Greetings from Scotland

Last night after work I drove for a tiring eight hours up to Gartmore House in Scotland for SPUC International Student Pro-Life Conference this weekend. It is my first visit north of the border and my first impressions are that Scotland is absolutely stunning.

I arrived at the venue in pitch black at half past midnight. The conference got underway at tea time yesterday but there were still quite a few delegates up chatting. It was only when I opened the curtains this morning when I realised how beautiful the rugged scenery of the Trossachs is. I hope to take some snaps later today and post them when I get back. SPUC's divisions manager Rab McDonald has been acting like a Scottish tourist board official telling me the places to visit in the country. I'm definitely coming back for a longer stay.

I've just noticed this computer in the library becoming free shortly after lunch and have only a few minutes before the programme resumes.

This morning, we were treated to talks on Pro-Life feminism and on SPUC's Silent No More Awareness Campaign. Just before lunch, the keynote speaker, the great niece of Martin Luther King, Celeste Beal, gave a talk about abortion being the number one civil rights breech of our time. She said: "No way is abortion a civil right because it is wrong. As Pope Benedict XVI has said, it is a deep wound in our society.
"How can 'the dream' survive if we murder the children?"

You will get a full report of her talk when I get chance.

It's fantastic to see around 40 or 50 young people from universities and 6th Form colleges up and down the UK and from further afield who have come to learn more about the horrors of abortion and be armed with the tools to go back to their campuses and take the pro-life message to their fellow students.

Easter 40 Martyr Reflections: Saint John Southworth

Fr John Southworth acted in the person of Christ by caring for the outcasts, those labelled as unclean by the rest of society. He followed Christ’s example of ministering to lepers by providing relief to victims of the plague. The priest roamed the streets of Westminster - most probably with another of the 40 Martyrs, Henry Morse – helping known Catholics who were not eligible for help by parishes. Fr Southworth, like many of the martyrs, also converted many Protestants, both rich and poor.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this saint is the movement of his body since his execution at Tyburn in 1654. It was delivered to a member of the Duke of Norfolk’s family and then transferred to Douai (where Fr Southworth trained to be a priest) for burial. Other accounts say that the Spanish Ambassador bought his mangled body from the hangman and had it stitched together then sent to the College in France. The body was venerated up to the time of the French Revolution. When war broke out between the Jacobin Government and England after the execution of Louis XVI, a mob of citizens invaded the English College at Douai and seized numerous items. In 1926, the old buildings of the College, which had been used for various purposes since 1793, were pulled down to make way for developments. During the excavations, a laden coffin was found with Fr Southworth’s body in it. Near to the coffin, the hair-shirt of St Thomas of Canterbury and the scarlet biretta of St Charles Borromeo were found. The news quickly got back to England and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster attempted to recover the martyr’s body. Eventually, a Rev Albert Purdie brought the body back to English shores. A hearse took it from Dover to St Edmund’s College, Ware. At the end of April 1930, it was taken to Westminster Cathedral and rested in the Chapel of St George in front of hundreds of priests and people. The body still lies encased in the Cathedral today.

John was born in 1592 into the staunchly Catholic Southworth family of Samlesbury Hall in Preston. His father had paid heavy fines for refusing to attend Protestant services and had even spent time in jail for harbouring St Edmund Campion at the Hall. John was sent to Douai at the age of 21 and educated there before being ordained in 1618.

Sent on the English Mission in October 1619, he initially served in his native county of Lancashire. But Fr John was arrested and condemned to death in 1627. He was first imprisoned at Lancaster Castle, where he gave the last rites to Jesuit Edmund Arrowsmith - who was to become another of the 40 martyrs – as he was being led away for execution. In April 1630, Fr Southworth was transferred to the Clink, London but a month later was released along with 15 other priests through the intervention of Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of Charles I, who achieved reprieves for many condemned Catholic priests. They were delivered to the French Ambassador for banishment and were duly transported abroad. But despite the dangers, the determined priest returned to England a few years later.

Arrested numerous times after his return, it was then that Fr Southworth began to organise plague relief for the recusant poor of Westminster. Much of the work was done whilst he was on daily parole as a prisoner in the Clink.

As the outbreak of Civil War struck, the enforcement of the penal laws against "popish" priests was stepped up under Oliver Cromwell. Southworth’s final apprehension in 1654 was to be the final straw. Dragged from his bed one night by Colonel Worsley, the faithful priest fully admitted that he had exercised the duties of Holy Orders since his last release from prison.

