Sts Thomas More and John Fisher

Sir Thomas More was a statesman, a lawyer and a philosopher who held various government positions like Lord Chancellor of England. He also wrote a history saying that Richard the Third was the one who murdered his nephews, The Princes In the Tower as well as a book called Utopia. In 1518, Thomas was invited to join King Henry the Eighth’s King Council which soon led him to be knighted by Henry and was made Treasurer of the Exchequer. This was followed up by him being made Speaker of the House of Commons in 1523 and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1525. In the run up to the divorce (as in annulment which can be described as old timey divorce with extra steps (like making the marriage’s existence null and void) which would later be simplified for a rhyme about King Henry the Eighth’s wives as divorce), Thomas was Lord Chancellor to the gluttonous king. However, he stepped down out of disgust over the dissolution of King Henry’s marriage to the Spanish royal Catherine of Aragon who was married to Henry for 24 years. As a Catholic, Sir Thomas More was not happy about the divorce as well as the creation of the Church of England which saw the rise of Anglicism where the dissolution of marriage was not a big deal but Henry (who was on his way to become the head of the Church of England in 1534) was not happy with this opinion and had Thomas shipped to the Tower of London where Thomas was imprisoned for 2 years until 6 July 1535 when Sir Thomas More who still refused to acknowledge King Henry the Eighth of England as the head of the church in England was executed by beheading.

A few weeks before his execution was the execution of John Fisher. John Fisher was a priest, scholar and bishop who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Like Sir Thomas More, Father John Fisher was a Catholic who hated the separation of the Church of England from the Catholic Church, the divorce of King Henry the Eighth and Catherine of Aragon so the marriage of Anne Boleyn could take place and that the head of the Church of England was now the English monarch (Henry). John then decided to defend the church’s authority but his steadfastness with this action led to his imprisonment and later execution via beheading for refusing to comprise to the then new Anglican Church’s presence on 22^nd June 1535.

So, if they were martyred on two different days, then why are they celebrated on the same day? There are many factors:

The two men both stood firm against King Henry VIII’s actions that frightened the authority of the Church. They defended the Church’s teachings and the supremacy of conscience. They are united for their unwavering commitment to truth and moral integrity. They are both complementary witnesses. As a bishop, Fisher stood for the institutional authority of the Church. More was a scholar and layman who embodied the laity's role of conscience. Their combined testimony emphasizes the necessity of moral courage on an individual basis as well as institutional leadership.

And of course, there is the historical context. The Renaissance brought with it new ideas on many things, including religious teachings and beliefs. The English reformation was preceded by the birth of Lutheranism in what is now Germany which England fought against and now there was a branch of Christianity not too far off from Protestantism. The birth of Anglicism infuriated John and Thomas and their opinions leading to their martyrdom within a short span of 14 days (about 2 weeks) were part of a broader conflict between the Church and King Henry VIII during the reformation. The two men (Sir Thomas More and John Fisher) being celebrated together by the Church highlights their shared sacrifice and importance of fidelity to conscience. Sir Thomas More was canonised as a saint alongside John Fisher by Pope Pius XI (the Eleventh) on 19 May 1935 and their feast day is on 22 June. Is it any wonder that there’s a verse in the Lourdes Hymn that goes:

O Mary! O Mother!

Reign O’er us once more

Be England thy ‘Dowry’

As in days of yore

Ave, ave, Ave Maria!

Ave, ave, Ave Maria!