The Feast of the English Martyrs is celebrated on the 4th May. On this day in 1535 there died at Tyburn three Carthusian monks, the first of many English men and women martyred for the Catholic faith during the Reformation. Of these martyrs, 284 have been canonised or declared blessed, but the number of those who died or suffered harsh persecution between 1535 and 1680 cannot now be reckoned. They came from every walk of life and are remembered for the example they gave of constancy in the faith and courage in the face of persecution, begin the story, we need to look back to 16th Century England. King Henry VIII, shortly after marrying his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, he requested the marriage to be annulled from Pope Clement VII. Getting the marriage annulled would declare it null and void, almost like it never happened.
The Pope denied the request. Infuriated by the Pope’s disagreement, the King started a series of events that would later be known as The English Reformation. The Church of England was separated from The Pope and the Roman Catholic Church, he appointed himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England and dissolved convents and monasteries. After the Reformation, a violent wave of anti-Catholic persecution began – and lasted over a century. It started with the executions of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher but didn’t end there. Hundreds were killed between 1535 and 1680; the Church recognized the heroism of 40 martyrs from England and Wales in a canonization ceremony on October 25, 1970. Later, a separate feast day was created that would take place on 4th May each year to recognize the 284 canonized or beatified martyrs of the English Reformation. And that brings us today – a feast day that is still celebrated. It was the sacrifice of the martyrs that allow us to freely practice our Catholic faith in England today.