SAINT OF THE DAY -- March 22 - Saint Nicholas Owen
March 22
Saint Nicholas Owen
(d. 1606)
Nicholas, familiarly known as "Little John," was small in stature but
big in the esteem of his fellow Jesuits.
Born
at Oxford, this humble artisan saved the lives of many priests and
laypersons in England during the penal times (1559-1829), when a series
of statutes punished Catholics for the practice of their faith. Over a
period of about 20 years he used his skills to build secret hiding
places for priests throughout the country. His work, which he did
completely by himself as both architect and builder, was so good that
time and time again priests in hiding were undetected by raiding
parties. He was a genius at finding, and creating, places of safety:
subterranean passages, small spaces between walls, impenetrable
recesses. At one point he was even able to mastermind the escape of two
Jesuits from the Tower of London. Whenever Nicholas set out to design
such hiding places, he began by receiving the Holy Eucharist, and he
would turn to God in prayer throughout the long, dangerous construction
process.
After many years at his unusual task, he entered the
Society of Jesus and served as a lay brother, although—for very good
reasons—his connection with the Jesuits was kept secret.
After a
number of narrow escapes, he himself was finally caught in 1594.
Despite protracted torture, he refused to disclose the names of other
Catholics. After being released following the payment of a ransom,
"Little John" went back to his work. He was arrested again in 1606.
This time he was subjected to horrible tortures, suffering an agonizing
death. The jailers tried suggesting that he had confessed and committed
suicide, but his heroism and sufferings soon were widely known.
He was canonized in 1970 as one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales.
Comment:
Nicholas
was a clever builder and architect who used his skills to protect
endangered priests. Without his help, hundreds of English Catholics
would have been deprived of the sacraments. His gift for spotting
unlikely places to hide priests was impressive, but more impressive was
his habit of seeking support for his work in prayer and the Eucharist.
If we follow his example, we may also discover surprising ways to put
our skills to God’s service.
Source: American Catholic Organization
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If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.
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SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Do you:
feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?
feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
feel emotionally numb or helpless?
Does your partner:
- humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
- treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
- ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
- blame you for his own abusive behavior?
- see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Does your partner:
have a bad and unpredictable temper?
hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
threaten to take your children away or harm them?
threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
force you to have sex?
destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- control where you go or what you do?
- keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
- constantly check up on you?