St. Thomas More Academy
St. Thomas More was a soldier of the Catholic Faith. Not only did he defy cultural tides, More stood firmly for his convictions, knowing his life was at risk.
Sir Thomas More was born in 1477 to a Catholic family in London. A man of letters, he wrote numerous works of poetry, both Latin and English. He also wrote academic prose, his most famous of which is The Utopia. As a lawyer and layman, he constantly reminded the clergy of their duty to God over King Henry VIII. However, More had a connection with the king that eventually earned him the title of Chancellor, under which he protected the English Church from heresy.
When Henry VIII abandoned the Church for its refusal to allow him a divorce from his wife, 
Catherine of Aragon, More resigned from his post. Ever faithful to the Church, he refused to comply with the king’s orders. The king saw this resignation as an act of treason, and ordered More’s execution.
On July 6, 1535, St. Thomas More was beheaded on Tower Hill. However, this fierce execution did not have the effect for which the King had hoped. By his death, the bold More defied the rule of King Henry and took a stand against the corrupt nature of his culture.
-- The staff of For All Seasons, St. Thomas More Academy’s
student literary magazine
St. Thomas More
Give me the grace, Good Lord
To set the world at naught. To set the mind firmly on You and not to hang upon the words of men’s mouths.
To be content to be solitary. Not to long for worldly pleasures. Little by little utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of all its business.
Not to long to hear of earthly things, but that the hearing of worldly fancies may be displeasing to me.
Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help. To lean into the comfort of God. Busily to labor to love Him.
To know my own vileness and wretchedness. To humble myself under the mighty hand of God. To bewail my sins and, for the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity.
Gladly to bear my purgatory here. To be joyful in tribulations. To walk the narrow way that leads to life.
To have the last thing in remembrance. To have ever before my eyes my death that is ever at hand. To make death no stranger to me. To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of Hell. To pray for pardon before the judge comes.
To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me. For His benefits unceasingly to give Him thanks.
To buy the time again that I have lost. To abstain from vain conversations. To shun foolish mirth and gladness. To cut off unnecessary recreations.
Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss at naught, for the winning of Christ.
To think of my worst enemies my best friends, for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred.
These minds are more to be desired of every man than all the treasures of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it gathered and laid together all in one heap.
Amen.
-- St. Thomas More, 1478-1535
Prayer of St. Thomas More
