Description
A daily remembrance of our forefathers in the Faith.
Fr. Henry Sebastian Bowden wrote this powerful book so we will never forget the sacrifices of those martyrs who preserved and bequeathed to us our Catholic Faith.
The heroic witness of the English martyrs you meet in this superb volume of daily meditations will instill a greater piety and zeal in your heart. Each day features a captivating short story from the life of a martyr or an excerpt from his or her writings. Their testimonies, sometimes prophetic, always profound, impart urgent reminders to us about Catholic persecution as it has occurred through time.
The period of the English martyrs opened with Henry VIII's "Oath of Supremacy" and the suppression of monasteries and then continued into forced Protestantism by blood under Elizabeth, and from there to the age in which Puritans killed Catholics solely for their Faith. In these gripping pages — increasingly relatable in our time — you will encounter extraordinary examples of valor in the face of shocking danger and cruelty, including the consequences laypeople faced for harboring priests.
Stirred by the selection of stories included, you will discover:
- Why the boy orator St. Edmund Campion was called "golden-mouthed"
- Which Jesuit priest martyr was also a renowned poet
- The courageous faith of four lay women named Margaret
- The number of brave souls who converted (it’s more than you think!)
- How priests such as Ven. William Davies fortified their fellow prisoners
- The sublime work of especially gifted English martyr poets
Most powerfully, these pages lay bare the thoughts the thoughts and feelings of martyrs such as Bl. William Hart, who wrote heartfelt letters to his Protestant mother and exhorted his spiritual children through his preaching to “Stand fast!” From famous Saints such as John Fisher, the “Saintly Cardinal,” to Thomas More, the civil lawyer and illustrious chancellor, you will read about greater – and lesser-known heroes of the Faith resisting bribes and withstanding tortures and steadfastly refusing to apostatize or betray friends.Be inspired by the profound wisdom and courage of great Catholics who shed their blood for Christ and His Church. Such a cloud of witnesses will make your heart grateful for the Faith our fathers preserved for us and more confident than ever about the truths in which we believe.
by Father Henry Sebastian Bowden. Originally published in 1910.
Paperback; 456 pages.
1 Review
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Intense
Due to wording of old in the country of England, and elsewhere, that is used in this book it takes a little getting used to, and you might want to have a dictionary handy for words that you may not be acquainted with due to the 'old' English used. I.e. "...the hurdle suddenly stood still. Fresh animals were secured, but they broke the traces...", etc. Every day gives short, brief mention of a Bl. or Ven. person in the years of approximately 1500's and 1600's. I've only had this book for a few days, but I plan on using it starting in 2025. The few pages I did read were filled with hope for the sinner and that, my friends, is good enough for me.:) Thank you