a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

On March 26, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Margaret Clitherow (1555-1586), English saint and martyr. Saint Margaret lived and died during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and a time of great persecution of Catholics in England. At that time, priests were not allowed to reside within the country, and those sympathetic to the Catholic faith, celebrating Mass, or providing shelter to priests were found guilty of treason. For many, however, the faith continued undaunted, the celebration of Mass held more important than the danger of discovery.

Margaret was born in Middleton, England, to faithful Protestant parents. Intelligent, funny, and attractive, Margaret grew up in the Protestant faith, and was married at 18 to a butcher, John Clitherow. Together, they had three children, and were content to live a respectable middle-class life. Margaret demonstrated a keen mind for business, and frequently assisted her husband in the butcher shop. She was known for her kind heart and warm smile.

Margaret found herself dissatisfied with the Protestant faith, and eventually converted to Catholicism, instructing her children in the way of the Church. Her confessor, after her death, wrote of her conversion that Margaret "found no substance, truth nor Christian comfort in the ministers of the new church, nor in their doctrine itself, and hearing also many priests and lay people to suffer for the defense of the ancient Catholic Faith." Margaret’s husband did not convert, but was respectful of her faith, and allowed the children to be raised Catholic. Their eldest son left England, and moved to France to enter the seminary.

Despite the risk of discovery, Margaret had a “priest hole” built in her home, where visiting clergy could hide if a raid should occur. She further built a hidden cupboard to hide vestments, missals, Eucharist and blessed wine. In Margaret’s attic, still preserved for the visiting faithful to see, a hole was cut between her home and the neighbor’s home, to allow an escape route for priests, should it come to that. Margaret stated, in defiance of the laws of the time, “by God's grace all priests shall be more welcome to me than ever they were, and I will do what I can to set forward God's Catholic service." She organized celebrations of Mass, and hired a Catholic tutor for neighborhood children of the faith. It was through this tutor that she came to be discovered.

One afternoon, while the tutor was instructing the children, the police raided the house. The tutor escaped, and the authorities found children studying, but convinced of treason, they questioned the children until one broke down in tears, revealing the cupboard of hidden items. Margaret was immediately arrested, and the children were removed from their homes, placed with devout Protestant families. Margaret would never see her children again. Moved by her life, however, her younger son became a priest, and her daughter, a nun.

Margaret was taken before the court and accused of treason. It was customary for those accused to plead guilty, resulting in a less severe penalty. Margaret, however, refused to plead, both out of conviction that she had done nothing wrong and concern that her children might have to testify in a trial. She stated, "I know of no offense whereof I should confess myself guilty. Having made no offense, I need no trial." The court was outraged, and sentenced her to the maximum penalty for failing to plead guilty—death via crushing. Margaret was informed, “You must return from whence you came, and there, in the lowest part of the prison, be stripped naked, laid down, your back on the ground, and as much weight laid upon you as you are able to bear, and so to continue for three days without meat or drink, and on the third day to be pressed to death, your hands and feet tied to posts, and a sharp stone under your back.” Ten days from the sentencing, Margaret was executed.

Prior to her execution, visited by a friend in prison, Margaret remained faithful and eager to meet her Maker. She said to her friend, "The sheriffs have said that I am going to die this coming Friday; and I feel the weakness of my flesh which is troubled at this news, but my spirit rejoices greatly. For the love of God, pray for me and ask all good people to do likewise."

The night before her execution, Margaret sewed her own death shroud. She prayed through the night, for the Church, for the pope, for all the persecuted clergy, the faithful, and her accusers. In the morning, she was led to dungeon, had a cloth tied around her face, and was laid down on a sharp rock approximately the size of a fist. A heavy door was placed upon her, and then rocks were piled atop the door until the weight broke her spine. She never cried out, but was heard to continually pray, “Jesu, Jesu, Jesu, have mercy upon me.” Saint Margaret Clitherow died after approximately 15 minutes of torture. Following her death, her executioners were reprimanded by Queen Elizabeth I, who insisted that women should not be executed. Margaret’s body was buried with common criminals, but not before her hand was severed. It remains today, incorrupt, in the chapel of the Bar Convent in York.

Saint Margaret Clitherow was a practical woman, remembered for her humility, hospitality and her humanity. She was a wife and mother, she worked in her husband’s butcher shop, she was concerned with the education of her children. Margaret was also a fearless protector of the faith, risking her life to instill in her children the message of Christ. Her courage and unwavering faith inspires, reminding us how quick we are to doubt, to take the easy way, to bow before pressures in our lives. We look to Margaret Clitherow as a model of steadfast love and obedience to the Lord. Can we say the same of ourselves?