During his trial at the Old Bailey, he insisted on pleading "guilty" to being a priest. Despite the reluctance of the Recorder of London, Serjeant Steel, he was sentenced to death.

On June 28, the 62-year-old was dragged to Tyburn on a sledge in mud and sludge. Despite a great storm, thousands came to watch his execution, including a number of gentry seated in horse-drawn carriages.

Unlike many of the martyrs, Fr Southworth was permitted to make a long speech at the gallows whilst wearing his vestments. In it he confessed that he was a great sinner for his offences against God but that he was innocent of any sin against the Commonwealth and the Government. After his speech was cut short and asking the Catholics in the crowd to pray fore him, he shut his eyes and prayed quietly. Then the trapdoor opened he was hanged, drawn and quartered.

Despite being imprisoned and released numerous times in a constantly changing political climate, Fr Southworth was defiant in his loyalty to serve the people of God in England. He was clearly respected amongst Catholics – peasants and nobility alike. His work amongst the sufferers of the deadly plague clearly identifies him as a saint to pray to for those with, and caring for, contagious diseases. The care and consideration taken by the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England to recover his body highlights the sacredness of saints’ relics, particularly those of the Reformation. These we must venerate at every possible opportunity and use to pray to Our Lord through the intercession of the saints.

Saint John Southworth, Pray For Us.

Lenten 40 Martyr Reflections

OK, alright, so I've failed miserably in my Lenten mission, to provide you with reflections on all the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales by yesterday! I think I've only managed about 10 which is a poor show.

To be honest, I hadn't anticipated how long each one would take to find, gather and read information and then reflect upon the saint before typing everything up. It takes a long time to give each martyr the attention they deserve, especially with a full time job on my hands.

From what I can gather via post messages and from what people have told me, these reflections have been quite popular (correct me if I'm wrong). Therefore, these Lenten reflections will just become Easter ones! I am determined to get all of them done as quickly as possible.

40 English and Welsh Martyrs, Pray For Us.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien

Once again, Cardinal Keith O'Brien has courageously spoke out against attacks on human dignity, using strong words from the pulpit and hitting the headlines.

His Easter homily is to slam the HFE Bill as a "a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life". He says: "Insome other European countries one could be jailed for doing what we intend to make legal."

Like with his sermon on abortion, Cardinal O'Brien's comments have already, and are likely, to cause more vitriolic responses from pro-abortionists, secularists and the like who say that he has no right to mix religious belief with politics and the usual nonsense. Actually, he's got as much right as anyone else to condemn a government from a public platform. Thank God that despite our society being undemocratic in killing more than 600 unborn children a day, we still have the right, although limited in some forums, to freedom of speech.

The Scottish Catholic Media Office is doing a fine job in helping the Cardinal to grab the headlines and take on the very people that are putting future lives under threat of being manipulated, experimented on or aborted. The Church should do more to use communication as a tool to get its teaching across to secular Britain in order to save lives.

Because the Cardinal will come under attack, we must back him up with letters to newspapers, posts on newspaper websites, and, most important of all, we must all write to the Cardinal in support of his stance and offer our help to get his message across. We should also urge our own bishops to speak out against this "Frankenstein" bill.

Click here to read the sermon.

Wilberforce would have campaigned against abortion, says relative

William Wilberforce would have abortion at the top of his list to fight against if he was alive today, the slavery abolitionist's great great grandson has said.

Catholic priest Father Gerard Wilberforce said the status of the foetus and the status of African slaves two centuries ago have "great similarities".

His comments come in an article published on Good Friday by the Passion For Life website.

In it he says: "I am often asked what would be the campaigns Wilberforce would be fighting if he were alive in 21st century Britain. I believe that there would be a number of different issues - among them human traffiking and the scourge of drugs. But almost certainly at the top of the list, would be the issue of abortion.

"Slaves were considered a commodity to do with whatever the vested interests of the day decided. Today, in our desire to play God in our embryology experimentation, with all its’ unfulfilled promises of miracle cures, and our decision to abort unwanted children, we are no better that those slave traders who put their interests and world view higher than they placed the sanctity and value of human life."

Apart from calling for amendments to the HFE Bill to tighten the law on abortion, which this blog has serious concerns about, the article is excellent.

