Jun 20, 2010 / 03:08 am
This Tuesday marks the feast day of St. Thomas More – husband, father, lawyer, politician and the first layman to serve as Lord Chancellor of England. St. Thomas is best known for being a devout and faithful Catholic whose staunch defense of the rights of conscience and unshakeable fidelity to the Church’s teachings - most notably the indissolubility of marriage and the supremacy of the pope – cost him his life.
Thomas More was born in London in 1478. As a young man, he was quick to show his brilliant mind, quick wit and dedication to the service of truth. His intellectual passion took him to Oxford and London to study law and letters, where he excelled and was well noted for his eloquence and moral integrity. Less well known was the rigorous asceticism which he practiced all his life, and his detachment from success and wealth.
During his youth, he considered entering a religious order, either the Carthusians or the Franciscans, but with the help of his confessor, he finally discerned that his calling was to the married life.
In 1505, Thomas married Jane Colt. They had four children, whom they raised with great care. Jane died in 1511, and Thomas later married widow Alice Middleton.