of four sons of his father, King Muirchertach (Mauarice) Uí Tuathail (O’Toole). His mother one of the Clan O’Byrne. Lawrence lived during one of the most turbulent periods in Irish history. During this time, rival Irish kings struggled for power.

Hostage at 10

His childhood took a dramatic turn. While Lawrence was still a boy at 10 years old, he was given as a hostage by his father to Diarmait Mac Murchada (Dermot McMurrough), King of Leinster, who treated him with great harshness. His experience was harsh. He was poorly housed, poorly clothed, and poorly fed, and at one point was kept in chains.

For two years, Lawrence learned what it was to experience real poverty and oppression. For a child, such an experience could easily have produced bitterness. Instead, it became part of the foundation of Lawrence’s compassion. He learned firsthand what it meant to be powerless, hungry, and dependent upon the mercy of others.

Returned

Eventually, his father intervened, and convinced the King to turn him over to the Bishop of Glendalough. His father hurried there and asked the bishop to cast lots which of his four sons he should destine to the service of the Church. Lawrence cried out with laughter, ” There is no need to cast lots. It is my desire to have for my inheritance the service of God in the Church.”

At the time, Glendalough was a great monastic center associated with Saint Kevin. There, his life changed completely. He had fallen in love with the life of prayer and wanted to remain. That decision would shape the rest of his life.

Abbot at Glendalough at 25

At Glendalough, Lawrence studied and grew in the monastic life. He became known for his learning, prayerfulness, and character. Around 1153, when he was still only about twenty-five, the monks chose him as Benedictine Abbot of Glendalough. It was an extraordinary responsibility for a relatively young man.

Under his leadership, the monastery flourished, becoming a center of learning and religious life. His reputation for holiness and wisdom grew.

But perhaps the most touching part of his leadership was his concern for people who were suffering. During a famine, Lawrence reportedly sold monastery treasures to purchase food for the poor. He did not see charity as something secondary to religious life. Caring for hungry people was part of serving God. This concern for the vulnerable remained with him for the rest of his life.

Archbishop of Dublin

Through humility, Lawrence declined the See of Glendalough in 1160. However, after the death of the Archbishop of Dublin, Lawrence was chosen as Archbishop of Dublin in 1162. He became the first native Irishman to hold that office. His appointment came at an important moment in Dublin’s history.

Lawrence immediately began working to strengthen religious life in the city. He brought monks to Dublin from France, and they lived at Christchurch Cathedral. They helped many people to come back to Mass, and to the Sacraments. He introduced the reforming Augustinian Canons at Christ Church Cathedral and embraced their way of life himself. He also worked to improve clerical discipline and the spiritual life of the diocese.

Yet, even as Archbishop , Lawrence never forgot his own days of poverty. He welcomed homeless children, cared for them, and housed them in his own residence. He also invited poor people to his table and served them personally.

His prayer life was equally important. He rose early to pray the Divine Office and read Scripture. Sometimes, after the other monks had left Christ Church Cathedral, Lawrence remained behind in prayer. He would walk through the graveyard and pray while looking over the city of Dublin as it awakened.

When he needed solitude, he returned to Glendalough. There, he could retreat to a small hermitage on the lake, accessible only by boat. The contrast is beautiful: the archbishop could be found among kings and political leaders, yet he still longed for the quiet of prayer.

A Shepherd During War

Lawrence’s years as Archbishop coincided with one of the most difficult periods in Irish history. The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland began in 1169. Eventually, Dublin became caught in the conflict. In 1170, the city was attacked by forces associated with Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow. Lawrence attempted to negotiate and protect the people of Dublin. When violence broke out, he worked among the wounded and helped those who were suffering.

He was increasingly called upon to act as a mediator between opposing sides. This was dangerous work. Lawrence was not simply negotiating from a comfortable distance. Instead, he was trying to protect ordinary people caught between armies and political ambitions.

Attacked

In 1171, he travelled to Canterbury, England on diocesan business. While preparing for Mass there he was attacked by a lunatic who wanted to turn Lawrence into another Saint Thomas Beckett. Everyone in the church thought Lawrence had been killed by the severe blow to the head. Instead he asked for water, blessed it, and washed the wound; the bleeding stopped, and the archbishop celebrated Mass.

His efforts at peace continued for years. Lawrence traveled repeatedly between Ireland and England, playing a role in negotiations between King Henry II of England and Rory O’Connor, Ireland’s High King. He was one of the figures associated with the Treaty of Windsor in 1175.

Rome and a Larger Mission

In 1179, Lawrence traveled to Rome for the Third Lateran Council, where he represented the Irish Church along with other Irish bishops. Pope Alexander III was impressed by him and appointed him papal legate to Ireland, giving him responsibility for furthering Church reform.

For Lawrence, this was another demanding assignment. He returned to Ireland determined to continue reforming the Church and strengthening religious discipline. But, political difficulties remained. Lawrence once again needed to negotiate with King Henry II. In 1180, he left Ireland for what would be the final time. His goal was to address political issues involving King Henry and the Irish king.

He would never see Ireland again.

His Death

Lawrence traveled to England and then followed Henry II to Normandy. According to the traditional account preserved by the Dublin Archdiocese, Henry had treated Lawrence harshly and prevented him from returning to Ireland. Lawrence was already exhausted and became seriously ill. He eventually reached the Augustinian Abbey of St. Victor at Eu in Normandy. There, far from his homeland, the archbishop who had spent his life serving Ireland lay dying.

It is difficult not to imagine what those final days must have been like for him. He had spent years traveling dangerous roads and seas, negotiating with kings, caring for the poor, reforming the Church, and trying to bring peace to a divided country. Now he was sick in a foreign land. Lawrence died at Eu, Normandy, France on November 14, 1180. His tomb is in the crypt, under the Collegial Church at Eu. His reputation for holiness spread rapidly, and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage.

His heart was transferred to Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The 800 year old heart relic was kept in a wooden heart-shaped container sealed within a small iron-barred cage in St. Laud’s chapel in the cathedral. It was stolen in March 2012, happily retrieved undamaged in 2018.

Born:                      Around 1128 in Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland

Died:                      November 14, 1180 in Eu, Normandy, France

Beatified:              Unknown

Canonized:           1225 by Pope Honorius III

Feast Day:            November 14

Patron Saint:      Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland

Source:

• The Story of St. Laurence O’Toole – Archdiocese of Dublin
• CatholicSaints.Info » Saint Lawrence O’Toole
• Saint Lawrence Otoole – Saint for a Minute
• Lorcán Ua Tuathail – Wikipedia

Prayers

Video Link

St Lawrence O Toole – Saint of the Day with Fr Lindsay – YouTube (SPRING of FAITH)