I, and many people involved in the pro-life movement, have consistently said that if Wilberforce were alive today he would be leading the fight against the killing of innocent human life in the womb. How fantastic it is to have a direct descendant of the man himself say this.

A few years ago, SPUC Evangelicals published a very successfully circulated leaflet entitled Who will be today’s Wilberforce for unborn children?

Fr Gerard is a Catholic priest currently based in Devon. I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing him after a lecture by Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald last year as part of Hull's commemoration of 2ooth anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

Cameron loses all credibility

David Cameron lost all credibility this week, if he ever had any anyway.

This blog commended the Tory leader for challenging the Prime Minister to allow a free vote to his party on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. At Prime Minister's questions on Wednesday, Cameron reiterated his call.

But on Monday the Daily Mail exposed his warped position on the abortion issue. After initially announcing that he backs moves to cut the abortion time limit for social abortions down from 24 weeks to 20, he told the Mail that he still agrees with the law that allows abortion up to birth for unborn babies with disabilities despite having a child with a severe disability. The paper reported that:

MPs are expected to vote on a proposal to change the rule that allows abortions as late as 39 weeks if the unborn child is diagnosed with a disability. But Mr Cameron said: "I won't be supporting that. The current law should remain."

Cameron's five-year-old son Ivan was born with a severe form of cerebral palsy and epilepsy and needs 24-hour care.

This makes it all the more baffling that he supports a law which would have legally allowed their son to have been aborted as late as 39 weeks if they had so wished. So Mr Cameron thinks the life of healthy unborn babies past 20 weeks should be protected by law but babies with as minor a disability of a hare lip or as serious as cerebral palsy can be violently killed in their mother's womb? This is a seriously confused man.

As John Smeaton rightly points out, this news shows the danger of amendments to reduce abortion time limits in the HFE Bill. It's an approach that pro-life MPs are almost definitely going to take - but the real consequence of such a move may well be a concession to liberalise the law in other areas. The current parliament is possibly the most anti-life ever. It is very likely that Mr Cameron's warped view is shared by many other members. Other amendments could include removing restrictions to abortion on demand in early pregnancy, allowing nurses to perform certain types of abortion and extending the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland.

Cameron also revealed that he would be largely supportive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill "because he supports its objective of overhauling the rules on fertility". The clause which will remove a child's need for a father is about the only aspect of the bill that he raises concerns about.

He told the Mail: "Generally my approach is I want to improve the process of dealing with the genetic defects and diseases that cause so much suffering.

"When you have been for genetic counselling and had the answer it could be this or that it could be that, the idea of medical science advancing is not without its attractions," he said.
"I feel it very strongly myself for obvious personal reasons, so I will be voting for the Bill in free votes pretty much the whole way through."

I wonder if Mr Cameron knows that during 18 years of legalised embryo research, not one cure or treatment has developed from it, whereas plenty have resulted from ethical adult stem cell research. He is deluded if he thinks that widening the scope of embryo research through the provisions of this pernicious bill will automatically provide wonder cures. The astonishing thing is that no-one pushing for relaxing embryo research laws has managed to explain in depth just how creating animal-hybrid embryos will help to cure degenerative diseases. As Lord Alton has been saying in his public meetings on the Bill, the government is going into a cul-de-sac which is going nowhere.

On the free vote for Labour MPs issue, I have now come to realise that, whilst it is scandalous that these matters of consciences are the subject of a three line whip, this issue is now becoming a tool, a smokescreen which the government is using to its advantage. This is apparent from Gordon Brown's latest response to a question asked by Cameron on Wednesday. The Prime Minister said:

"This is an important Bill that improves the facilities for research and is vital for dealing with life-threatening diseases. It is a Bill that has gone through the House of Lords. I said very clearly that everybody in this House should have the right to exercise their consciences. We will come back to the House with our proposals to take it through in later times."

Tonight, on BBC News 24, political correspondent Rita Chakrabarti understood this to be an indication (backed up by her Labour backbench sources) that the Prime Minister and Labour whips would negotiate concessions on the bill introduced at a later stage on the condition that Catholic cabinet ministers and Labour MPs with concerns on the bill vote for it in principle at second reading. If this is the case it is seriously alarming. There is nothing good about this bill - the mere title of it indicates that it is just plain wrong for Catholic politicians to vote for it. They have a moral obligation not to support it and, indeed, to oppose it regardless of the consequences to their political careers. It was encouraging to hear from the BBC correspondent about fresh indications that Paul Murphy (Welsh Secretary) is prepared to resign if not granted an un-whipped vote.

