St. Lawrence of Brindisi

A Capuchin friar of remarkable linguistic gifts who preached in eight languages and served as a peace envoy across Europe. He led an imperial army at the battle of Székesfeéhervár in 1601 — riding ahead with only a crucifix — and helped defeat a much larger Ottoman force. Pope John XXIII named him Doctor of the Church in 1959.

Born Giulio Cesare Russo in Brindisi, he lost his father young and was raised by Conventual Franciscans before joining the Capuchins at sixteen. His mastery of Hebrew was so thorough that rabbis in Rome believed him to be a converted Jew — in truth he had simply absorbed the language through tireless study of Scripture in its original tongue.

He served as vicar general of the Capuchins and as papal nuncio, traveling ceaselessly from Lisbon to Prague to settle disputes and preach conversion. He died at Lisbon in 1619, exhausted by a final diplomatic mission on behalf of the people of Naples. His collected sermons and biblical commentaries fill eleven folio volumes.