May 4 | The Carthusian Martyrs of London

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine walking down a foggy cobblestone street in 1500s London. You approach a massive wooden door, the entrance to a quiet monastery. But as you get closer, you see something terrifying. Nailed directly into the heavy wood of the door is a severed human arm.

It's a brutal, gruesome warning from the King of England himself. But a warning against what? What could a group of quiet, fasting monks have possibly done to make the king so incredibly angry? Today, we're talking about the Carthusian Martyrs of London, a group of 16 brave men who faced down a powerful king and paid the ultimate price for the truth.

To understand how we got to that bloody door, we have to go back. The Carthusian Order was founded in the year 1054 by Saint Bruno. These guys were hardcore. They were famous for their intense fasting, living in strict solitude, and having incredible discipline. They were also known for creating a famous drink called chartreuse. The Carthusians first came to London in 1371 for a truly heroic reason. The Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, was absolutely ravaging Europe, and these brave monks came specifically to care for and pray for the sick and dying victims.

They set up their monastery, called a Charterhouse. The location was deeply historical. It had originally been established by King Henry II as an act of apology and reparation after he ordered the death of St. Thomas Becket. For over a hundred years, the London Charterhouse was a powerhouse of prayer.

In fact, in the early 16th century, a young man named Thomas More visited them. He ended up staying with the monks for four whole years, fasting and praying with them as he discerned his life's vocation. But things were about to go horribly wrong for the monks, thanks to a very famous, very angry king, Henry VIII. King Henry wanted a divorce from his wife, but the Pope said no. So, Henry decided he would just separate himself from Rome to get his way.

First, King Henry sent out a legal document and demanded that everyone sign it. The document was an oath swearing that his new wife, Anne Boleyn, was his lawful wife and that her children would be the heirs to the throne. The Carthusian monks just wanted to be left alone to pray.

After being promised that this was just a political issue and not a religious matter, they went ahead and signed it. But King Henry wasn't finished. Later, he circulated a second document. This one crossed a massive line for the monks. The new oath demanded that they swear Henry VIII was the supreme head of the Church of England. The monks knew that signing this meant turning their backs on God. But refusing to sign meant they would be charged with treason, and the punishment for treason was death.

What would they do? They did what Carthusians do best. They went to the chapel to pray about the matter. As they were praying, asking God for the strength to do the right thing, something miraculous happened. A sudden, supernatural wind swept through and filled the entire chapel. Filled with courage, the monks made their choice. They refused to sign the king's oath and waited for his terrible judgment.

The first monks to face death were the prior, John Houghton, along with two of his brothers, Robert Lawrence and Augustine Webster. As they were led out to be executed in 1535, someone who saw them remarked, Do you not see that these blessed fathers be now as cheerfully going to their deaths as bridegrooms to their marriage? They weren't afraid. John Houghton even supposedly hugged his executioner right before he was hanged. They suffered a brutal fate. They were hanged, drawn, and quartered. And to intimidate anyone else who might defy the king, Houghton's arm was nailed right to the Charterhouse door.

By August 4, 1540, all 16 of the Carthusian monks had been tortured and died for their faith, making them the very first people to be martyred in London. Centuries later, they were officially canonized as saints by Pope Paul VI. In 1970, Obviously, we aren't facing down angry kings demanding we sign treasonous oaths, but we all face tough choices. When the Carthusian monks were faced with the hardest decision of their lives, they didn't panic, and they didn't cave to peer pressure. They stopped, they went to the chapel, and they prayed in silence to ask God for guidance.

This week, when you feel pressured to do something you know isn't right, or when you have a really tough choice to make, you don't feel pressured to do something you know isn't right, or when you have a really tough choice to make, Try living like a Carthusian for just 10 minutes. Find a completely quiet spot in your room, turn off your phone, and just sit in silence. Ask God for the courage to make the right choice, and wait for that miraculous wind of the Holy Spirit to guide you. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.