Lenten 40 Martyr Reflections: Saint Edmund Campion

Holy Week is an appropriate time, I think, to reflect on St Edmund Campion. He firmly united his sufferings with Christ and endured some similar trials that his Lord did during the crucifixion.

Edmund, a Jesuit priest, was innocent of the crime for which he was tried. He was paraded through the streets before crowds of people who mocked and abused him. Supposedly learned Protestant ministers berated him at public disputes at which Edmund was threatened with silence and showed humility. He was severely tortured on a rack to the point at which he could not even feel his hands and feet. He had a painful journey to his death, with people both cursing him and helping him, wiping filth from his face as the priest was dragged through the muddy streets of London which was still bearing the brunt of seven days rain.

Throughout his imprisonment, torture and execution, Edmund was constantly being urged to conform to Protestantism, from which he had originally converted to the Church of Rome. He stayed loyal to his Catholic faith – even refusing to pray in English on the gallows with the Church of England minister who looked on. Edmund said: "I will pray in a language I well understand." He consistently denied the charge of treason, the evidence for which was so weak that the prosecution had to get known liars to testify against him and other priests accused of the same indictment.

Previously, I have often misread this saint’s name as "Edmund Champion". It was therefore interesting to hear that he was actually known as "the Pope’s Champion" by the authorities, who placed specific attention on him when launching an operation to apprehend the Jesuits who they claimed were planning an invasion of England.

Edmund Campion was born on January 25 1540 in the appropriately named Paternoster Row – a street so-called as many of its inhabitants were makers of "paternoster" beads, or rosaries, whilst others sold religious books. Edmund’s father was a bookseller. The street, which still exists, was a stone’s throw away from the old St Paul’s Cathedral. The Norman construction complete with 7th century additions was even more imposing than Wren’s 17th century building. It was higher and longer, therefore dominating the city of London. He probably went to his first Masses there and his birthplace was within walking distance of the Tower, where he was to face the excruciating pain of torture in later life.

After initially being educated at a London grammar school, a city company sent him to Christ Church Hospital. This was Edward VI’s 1552 foundation for orphans and poor children – indicating that Edmund may have even been an orphan himself at this young age. At this institution he flourished, winning every academic debate in which he entered. He began to become renowned as one of the best London scholars and a sensational speaker. At the age of 13, he was chosen to make the scholars’ address to Queen Mary in August 1553.

Aged just 15, Edmund won an exhibition and was accepted as one of Sir Thomas White’s first scholars at St. John’s College, Oxford, which Sir Thomas built and endowed. Two years later, Edmund became a Junior Fellow. His good looks, charm and cleverness made him popular and admired by his peers. In 1564 he took his degree and became a fellow of the college. After another degree, he became a celebrated tutor, and, by 1568, junior proctor.

In 1566, Queen Elizabeth visited Oxford. The monarch was so impressed with Campion in a series of debates in Latin and Greek that he started to be invited to the court. There is no doubt that the academic was being groomed as a potential bishop – or even for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s role. But something was niggling at Edmund which was guiding him to Catholicism.
Whether it was his studying of the Church fathers or the influence of a high church bishop (or both), his conscience was being tested. He went onto receive deacon’s orders in the Church of England but could not rid himself of a feeling of sin surrounding his role. His devotion and zeal through his continued studies led him to priesthood. Rumours began to spread about his opinions and Edmund fled to the University of Dublin in Ireland.

In 1571, he secretly left the Emerald Isle for Douai and was reconciled to the Catholic Church. As well as being a seminary, the English College at Douai was a place where priests for the mamouth task of the English mission were prepared. Having gained yet another degree, a Bachelor of Divinity, he joined the Jesuit order and trotted off to Rome disguised as a poor pilgrim. After a month there, he was sent to Bohemia and stayed in Prague for seven years (ordained in 1578) and continuously taught, preached, wrote and laboured for the Church. Edmund received a vision of his martyrdom from Our Lady whilst sitting in a garden in Brunn.

Edmund knew that he was destined for the English mission. Upon being sent, he stopped in Geneva on his way and challenged Dr Beza, successor to John Calvin - the French Protestant theologian – to a debate.

