Brother Lawrence at work in the kitchen (imagined likeness, c. 1900). Source · Public domain
About Brother Lawrence
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (Nicolas Herman, c. 1614-1691) was born in Lorraine, served as a soldier in the Thirty Years' War and was left lame by a wound, and worked for a time as a footman. He entered the Discalced Carmelite friary in the rue de Vaugirard in Paris as a lay brother, where he served for many years as cook and later as sandal-maker. After his death his letters and recorded conversations were published by Joseph de Beaufort, vicar general to the Archbishop of Paris.
Frequently Cited
“in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess GOD in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”
“we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of GOD, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.”
The Practice of the Presence of God gathers four conversations with, and fifteen letters by, Brother Lawrence, a lay brother of the Discalced Carmelites in Paris who spent his days in the friary kitchen. The conversations were written down by a visitor, traditionally identified as Joseph de Beaufort, who first met him on 3 August 1666.
