Saint Thomas Becket, Bishop & Martyr
S. Thomae Episcopi et Martyris
Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in his own cathedral for defending the liberty of the Church, and is venerated as a bishop and martyr whose blood was shed within the Octave of Christmas.
Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, gave his life for the freedom of the Church and was cut down by armed men within his own cathedral on the twenty-ninth of December in the year 1170. His feast falls on the fifth day within the Octave of the Nativity, so that the Church honours, amid the joy of Christmas, a shepherd who laid down his life for his flock in imitation of the Good Shepherd.
Chancellor and archbishop
Thomas was born in London about the year 1118 and rose to become Chancellor of England and the close companion of King Henry II. When the king procured his election as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, a great change came over him: the courtier and statesman gave himself wholly to the duties of his sacred office and to a life of prayer and penance. From this devotion to the rights of the Church there arose a long and grievous conflict with the king, who sought to bring the clergy and the affairs of the Church under the royal power.
For his stand Thomas endured exile in France for some six years. A reconciliation was at length attempted, and he returned to Canterbury; but the quarrel soon flared again. Words of the king, spoken in anger, were taken up by four of his knights, who crossed to England and came to Canterbury seeking the archbishop.
Martyrdom in the cathedral
On the evening of the twenty-ninth of December, the knights found Thomas in his cathedral as the monks were singing Vespers. Refusing to flee and forbidding that the doors be barred against the people, he met them at the altar steps. There they struck him down, and he died commending himself and the cause of the Church to God. The whole of Christendom was stunned by the sacrilege; within a few years he was canonised, and his shrine at Canterbury became one of the most frequented places of pilgrimage in the Christian world.
The collect of his feast recalls that for the Church’s sake the glorious bishop Thomas fell beneath the swords of wicked men, and prays that all who implore his aid may obtain the saving fruit of their petition. In Saint Thomas the Church venerates a bishop who feared God more than men, and who teaches pastors and faithful alike to hold fast to the liberty of the Church and the truth of Christ, whatever the cost.
The Collect
O God, for whose Church the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by the swords of wicked men: grant, we beseech thee; that all who implore his aid may obtain the salutary fruit of their petition.
Deus, pro cujus Ecclésia gloriósus Póntifex Thomas gládiis impiórum occúbuit: præsta, quæsumus; ut omnes, qui ejus implórant auxílium, petitiónis suæ salutárem consequántur efféctum.
Patronage
He is venerated as a patron of the secular (diocesan) clergy and of those who defend the rights and liberty of the Church, and was long one of the most honoured of English saints.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his memorial is likewise observed on 29 December, as Saint Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Thomas Becket?
His feast is kept on 29 December, within the Octave of Christmas, in both the 1962 Roman Missal (Second Class) and the modern calendar (memorial).
Who was Saint Thomas Becket?
He was Archbishop of Canterbury and formerly Chancellor of England, who defended the liberty of the Church against the encroachments of King Henry II. He was killed by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 and was canonised soon afterward.
Why did he become a martyr?
He was slain for upholding the freedom and rights of the Church against the royal power. Refusing to flee, he met his attackers at the altar steps of his own cathedral and died commending the cause of the Church to God, and so is honoured as a martyr.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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