St. Thomas More's head

[StThomasMore]

On doing research on the relics of Thomas More. I found that his head is being kept as a relic at St. Dunstan's Church in Canterbury. An Anglican Church. Considering Thomas More was staunchly against the Anglican reforms this seems quite an odd place for this relic to be. Shouldn't it be, of all places, in a Catholic Church?

 

[Gwendolyn]

That is actually funny. Poor St. Thomas. He ended up in an anglican church anyway, despite dying for Catholicism. What a cruel twist of fate.

 

[Memento Mori]

That is actually funny. Poor St. Thomas. He ended up in an anglican church anyway, despite dying for Catholicism. What a cruel twist of fate.

Maybe. Or maybe that is how God is bringing Anglicans and Rome together. What better mission for the head that was severed for the sake of the faith?

 

[StThomasMore]

Maybe. Or maybe that is how God is bringing Anglicans and Rome together. What better mission for the head that was severed for the sake of the faith?

Interesting way of thinking of it. However I don't think Thomas More himself would want his head in a church he worked so hard against and that essentially was partly the cause of his death and the tearing apart of his family. Surely More would have wanted be have his remains buried on Catholic ground.

It would be like putting the real Lady of Guadalupe in a baptist church.

 

[Wolseley]

Funny that this thread should come up. I went to confession today, and as a penance, Father gave me a prayer written by St. Thomas More about praying for my enemies which I am to pray every day for the next week.

 

[Etheldreda]

St Thomas More's head is buried in the family vault of a side chapel of St Dunstan's Canterbury. The chapel was constructed by the Roper family. More's daughter (Margaret) had married into the Roper family and it's thought that she bribed a guard to retrieve More's head from the Tower of London after his execution there for treason.

When he was buried in the chapel, I'm not sure if the church was yet 'Anglican', as the church of england was still in the process of being formed out of the political turmoil of the time. The church is open to visitors and pilgrims, and they had some information about the history of the Roper chapel. It seems that they were only able to confirm that St Thomas More's had been buried there during an excavation in the late 1970's and the head was reburied there, along with the remains of his daughter, her husband and family.

On another note... did you know that both St Thomas More and St John Fisher are included in the Anglican lectionary (on 6th July)?

 

[Gwendolyn]

On another note... did you know that both St Thomas More and St John Fisher are included in the Anglican lectionary (on 6th July)?

That is strange and makes no sense.

Why would they honour a saint who would rather die for Catholicism rather than convert to Anglicanism?

 

[Tigg]

Should have weird music playing on here.

I can think of no continued show of disdain and/or disrespect for St. Thomas More. Only good thing about it is St More is with his Father.