Saint Thomas More Coloring Page: June 22nd

“I die the king’s faithful servant, but God’s first.”

With these now famous words, Sir Thomas More surrendered his earthly life and accepted martyrdom. This brave man went from the high-ranking position of Lord High Chancellor of England to imprisonment in the Tower of London in just a matter of years. What happened?

Thomas was an intelligent man who studied law. As his political career advanced, he earned a very good reputation for himself. People like and respected him, including King Henry VIII. He was very successful in his new role as adviser to the king. This position gave him many responsibilities, but before long, Thomas found that he could no longer support the king without being unfaithful to the teachings of the Church.

He took a stand, refusing to acknowledge both the king’s divorce and his desire to be head of the Church in England. This earned him imprisonment in the Tower of London and the crown of martyrdom. He was martyred just a few weeks after his friend St. John Fisher, who died for the same reason. The two men were canonized 400 years later by Pope Pius XI.

Click the image below to print the coloring page.