Edmund landed in Dover in the summer of 1580 in the guise of a jewel merchant. He was captured by coastguards but managed to escape their detention whilst they were busy trying to decide whether to send him to the Privy Council.

Back in his home city, Edmund began to eloquently preach as frequently as three times a day. He drew huge crowds of both Catholics and Protestants (of whom many converted). The priest also sent writings to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, a deed which infuriated the institutions’ staff who began to publish pamphlets against his teachings.

When the authorities sought to silence Fr Campion by force, Edmund took refuge at a place called Stonor Park. There he wrote the famous "Brag", a letter to the Privy Council thought to be one of the earliest defences of Catholicism in the Reformation era. Written to present his case if he was captured, the premature publication of the Brag was the last straw for the authorities. Campion was now the subject of one of the most intensive manhunts in English history.

The priest’s capture is probably one of the most dramatic of the penal times. He stopped at Lyford Grange on the way up north. But intelligence led 100 men to the house. They ransacked it in an attempt to find the priest. Remarkably, before making his escape, he delivered his last sermon at the request of the house’s residents. Preaching upstairs in a secret hideout, his hunters slept downstairs. Here, it appears that Fr Campion felt that preaching to the faithful was more important than his freedom. The congregation were, as usual, dazzled by his zeal and all went quietly to bed. But one of them agonisingly tripped up, causing a crash, bang, wallop. The guards were awoken and captured the Fr Campion and two other priests, who were all praying together when they were apprehended. Campion was never a free again until his entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Saint Edmund Campion is one of the most well know of the English and Welsh martyrs. He is possibly one of the most intelligent, intellectual English Catholics in history. For those struggling to grasp their faith, this saint is an ideal one to pray to for strength to understand and embrace Catholic teaching. His constant studying of the Church fathers and the teachings of the faith, as well as his skill at defending the faith in debates is an inspiration to those, particularly in UK universities, who stand up publicly for the orthodox teaching of the Church, often in a confrontational and secular environment. Whether Catholic students are invited to take part in a union debate on abortion or the existence of God, St Edmund can help greatly with finding the right words and responding swiftly but compassionately to the counter arguments. As a martyr who was mercilessly tortured, we should pray to him for those who are still persecuted, in China for instance, for simply being a Catholic.

Saint Edmund Campion, Pray For Us.

Free vote push for HFE Bill

Whilst the budget dominated proceedings in the House of Commons yesterday, there was an important matter raised at Prime Ministers Questions before the grey haired chancellor rose to his feet and we all yawned...

It's hats off to David Cameron who challenged the Prime Minister on why he's imposing a three line whip on Labour MPs for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Here I quote directly from Hansard:

Mr. David Cameron (Witney) (Con): I believe that there is a strong case for more free votes in Parliament, and there is an unanswerable case for free votes on matters of conscience. One such example is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Can the Prime Minister explain why votes on matters-of-conscience issues were whipped in the House of Lords, and can he tell us why his official spokesman has said that the Bill will not be subject to a free vote in the House of Commons?

The Prime Minister: On the issues that arise in the Bill, one is a potential amendment on abortion, and that will be subject to a free vote in the House, as is absolutely normal. On the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, the right hon. Gentleman must know that it initially came before a Joint Committee of both Houses. Recommendations were made, and they were then part of the Bill. The Bill was then put through the House of Lords. It will come to the House of Commons, and we will make a decision about the way in which votes on it will take place in due course.

Mr. Cameron: Let me tell the Prime Minister what was whipped in the House of Lords: votes on the production of hybrid human-animal embryos, the requirement for IVF clinics to have regard to a child’s need for a father, and the circumstances under which saviour siblings can be created. Those were all whipped votes, and they should not have been. He says that he will make a decision. Why not break the habit of the lifetime, make the decision now and tell us what it is?

The Prime Minister: I am explaining how the Bill arose. It arose from a Select Committee, which made recommendations that formed the basis of the Bill. The Bill then went through the House of Lords. We will make our decisions on the issue in the normal way, but let me be absolutely clear that we respect the conscience of every Member of the House in this matter.

