St Lawrence StatueSaint Lawrence, Patron of Deacons Traditional Catholic Statuary in Plaster While not too much is known about the life and witness of this man of God, the Church honors him as the saint of the diaconate, as well as a martyr who died for Christ. Here he is shown holding the holy Gospel in one arm, with a grate next to him and a palm. Why? Tradition holds that he was burned alive for refusing to denounce Christianity, and the palm symbolizes his martyr