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“The situation in England was grave for Catholics. The Protestant Reformation, which we think of now very much as an historical fact, was a live one for them. Particularly for those who would celebrate mass, for priests and for those who would seek to aid them in their mission, it became a question of life and death. And because of that, preparation for priestly ministry had to take place on the continent,” Fr. Christopher Warren, Vice-Rector of the Venerable English College, explains.
Nestled in the heart of Rome, the Venerable English College has been forming men to the priesthood since the English Reformation, an extremely dangerous time for Catholics.
The Heroism of English Martyrs and Their Missionary Spirit
Fr. Stephen Wang is the Rector of the Venerable English College. He notes, “The young men coming from England and Wales to study here were very conscious of the difficulties back home. Their hearts were on fire, but they knew the dangers as well. They knew the risks. They knew that to be caught as a Catholic priest, you would have been probably tortured, tried and then executed as a traitor.”
After their ordinations, the many young priests would indeed return to England and Wales to lead a secretive existence, in constant danger of betrayal, arrest, and execution – which was the fate of the English College’s first martyr, St. Ralph Sherwin, on Dec. 1, 1581.
Over the next 100 years, 44 former students were martyred, most by being hanged, drawn, and quartered – the brutal execution method of the day.
Fr. Wang highlights, “It is an amazing history, the heroism of the martyrs studying in these circumstances, going home on mission. But it’s so relevant to today as well, because today we need missionary priests. Now, the cultures are not always welcoming to the Gospel and to the Christian message. So to be able to share your faith in a loving way, but to have the courage and also the creativity you need to share that faith in new and difficult circumstances. The martyrs are such a model for that.”
Originally founded for seminarians returning to England and Wales, the College today welcomes students from Scandinavia, Australia, Croatia, and beyond.
Stuart McGovern, seminarian for the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, Ireland, shares, “Today things are a little bit different but we’re all going home to some kind of hostile environment, and we will encounter hostility in different ways. So, I mean, to know that they were willing to do what they did; [it] really is an inspiration for us.”
The Liber Ruber: A Tradition That Connects Generations
Though generations apart, seminarians past and present share not only the same vocation and mission, but also a unique connection through the Liber Ruber – “the Red Book.” Since 1579, all students signed the Missionary Oath in the Liber Ruber, which to this day records the names and details of every student in the College.
The first to sign it was St. Ralph Sherwin, who swore to return to England hodie quam cras – “today rather than tomorrow.”
“In the pages of that book are countless generations of priests, including our martyr Saints, who have spent their lives in the service of God’s Church. And I think there’s something deeply formative about that, because they realize very quickly that the book that they’re signing was signed by a person just like them, by often a young man who came to this college not only with the certainty of faith and the strength and the grace that that brings, but also with their own questions and worries and anxieties,” Fr. Warren highlights.
On St. George’s Day, the day when St. Ralph Sherwin signed the book in 1579, Chris Carling will sign the Liber Ruber along with the other four first-year seminarians.
Chris Carling, seminarian for the Diocese of Middlesbrough, England, explains, “We no longer take quite the same oath. But we make that same implicit promise when we sign this book, that if ordained, we will return to our home countries to be priests.”
The Martyrs’ Picture: A Symbol of Purpose and Mission
Another reminder of their mission is “the Martyrs’ Picture” in the seminary chapel. Painted in 1580, it depicts the Holy Trinity with the blood of Jesus igniting the earth.
The two English martyrs and patrons of the college, St. Thomas of Canterbury and St. Edmund, King of East Anglia, can be seen on the left and the right, pointing towards a gate.
Fr. Wang explains, “This is the Flaminian Gate, which represents the road going north. So it’s the road home. Our two Saints are saying to us and to everyone today who’s in the church: your destiny, your vocation is not to stay in Rome forever. It’s to remember that you’re here for a purpose. It’s to go home. It’s to be on mission. It’s to take the good news of Jesus, it’s to take your experience of being here in Rome back home to those who need to hear the gospel.”
Adapted by Jacob Stein
