Gospel in Art: Saint John Southworth, Priest and Martyr

Relics of Saint John Southworth in Westminster Cathedral © Photo by Father Lawrence Lew, OP, via Flikr, 15 June 2017

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 27 June 2026
Matthew 10:28-33

At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: 'Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father knowing. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.'

Reflection on the Relics

Saint John Southworth was an English Catholic priest and martyr whose life was marked by extraordinary courage, compassion and fidelity during one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Church in England. Born in Lancashire in 1592, he travelled to Douai in France to train for the priesthood and was ordained there in 1618. He then returned secretly to England, fully aware that his priesthood could cost him his life. For more than three decades, Southworth ministered to Catholics in and around London. He became especially known for his care of the poor, the sick and the abandoned. During outbreaks of plague, when many fled the city, he remained behind to tend to those who were suffering. Arrested several times for being a priest, in 1654 he was brought before the Old Bailey. When asked whether he was a Catholic priest, he could have denied it and saved his life. Instead, he openly professed his Catholic priesthood. That sealed his fate. He was condemned and executed at Tyburn on 27 June 1654.

Each year in June, around the time of diaconate and priestly ordinations in the Diocese of Westminster, the relics of Saint John Southworth are placed prominently in Westminster Cathedral for public veneration. This is far more than just a historical commemoration. The Church places before her ordinands and faithful not merely the memory of a courageous man, but a living witness to what priesthood truly means. Southworth reminds us that diaconate or priesthood is primarily about self-giving service, fidelity to Christ and public witness. Southworth's incorrupt courage reminds the ordinands that authentic priesthood always carries a cost, but that this cost is repaid a hundredfold in the joy of serving Christ.

His presence in Westminster Cathedral also speaks more widely to all the faithful who come and say prayers. In an age that often prizes convenience, comfort and self-interest, the relics of Saint John Southworth remind us that the holiness we are all called to is costly, and that faith is something worth sacrificing for. Beatified in 1929 and canonised in 1970 by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, Saint John Southworth remains one of the most powerful symbols of Catholic perseverance in England. His relics, enshrined in Westminster Cathedral (brought here at the Cathedral in 1930), continue to proclaim the same message they proclaimed at Tyburn nearly four centuries ago: that Christ is worth living for, serving, and, if necessary, dying for.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-10-28-33-2026/
Video: How art called me to the priesthood: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/55096