Priestly witness: St. John Jones, martyr
By Kimberly Bruce
The Protestant Reformation in England and Wales, begun by King Henry VIII and vigorously pursued by his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, resulted in the martyrdom of more than 300 innocent priests, men, and women, many of whom are not well known today. One of these heroic figures, St. John Jones (feast day:12 July), was among 40 martyrs canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1970.
Not too much is known about St. John’s early life other than that he was born in 1530 in Clynnog Fawr, Wales to a very Catholic family. He attended the English College at Douai and in 1585 was ordained a priest in Rheims, France.
Hidden heroic ministry
After ordination, Fr. John went to England to care for Catholic prisoners in London at the Marshalsea Prison. This was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I when Catholicism was illegal. Priests found saying Mass were thrown into prison. Such was the case with Fr. John, who was eventually arrested himself and imprisoned at Wisbech Castle for administering the Sacraments.
Managing to escape in 1590, Fr. John sought refuge in Pontoise, France. There he chose to join the Franciscan Order of priests at the age of 60, taking the religious name Godfrey Maurice. He then travelled to Rome and was privileged to have an audience with Pope Clement VIII who gave him his blessing and reportedly said, “Go, because I believe you to be a true son of Saint Francis. Pray to God for me and for his holy Church.”
Wishing to be back amongst the English, he returned in 1592 as a missionary, embarking on a heroic hidden ministry. He managed to travel around the country using various alias (including “Buckley”) without being captured. During this time, English Franciscans elected him as their Provincial Superior.
Capture and torture
Father John was ultimately captured in 1596 by Richard Topcliffe, known amongst the English as the notorious “priest-catcher.” Someone had told Topcliffe that Fr. John had celebrated Mass in the home of two Catholics. Even though the accusation was false, as the two Catholics were already in prison, Fr. John was nonetheless retained. He was horribly tortured by Topcliffe and sent for two years to Clink Prison (from which we derive the phrase, “thrown in the clink.”).
Finally convicted of high treason for “being made a priest by the authority from Rome and then returning to England contrary to statute,” Fr. John was hanged, drawn, and quartered on Jul. 3, 1598, in Southwark.
Before Father was executed, however, his executioner forgot to bring the rope to hang him. While it was being fetched, Fr. John took the opportunity to preach to the crowd of onlookers and answer their questions. He told them he was being put to death because of his faith and not on account of any disloyalty to the Queen. He was a missionary priest to the end.
Resembling Jesus
Saint John Jones resembled Jesus Christ crucified in his sufferings. He lived what St. Faustina called out in her Diary:
I want to resemble You, O Jesus, —You crucified, tortured, and humiliated (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 267).
Some of St. John Jones’ remains are located and revered today in Pontoise, France. Declared Venerable by Pope Leo XIII, he was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 and canonized in 1970 as one of the Forty English Martyrs by Pope St. Paul VI. The Holy Father said during their Mass of Canonization:
In its long and glorious history, Great Britain, the Isle of Saints, has given the world many men and women who loved God with this open and loyal love. We are therefore pleased to have been able to include today … another forty sons and daughters of this noble land, thus proposing them to the veneration of its faithful, so that they may draw from their lives a living example.
Their spirit was so magnanimous, their sentiments so noble, and the inspiration of their lives so Christian, that many of them died praying for their beloved country, for the King or Queen, and even for those directly responsible for their imprisonment, their torments and the ignominious circumstances of their atrocious death.
May the Lord grant us the grace to ensure that, in these times of religious indifferentism and increasingly widespread theoretical and practical materialism, the example and intercession of the Forty Holy Martyrs may strengthen us in faith and strengthen our authentic love for God, the Church and all men.
Saint John Jones, pray for us!
