The Feast of the English Martyrs
On 4th May 1535, the first martyrs of the English Reformation were hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn in London. From that long and painful chapter of our history, 42 have been canonised and a further 242 declared Blessed. They came from every walk of life, clergy and laity, scholars and servants, yet all are remembered for their constancy in faith and their courage in the face of persecution.
Among them is Saint John Houghton, a Carthusian monk whose life was hidden, enclosed, and steeped in prayer. As Prior of the London Charterhouse, he sought no earthly power or recognition. Yet when summoned to account for his faith, he stood firm. As he faced death, his final words were a prayer of surrender: “Good Jesus, what will you do with my heart?”
The English Martyrs followed Christ, the truly Innocent Victim. They were filled with faith and hope in the risen Lord. They loved Christ above all things, and they loved the truth of the Gospel and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. For that love, they were willing to be dragged before governors and kings, refusing to compromise the fullness of the Catholic faith.
St John Houghton celebrated a Mass of the Holy Spirit shortly before his arrest. That detail is significant. In today’s readings we are reminded that it is the Holy Spirit who inflames the hearts of believers, especially the martyrs, with holy zeal for the truth and with a burning charity that enables them to give themselves completely to God.
Their heroic courage was not self‑made; they were strengthened by the Holy Spirit, enabling them to follow Christ to the end, offering their whole lives to the One who loved them first.
At the heart of their witness stood the Eucharist. In the Holy Mass, Christ gives us his Sacred Heart. For the English Martyrs, nothing mattered more. Many quite literally died for the Eucharist. Through this Sacrament of unity, they were united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Heart that was pierced for our sake upon the Cross.
Today, we are invited to make their prayer our own. “Good Jesus, what will you do with my heart?” If we listen attentively, we hear the Lord’s gentle reply: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.”
With the English Martyrs as our companions and examples, let us offer the Lord our hearts with all our hopes and fears, amid the trials of daily life. The same Holy Spirit who strengthened them will sustain us, lifting us up and preparing us for a share in that divine glory glimpsed by Saint Stephen in today’s first reading.
One day, we too shall see the risen Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father. Then all striving will cease, and we shall rest forever in his loving embrace.
The English Martyrs: Pray for us.
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