Lawrence lived in Rome during the persecution of Valerian. He was a deacon and worked closely with Pope St. Sixtus II. As a deacon, it was his job to take care of the Church’s money. His most important task was to help the poor, especially the widows and orphans. The Romans heard that Lawrence was the Church’s treasurer. They ordered him to hand over the treasures of the Church, thinking they would get gold and silver. Instead he brought the poor of Rome and said they were the Church’s true treasure. St. Lawrence and Pope Sixtus
were martyred a few days apart.