English Reformation

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According to Venerable English College, during the Catholic persecution in England, students would gather around the “Martyrs’ Picture” in the chapel to sing the Te Deum — a Latin hymn of thanksgiving — whenever news reached Rome of the martyrdom of a former student. This custom continues today on Martyrs’ Day, Dec. 1, when the relics of the martyrs, preserved beneath the altar, are venerated by the students.

English seminary in Rome commemorates Martyrs’ Day on St. Ralph Sherwin’s feast

Dec 2, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

On Dec. 1, the Venerable English College in Rome commemorates the martyrdom of some of the school’s former students. Read more

Details from St John Fisher by Jacobus Houbraken (c. 1760), and St Thomas More by Hans Holbein the Younger (1527).

Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More: following God’s law above all else

Jun 22, 2024

On the feast of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More, CNA presents a question-and-answer lowdown on their lives and legacies. Read more

The Pre-Construct Archaeology team works on the Great Sacristy site. Photo

Burial place of medieval Catholic monks uncovered at Westminster Abbey

Aug 25, 2020

Archaeologists excavating a lost medieval sacristy at Westminster Abbey in London have uncovered what they believe are the remains of... Read more

The Martyrs' Painting by Durante Alberti in the chapel of the Venerable English College in Rome.

Yesterday's martyrs, today's priests: The legacy of the Venerable English College

Dec 1, 2015

By Ann Schneible

While the days are long past that to be a Catholic priest in England is a capital crime, the legacy... Read more

Fr. Holden and Fr. Scholfield at the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey, from 'Faith of our Fathers'.

New film shows heroism, strength of English martyrs

Oct 13, 2013

By Carl Bunderson

The new film “Faith of Our Fathers” examines the Catholic martyrs of the English Reformation, whose fortitude is a reminder... Read more