Our History, Heritage and Inspiration
Thomas More was born in London, February 7, 1478. In 1886 Pope Leo XIII beatified More. In 1935, four hundred years after his martyrdom, he was declared a saint by Pope Pious Xl.
More died a martyr because he disagreed with King Henry VIII on several points of church law. His refusal to sign an oath declaring his loyalty to King Henry’s marriage to Queen Anne put his life in jeopardy. But his real concern was about the unity of the church; he felt that if the Church of England were to break away from the Roman Catholic Church, it would not be able to hear the voice of God which More believed to be spoken through the church.
He wrote many works while he was imprisoned, including “Dialogue of Comfort” which relates his ‘conquest of the fear of death.’ Here More stated that his “consolation” came from his serene confidence that God has his own purpose and that Christians must yield themselves to that purpose in trust and in hope.
With St. Thomas More, as our patron saint and our inspiration, the people of St. Thomas More, may take confidence in praying for our new Church, and then, in More’s words, “leave everything to God’s high wisdom.”
(excepts from the book, “Thomas More” by Richard Marius)