Mr. Cameron: This just is not good enough. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that the Bill would be treated in a normal way: there would not be free votes. If that is to change, why cannot the Prime Minister tell us? Why does not he listen to Lord Alton, who said in the House of Lords:

“Sometimes I despair that even after such an extraordinary debate as we have had here, there are Whipped votes. I am sorry that the precedent of 1990, when the original legislation was introduced and free votes were allowed throughout on these matters, has not been followed today”?—[ Official Report, House of Lords, 15 January 2008; Vol. 697, c. 1232.]

Tell us now: can we have free votes on all the conscience issues in the Bill—yes or no?

The Prime Minister: If the right hon. Gentleman wishes to call a free vote for his party, that is a matter for him, but let me say this: he is not understanding the way in which the Bill arose. It arose from recommendations made by a Joint Select Committee of the House. As I have said before, we will respect the conscience of every Member of this House.

As usual, Mr Brown seems to dodge the meat of the question. He mentions nothing about the three line whip situation, merely saying "we will make our decisions on the issue in the normal way". But then he contradicts himself twice by saying "we will respect the conscience of every Member of this House". If you really respect MPs' consciences, than allow a free vote Mr Prime Minister.

Lenten 40 Martyr Reflections: Saints Robert Lawrence and Augustine Webster

These saints went to their deaths with St Richard Reynolds and John Houghton on May 4 1535.

Saint Robert is one of the earliest of the martyrs but one we know little about. Even his birthplace is unknown, although he could have been from the Dorset area.

His first ministry as a priest is thought to have been a chaplain to the Catholic Duke of Norfolk and may have spent time as a monk at the London Charterhouse.. After joining the Carthusians, he served as prior of the Charterhouse at Beauvale, Nottinghamshire, at the time when King Henry VIII broke with Rome and launched the dissolution of the monasteries. It was in 1535 when he returned to the charterhouse in London.

Saint Augustine was a graduate of Cambridge University. He became prior of the Carthusian house near Epworth on the Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire.

Both of these saints met with John Houghton to discuss the consequences of the now compulsory Act of Supremacy. They went to meet Thomas Cromwell to tell him why they could not sign the oath. They spoke articulately in support of papal authority and were thrown into the Tower of London for their refusal to sign. Robert refused to speak at the trail because of his vow of silence. After being found guilty by a jury who were threatened by Cromwell to make that decision, the pair, along with Richard Reynolds and John Houghton, were dragged through the backstreets of Tyburn and hanged, drawn and quartered. Both of their bodies were brutally ripped apart by the knife of the executioner when they were still conscience.

Despite being two of the first English martyrs, very little is known about Saints Robert and Augustine. That is a virtue in itself. We are very lucky to have many stories about a lot of the martyrs passed down. So to have sketchy details about two saints emphasises the simple life that they led which was totally devoted to Christ and His Church. They were adamant that nobody on the face of the earth could just assume the authority of the Vicar of Christ, let along the king. Their refusal to defend themselves verbally is courageous. If we were on trial for treason, I doubt any of us would choose to keep silent. The Carthusian martyrs teach us that sometimes silence is the most appropriate way to approach things and is certainly an essential way of praying and listening to what God has to say as well as presenting our petitions.

Lenten 40 Martyr Reflections: Saint John Houghton

St John Houghton is the protomartyr of the English Reformation. He was the first faithful Catholic in a long line to the gallows. The description of his execution is particularly excruciating to read. He was cut down whilst suspended in the air by his neck, agonisingly choking. He was cut down whilst still alive and after a brief moment to recover his senses, his body was ripped apart. The executioner had difficulty ripping out his heart, digging about in Fr Houghton’s body. When finding it (still beating), the executioner tore it from his body and held in the air. The almost dead John gasped: “Sweet Jesus, what will you do with my heart?” He was then decapitated and his head was ripped off and displayed on a pike on London Bridge. This detailed account highlights the brutality of martyrdom, but the total self-giving of life to Christ at the same time.

Born in Essex in 1487, he was educated at the University of Cambridge. His parents, who were minor gentry, were expecting John to enter a marriage that they had arranged for him. Convinced he was called to the priesthood, the young man went into hiding to pursue his vocation.

Once ordained, John served as a parish priest for four years. But he soon felt drawn to the Carthusians and entered the order’s novitiate in London. After being professed, he filled the role of sacristan and procurator between 1523 to 1531 at the London charterhouse. He was also prior of Beauvale Charterhouse in Northampton before going back to London to be prior.

