St. John Fisher
Sts. John fisher and Thomas Moore are the most outstanding English martyrs who were killed during the persecution of King Henry VIII. the problem started in 1527, when Pope clement Vii refused to declare null the King's marriage with Catherine Aragon, his spouse for 18 years. The King, wanted to have A son to Anne Boyle, was maddened by the denial and separated from Rome in 1534, with the act of supremacy, he appointed himself the sovereign of the Anglican Church, and began persecuting those who remained catholic. the martyrs of England, as they are known, were tortured in barbarous manner. some were out on the rack and dismembered; others were hanged and eviscerated while still alive
St. John fisher, Bishop of Rochester, was imprisoned in London Tower after he refused to acknowledge the King as supreme head of the church of England. He was beheaded in 1535 and his head was displayed on London Bridge for several days. he died with the holy Gospel in his hands and pronouncing words of pardon for his executioner.
St. Thomas Moore
St. Thomas Moore, the Great Chancellor, preferred to disobey the King rather than God. a devout Catholic and prestigious lawyer, in 1527 he refused to support Henry VIII's claim for a divorce. five years later, he resigned from his office rather than separate from the Catholic Church. he too was convicted of treason and beheaded in 1535. before his death, he said: I am the king's servant, but God,s first.
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