Exactly 850 years after the martyrdom of St Thomas Becket, members of the Venerable English College came together to celebrate his Feast day for the first time since 1985. Unfortunately, many events in Canterbury and throughout England have had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but the patron of the college church was able to be suitably commemorated by those who have remained in Rome throughout Christmas with a day of prayer, celebration and joy.

The day of festivity commenced with a sung Mass celebrated by the Vice-Rector, Fr John Flynn, and was accompanied by meditative readings and hymns written in honour of St Thomas. During his homily, Fr John urged us to reflect on the life, death and cult of the saint, who is not only the patron of the College church but that of the English secular clergy. Therefore, for those of us who are discerning the priesthood, or those already priests, examining the life and legacy of St Thomas Becket is a helpful guide for us who look to imitate his service and zeal for preaching the Gospel.

Fr John Flynn with the image of St Thomas Becket in the background

Thanks to the hard work of those who were involved in the preparations, the day continued after Mass with a socially-distanced meal cooked by members of the community. Due to the unique circumstances, those present dined in the shadows of past and present English Cardinals as the Cardinals’ Corridor was transformed into a dining room. To close the day, the community returned to the college church to pray solemn Vespers and praise God for the holiness of St Thomas; and as during Mass, we were able to venerate a relic of St Thomas and ask for his intercession.

Despite the many challenges that this year has brought us, we thank God for the ability to once more celebrate the Feast of St Thomas Becket together and continue the ancient tradition passed on to us over many centuries.

Marking the Feast of St Thomas of Canterbury