In 1534, Henry VIII and parliament decreed that all men had to take the Act of Succession oath (swearing that the king’s first marriage had been invalid and that Anne Boleyn’s children would be successors to the throne). On behalf of the Carthusians, he initially refused to sign it, being imprisoned in the Tower of London. This was to be the first of two stints incarcerated there. He was released when he accepted that the phrase “so far as it is lawful” was sufficient to sign the oath. Saints John Fisher and Thomas More refused even to put their signature to this.

By 1535, all the loopholes were gone and those who refused to sign the Oath of Supremacy (declaring the king as supreme head of the Church of England) were guilty of treason. The priors of Axholme (Lincolnshire), Augustine Webster, and Beauvale, Robert Lawrence travelled down to London to discuss the situation with Prior Houghton. They went to Thomas Cromwell to appeal their case but were arrested in April 1535.

The monks’ trial was one of the most corrupt you could ever imagine. Members of the jury were on the brink of finding them not guilty, but Cromwell met the jury and said they would basically die if they did not find the priors guilty. And so it was. John Houghton, Robert Lawrence, Augustine Webster along with Bridgettine monk Richard Reynolds, of Syon Abbey, and secular priest John Hale, were to be executed at Tyburn on May 4 1535.

As they were being tied to the hurdle at the Tower of London, it is said that Thomas More was able to watch them from his cell window, noting how happy they were at their impending martyrdom. He said: “These blessed Fathers be now as cheerfully going to their deaths as bridegrooms to their marriage!" This surely was a source of inspiration for Thomas.

Speaking up for the monks, in one of the most poignient sentences uttered by the 40 martyrs, Prior Houghton said: “Our Holy Mother the Church has decreed otherwise than the king and parliament have decreed and, therefore, rather than disobey the Church, we are ready to suffer.”

As the first of the penal time martyrs, John Houghton set an example on which countless others would gloriously follow. As noted, the description of his execution is brutal. For those struggling with their vocation, and particularly those put under pressure to follow a particular path in life, he is an ideal saint to pray to, given the difficulties he encountered with his parents. During his trial, Prior Houghton refused to defend himself out loud, staying true to his Carthusian vow of silence. He can help us when we struggle to keep quiet and let God talk to us. That amazing question posed at the moment of his death, “Sweet Jesus, what will you do with my heart?” is a simple one which could be asked by us in our daily prayer every day. What a start this is in discerning what God wants for us. Lastly, the prior’s devotedness to Holy Mother Church above all other authorities is an inspiration for us, particularly in this secular, relativistic age.

Saint John Houghton, pray for us.

Lenten 40 Martyr Reflections: The Carthusians

Three of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales were Carthusians and were executed together on May 4 1535 at Tyburn, along with two of the other martyrs. What a day that was in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in England.

As they went to Christ at the same time, and, because little is known about all three of them apart from their martyrdom, I’ve decided to reflect on their lives in one go. But first a little about the Carthusians for those of us who know little about the order.

Also called the Order of St. Bruno I(of Cologne), the Carthusians are a religious order of enclosed monastics founded in 1084. The Carthusian monk, or nun, lives a solitary life in a house, which typically consists of three small rooms on the ground floor - bedroom, study, and shrine - and a work area in the upstairs loft.

A Carthusian monastery is essentially a community of hermits. The monastery is headed by a prior and is populated by choir monks and lay brothers.
There are now 24 charterhouses or Carthusian monastries around the world, five of which are for nuns. Altogether, there are around 370 monks and 75 nuns. One of the charterhouses is in Sussex, England.

Canon Michael's mission to 'Napoleon island'

Today, the paper for which I work for, the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, published my story on Canon Michael Griffiths' impending move to the remote British colony of St Helena. He'll be sailing off on Easter Monday from Dorset for a two week journey to get to the island, which has been without a Catholic priest for, I think, three years now.

The Falklands-based Apostolic prefecture to the South Atlantic, asked him if he would consider going to the island to minister to Catholics there. In a simple, but profound way, he said: "When God wants you to do something – and if you do it – it brings you happiness"

You can "read all about it" on the ET website.

Please keep Canon Michael in your prayers as he embarks on this exciting but challenging journey.

Saint Philip Howard

On my first and only visit to date of the Tower of London, I was fascinated to see the actual inscriptions drawn by Saint Philip Howard whilst he was jailed for ten long years in the Beauchamp Tower before dying of malnutrition. Over the fireplace a Latin message, which can still be seen today, translates as: "The more suffering for Christ in this world the more Glory with Christ in the next," etc. It is signed "Arundel, June 22, 1587."

