Saint’s Corner

St. Thomas Beckett

    St. Thomas Beckett was born in 1118. He studied to be a lawyer and lost his parents in his early 20s. At the age of 36 he was ordained a deacon and also appointed to be the chancellor of England by Henry II. In 1162 Thomas was ordained a priest and the next day was ordained Archbishop of Canterbury.

    Thomas was a close friend of King Henry II but when the king began to make demands of taxation of the Church, St. Thomas refused to agree to pay them. St. Thomas was exiled several times over the course of his time as archbishop and relations with the King continued to deteriorate until in 1170 A.D. some individuals loyal to the king martyred Thomas in his own Cathedral for his refusal to absolve the sanctions imposed on three bishops who were siding with the king against the Church. St. Thomas was canonized as a martyr shortly thereafter.