The Martyr's Walk 2008
21 June

Poster / Leaflet

On June 23rd of 2007, the Continuity Movement hosted the first annual Martyrs’ Walk. Processing from Tower Hill to Tyburn Convent, the Walk was an act of witness to the Catholic Faith and of honour for our English Martyrs. Who were these martyrs? They were men and women, of every age, profession and background, who laid down their lives out of loyalty to the Church founded by Jesus Christ, when the Protestant Reformation attempted to impose a new religion on the people of this nation, during the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.

Many were priests, whose only crime was to be loyal to their priesthood, and to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Others were religious, faithful to the vows of their consecration. There were many laypeople, guilty of no crime but of loving the Mass, of harbouring priests, of remaining true to the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Faith, brought to these islands by St Augustine of Canterbury, in AD 597.

All the martyrs were united by their loyalty to the See of St Peter, the Rock on which the Church of Christ is built. Through their heroic witness they proved that the promise of Christ is true: ‘On this Rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it’ (Matthew 16, 18).

‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church’. Because these heroic men and women gave their lives out of faith and love, the Catholic Church did not die in England, but survived to flourish anew in the ‘Second Spring’ of the Nineteenth Century. Great men such as Cardinal Newman returned to the faith of their fathers, and ever since, new generations of converts have found peace, joy and security in the One Fold of Christ.

Approximately two-hundred people attended the Martyrs’ Walk on that sunny day in June. Along the way there were talks by Joanna Bogle, Fr. Nicholas Schofield, and Fr. Anthony Churchill concerning the Martyrs and the history of the Catholic Faith in England. With lunch at Greyfriars, Benediction at St. Patrick’s in Soho Square, and Mass at Tyburn Convent, the day was filled with faith and witness.

On June 21st, the vigil of the Feast of Saints Fisher and More, the Martyrs' Walk will take place once again. Following the same route as Martyrs' Walk 2007, there will be new speakers and new talks along the way. Please stay posted for further updates and more information. Moreover, please pray to Saints John Fisher and Thomas More for the success of this event!

Read Fr. Anthony Churchill’s Talk (.doc)
Read Fr. Nicholas Schofield’s Talk (.doc)