In some ways, the story of Saint Philip is similar to that of St Alban Roe. They both were Protestants and converted to the Catholic faith through the example of other recusants. But their stories are in the same way markedly different in that St Alban was a humble monk whilst St Philip was a nobleman, a relation of the queen he would eventually, at least according to the tyrannical law of the land, betray. These two diverse backgrounds give us just a flavour of the richness and variety of faithful people who helped keep Catholicism alive in Britain.

Born at Arundel House in London on June 28 1557, Philip was the grandson of poet Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey, who was executed under Henry VIII in 1547. His father, Thomas Howard, was the Duke of Norfolk, one of the wealthiest landowners in the country. Thomas was eventually executed in 1572 for allegedly playing a part in a 1570 plot to assassinate his cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and replace her with Mary I of Scotland.

His father, who had conformed to the State religion, educated him partly under John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist. Philip was then sent to St John’s College, Cambridge University. At the age of 14, he married Anne Dacre. Philip’s father had taken Anne’s mother as his third wife by that time. In fact, Elizabeth, the widow of Lord Dacre of Gillesland, matched her other two daughters with Thomas’ two other sons. After Philip graduated, Anne eventually converted to Catholicism and became the patroness of, amongst other priests, Fr Robert Southwell. She founded the noviate of the Jesuits at Ghent, Belgium.

On February 24, Philip succeeded his father as Earl of Arundel. Frequenting the Court, the witty, talented dancer fell into favour with the queen and began to entertain her at his residence. He was not very well behaved at this time, having numerous affairs whilst his wife was at home.

But one day was to change Philip’s life forever. He was present during Edmund Campion’s staged disputations and began to be convinced by his arguments. Campion’s speech is thought to be one of the earliest defences of Catholicism.

When his wife converted with one of Philip’s sisters, Lady Margaret Sackville, Anne was placed under house arrest in Surrey, where she had their baby Elizabeth. The Howards had many enemies and Elizabeth was definitely one of them.

As the Catholic revival gained strength, the earl found himself suspected and out of favour. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for a short while as suspicion intensified about his religion. Shortly after being released, he went back to his wife and on September 30, 1584, he was received into the Catholic Church by Father William Weston.

As his change in lifestyle was constantly being monitored, Philip made a getaway on a boat with relatives but was intercepted and arrested at sea in April 1585. It is thought that one of his servants shopped him to the authorities. The group was dispersed and sent to several different prisons, with the Earl of Arundel going back to the Tower. He would never have his freedom again. There he was beaten, accused of treason and fined a whopping sum of £10000 despite not being charged with anything.

After four years in prison at the queen’s pleasure, he was tried for having favoured the excommunication of the queen, and for praying for the Spanish Armada invaders. It doesn’t really seem clear how the authorities could prove what he said in his prayers. As usual, he was found guilty and sentenced to death, despite the evidence presented against him being fraudulent. Philip defended himself, saying that he had not committed treason and that the only reason he was in prison was because of his profession of faith.

Unlike most of the English and Welsh martyrs, Saint Philip Howard didn’t even make it to the gallows. As a close prisoner for ten years altogether, he suffered with several ailments. Severe malnutrition cost him his life on October 19 1595.

He led a devout prison life of prayer, fasting on bread and water at least three days a week and other forms of penance, to compensate for the unfaithfulness to his wife.

His last prayer was to see Anne and his only son, Thomas, whom he had never met. Permission was refused except on condition that he converted to the Protestant faith, on which terms he may also have been released. But he refused to compromise.

Saint Philip Howard is the patron saint of betrayal victims, difficult marriages, falsely accused people, separated spouses and the Arundel and Brighton Diocese, where his remains are now buried in the Cathedral. All of these characterise a certain part of his life. The story of St Philip strongly hammers the point home that any of us sinners can become saints if we are ultimately willing to devote ourselves completely to Christ, and even lay down our lives for Him. St Philip Howard was an adulterer and indulged in the life of the Court, but, due to the example of another of the 40 Martyrs, turned his life to God. His fasting and abstinence whilst in prison helps those of us struggling with our Lenten observance to realise the importance of what we are doing and to persevere with it.

Saint Philip Howard, Pray for Us.