JUNE 22 - SAINT THOMAS MORE
breski1

omnium horarum homo (a man for all seasons, referring to his wide scholarship and knowledge)
Memorial
22 June
6 July (London, England; Church of England)
1 December as one of the Martyrs of Oxford University
Profile
Studied at London and Oxford, England. Page for the Archbishop of Canterbury. Lawyer. Twice married, and a widower he was the father of one son and three daughters, and a devoted family man. Writer, most famously of the novel which coined the word Utopia. Translated with works of Lucian. Known during his own day for his scholarship and the depth of his knowledge. Friend of King Henry VIII. Lord Chancellor of England from 1529 to 1532, a position of political power second only to the king. Fought any form of heresy, especially the incursion of Protestantism into England. Opposed the king on the matter of royal divorce, and refused to swear the Oath of Supremacy which declared the king the head of the Church in England. Resigned the Chancellorship, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Martyred for his refusal to bend his religious beliefs to the king‘s political needs.
Born
7 February 1478 at London, England
Died
beheaded on 6 July 1535 on Tower Hill, London, England
body taken to Saint Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London, England
his head was parboiled and then exposed on London Bridge for a month as a warning to other “traitors”; Margaret Roper bribed the man whose was supposed to throw it into the river to give it to her instead
in 1824 a lead box was found in the Roper vault at Saint Dunstan’s Church Canterbury, England; it contained a head presumed to be More’s
Beatified
29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII
Canonized
22 June 1935 by Pope Pius XI
Patronage
adopted children
difficult marriages
large families
step-parents
widowers
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civil servants
court clerks
lawyers
politicians (proclaimed on 31 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II)
statesmen (proclaimed on 31 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II)
–
Ateneo de Manila Law School
Society of Our Lady of Good Counsel
University of Malta
University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters
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Arlington, Virginia, diocese of
Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, diocese of
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Chelsea, England
Representation
axe
English Lord Chancellor carrying a book
English Lord Chancellor carrying an axe