SAINT FEAST DAY 22 MARCH: ST NICHOLAS OWEN

SAINT NICHOLAS OWEN, JESUIT LAY BROTHER AND CARPENTER

Nicholas, known as "Littlejohn" because of his short stature, was born 1550 at Oxford, England. A Jesuit lay brother, he was an extremely skilled carpenter who constructed priest holes for priests during the time when celebrating Holy Mass carried the death sentence. These places enabled priests to hide when Mass houses and mansions were raided by the government during clandestine Masses.

HE CONSTRUCTED HIDING PLACES FOR PRIESTS

St Nicholas built hiding places for several decades, despite weak health and a hernia. He was arrested for some time in 1594 with Father John Gerard, and despite prolonged torture would not give the names of any Catholics. Nicholas is believed responsible for Father Gerard's dramatic escape from the Tower of London in 1597.

THE GOVERNMENT SUBJECTED HIM TO TORTURE

In 1606, with Father Henry Garnet, Father Oldcorne, and Brother Ralph Ashley, St Nicholas was arrested again and imprisoned in the Tower of London. The government subjected him to such inhuman torture that he died of it on March 2, 1606. Canonised by Pope Paul VI in 1970, he is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Nicholas may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

⬅️ Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

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