By Henry Sebastian Bowden

Fr. Henry Sebastian Bowden wrote this powerful book so we will never forget the sacrifices of those martyrs who preserved and bequeathed to us our Catholic Faith.

The heroic witness of the English martyrs you meet in this superb volume of daily meditations will instill a greater piety and zeal in your heart. Each day features a captivating short story from the life of a martyr or an excerpt from his or her writings. Their testimonies, sometimes prophetic, always profound, impart urgent reminders to us about Catholic persecution as it has occurred through time.

The period of the English martyrs opened with Henry VIII’s “Oath of Supremacy” and the suppression of monasteries and then continued into forced Protestantism by blood under Elizabeth, and from there to the age in which Puritans killed Catholics solely for their Faith. In these gripping pages — increasingly relatable in our time — you will encounter extraordinary examples of valour in the face of shocking danger and cruelty, including the consequences laymen faced for harbouring priests.

Stirred by the selection of stories included, you will discover:

• Why the boy orator Bl. Edmund Campion was called “golden-mouthed”
• Which Jesuit priest martyr was also a renowned poet
• The courageous faith of four lay women named Margaret
• The number of brave souls who converted (it’s more than you think!)
• How priests such as Ven. William Davies fortified their fellow prisoners
• The sublime work of especially-gifted English martyr-poets

Most powerfully, these pages lay bare the thoughts the thoughts and feelings of martyrs such as Bl. William Hart, who wrote heartfelt letters to his Protestant mother and exhorted his spiritual children through his preaching to “Stand fast!”

From famous saints such as John Fisher, the “saintly cardinal,” to Thomas More, the civil lawyer and illustrious chancellor, you will read about greater- and lesser-known heroes of the Faith resisting bribes and withstanding tortures and steadfastly refusing to apostatise or betray friends. Be inspired by the profound wisdom and courage of great Catholics who shed their blood for Christ and His Church.

456 pages, paperback