St. Thomas More

St. Thomas More was born on 7 February 1478 in London, and died a martyr on 6 July 1535, beheaded on Tower Hill. A brilliant lawyer, scholar, and humanist — friend of Erasmus and author of the famous work Utopia — he was also a devoted husband and father whose household was admired as a model of learning and piety. He rose in the service of King Henry VIII to become Lord Chancellor of England, the highest office in the land.

When Henry broke with Rome and declared himself supreme head of the Church in England, More resigned rather than endorse the king's divorce and the rejection of papal authority. He kept a careful silence, but refused to swear the Oath of Supremacy, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London and finally condemned for treason. He went to his death with characteristic wit and serenity, declaring himself 'the king's good servant, but God's first.' Canonized in 1935, he is honored as patron of statesmen, lawyers, and politicians.