Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

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Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
"Cuthbert Mayne and Thirty-Nine Companion Martyrs"
Attributes
Martyr's palm
Knife in chest
Noose in neck
Book or Bible
Crucifix
Chaucible
Eucharist
Various religious habits
Crown of martyrdom
PatronageUnited Kingdom
Notable martyrsEdmund Campion, S.J.
Margaret Clitherow

The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

Act of Supremacy, to seminary priests who were caught up in the alleged Popish Plot against Charles II in 1679. Many were sentenced to death at show trials
, or with no trial at all.

Background

The first wave of executions came with the reign of

King Henry VIII and involved persons who did not support the 1534 Act of Supremacy and dissolution of the monasteries.[2]
Carthusian John Houghton and Bridgettine Richard Reynolds died at this time.

In 1570

Treason Act 1571 made it high treason to affirm that the queen ought not to enjoy the Crown, or to declare her to be a heretic. The Jesuits, etc. Act 1584, the statute under which most of the English martyrs suffered, made it high treason for any Jesuit or any seminary priest to be in England at all, and a felony for any person to harbour or aid them.[3] All but six of the forty had been hanged, drawn and quartered, many of them at Tyburn.[4]

The martyrs

Canonization process

Following beatifications between 1886 and 1929, there were already numerous martyrs from England and Wales recognised with the rank of Blessed. The bishops of the province identified a list of 40 further names; reasons given for the choice of those particular names include a spread of social status, religious rank, geographical spread and the pre-existence of popular devotion. The list of names was submitted to Rome in December 1960. In the case of a martyr, a miracle is not required. For a martyr, the Pope has only to make a declaration of martyrdom, which is a certification that the Venerable died voluntarily as a witness of the Catholic faith or in an act of heroic charity for others.

The Archbishop of Westminster, then Cardinal William Godfrey, sent a description of 24 seemingly miraculous cases to the Sacred Congregation. Out of 20 candidate cases for recognition as answered prayers, the alleged cure of a young mother from a malignant tumor was selected as the clearest case. In light of the fact that Thomas More and John Fisher, belonging to the same group of Martyrs, had been canonized with a dispensation from miracles, Pope Paul VI, after discussions with the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints, considered that it was possible to proceed with the Canonization on the basis of one miracle.[5]

Pope

Paul VI granted permission for the whole group of 40 names to be recognised as saints on the strength of this one miracle. The canonization ceremony took place in Rome on 25 October 1970.[6][7]

Liturgical feast day

In England, these martyrs were formerly commemorated within the Catholic Church by a

Saints Crispin and Crispinian, but they are now celebrated together with all the 284 canonized or beatified martyrs of the English Reformation on 4 May.[8]

In Wales, the Catholic Church keeps 25 October as the feast of the Six Welsh Martyrs and their companions. The Welsh Martyrs are the priests

David Lewis, John Roberts, and the teacher Richard Gwyn.[9] The companions are the 34 English Martyrs listed above. Wales continues to keep 4 May as a separate feast for the beatified martyrs of England and Wales.[10]

See also

References

  1. .
  2. ^ Duffy, Patrick. "The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales", Catholic Ireland, 25 October 2012
  3. ^ Burton, Edwin, Edward D'Alton, and Jarvis Kelley. "Penal Laws." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 3 February 2019Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Atherstone, A. (2011). The Canonisation of the Forty English Martyrs: An Ecumenical Dilemma. Recusant History, 30(4), 573-587. doi:10.1017/S0034193200013194
  5. ^ Molinari S.J.,, Paolo. "Canonization of Forty English and Welsh Martyrs", L'Osservatore Romano, 29 October 1970
  6. .
  7. ^ Canonizzazione di quaranta martiri dell'Inghilterra e del Galles vatican.va, article in Italian
  8. ^ National Calendar for England, Liturgy Office for England and Wales, accessed 31 July 2011
  9. ^ National Calendar for Wales, Liturgy Office for England and Wales, accessed 31 July 2011
  10. ^ Ordo for Wales Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Diocese of Menevia, accessed 11 August 2011

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainHerbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Penal Laws". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

External links