'Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy' - a NEW film, biography, devotion, Saints, FILM PRODUCTION NOTES, Mary's Dowry Productions

SAINT FAUSTINA AND THE DIVINE MERCY

Film Production

NEW DVD - June 2017

Film Inspiration

The Divine Mercy devotion has been part of our lives at Mary's Dowry Productions for about 25 years. We remember being interested in the events leading up to St. Faustina's Beatification and Canonisation, especially because our parish priest had a special love of the devotion. There have been Divine Mercy prayer groups in our parish and recently some of the young mothers in the parish have had a particular zeal for the devotion and set up a Divine Mercy prayer group which has been running for a couple of years now.

We were inspired to make a film presenting Saint Faustina's life and the message of Divine Mercy several years ago, but since there is already an abundance of good resources available for people to learn about the Divine Mercy we focused our efforts on biographies of the English Martyrs because they are lesser known and also we worked on projects that were specifically requested.

We were fortunate to be able to document and film a painting of the Divine Mercy in progress for our productions.

We knew this would be especially good to have and use in a film about Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy during a segment about the painting of the first image.

 

Film content

Saint Faustina's biography takes place in the beginning of the twentieth century. We have used relevant paintings and photographs from the Era and from Poland, including WWI and WWII, when needed. The film incorporates numerous events from Saint Faustina's life and we look especially at:

The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy

The image of the Divine Mercy

Saint Faustina's devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Saint Faustina's mission to pray for the dying

Saint Faustina writing her diary

Various words of Jesus recorded by Saint Faustina

The spread of the message of Divine Mercy after Saint Faustina's death

Below is an assortment of screenshots from our film showing Saint Faustina praying and writing her diary.

As in our 2010 production 'Blessed Alexandrina da Costa', we had a narrator record the words of Jesus that we included in our film 'Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy'. This is very effective and adds to the depth and spirituality of the film.

We used several paintings of the Divine Mercy as well as statues. 

It was lovely to be able to incorporate several photographs of Pope Saint John Paul II in the last part of the film.

Film Release

 'Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy' film in NOW available on DVD through our online shop:

www.marysdowryproductions.org

Visit our website for full listing of all of films, shipped worldwide in all region formats



NO LEAVE TO LIE - Blessed Thomas Whitbread, Tyburn Martyr, reading for June 13th

NO LEAVE TO LIE

Blessed Thomas Whitbread - English Martyr

TYBURN GALLOWS

 

 

"I declare to you here present and to the whole world..."

 

IN the course of his speech from the infamous Tyburn scaffold on 20th June 1679, Blessed Thomas Whitbread, a Catholic priest, said before he died:

 

"I suppose it is to be expected that I should speak something to the matter that I am condemned for and brought hither to suffer; it is no less than plotting his Majesty's death and altering the government of church and state. You all know, or ought to know, I am to make my appearance before the face of Almighty God, and with all imaginable certainty and evidence to receive a final judgement on all the thoughts, words and actions of my whole life.

As then I hope for mercy from His Divine Majesty, I declare to you here present and to the whole world that I am as innocent of the charge against me as when I was born.

Further, I renounce from my heart all manner of pardons, absolutions, dispensations for swearing falsely, which some impute to us as part of our doctrine and practice; it is a thing so unlawful that no power on earth could authorize me or anybody so to do.

I forgive my accusers and pray for their repentance, otherwise they will find they have done to themselves more wrong than to me, though that has been much.

May God ever bless his Majesty, to contrive whose death and hurt I have ever believed to be unlawful. I commit my soul into my Redeemer's hands."

 

"Putting away lying, speak ye the truth, every man with his neighbour; for we are members one of another." - Eph. 4, 25.

 

Reading for 13th June from

The Mementoes of the Martyrs and Confessors of England and Wales

by Henry Sebastien Bowden

 

(Screenshot taken from the Catholic film biography 'Saint Alexander Briant' by Mary's Dowry Productions, available on DVD worldwide)

 

For films about the Saints and English Martyrs:

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org

 

MARY'S DOWY PRODUCTIONS is a Catholic Film Apostolate founded in 2007 to promote and share the lives of the Saints and English Martyrs and Catholic heritage through film.



AN UNJUST JUDGE - Blessed Thomas Whitbread, English Martyr, reading for June 12th

AN UNJUST JUDGE

Blessed Thomas Whitbread - English Martyr

TYBURN

 

 

Reading for 12th June

 

WHEN Father Whitbread, with four companions, was eventually brought to trial, the informers Oates and Bedloe swore to Whitbread having assisted at a meeting in London to kill the king; Bedloe gave as of his own personal knowledge what he had before spoken of as hearsay, and explained that he had intentionally softened his witness on the previous occasion. Judge Wylde told him that he was a confirmed perjurer and ought never enter the courts again, but go home and repent.

Father Whitbread showed the improbability of his conspiring with a man whom he had never seen, and who had been expelled from St Omer for his irregular life. He produced fifteen students who swore that Oates was at St Omer when he swore he was at the meeting in London.

"If this plot existed," urged Whitbread, "in which many persons of honour and quality were engaged, why are there no traces of its evidence, no arms bought, no men enlisted, no provision made for its execution? There was no evidence for the jury but hard swearing."

Speaking for himself and his companions he contrasted the known blamelessness of their lives and the vicious wickedness of their accusers. Nevertheless, Chief-Justice Scroggs directed the jury to find them guilty, and himself sentenced them to death.

 

"O thou are grown old in evil days, now are thy sins come out...in judging unjust judgements, oppressing the innocent and letting the guilty go free." - Dan. 13. 15-53

 

From the Mementoes of the Martyrs and Confessors of England and Wales.

 

Blessed Thomas Whitbread was executed at Tyburn on 20th June 1679

 

For Catholic films about the English Martyrs

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org

 

As seen on EWTN

 

(Photograph is a screenshot taken from our film 'Saint Alexander Briant')

 

Keywords

Titus Oates Plot, English Martyr, Tyburn Gallows, London, English history, priest, Catholic, Martyrs

 



"We can." Blessed Thomas Whitbread, Jesuit English Martyr, Titus Oates, English Catholic history

"We can."

Reading for 11th June

 

 

BORN of a gentleman's family in Essex, Blessed Thomas Whitbread was educated at St Omer, entered the Society of Jesus, and for thirty years laboured with great fruit on the English mission. Made provincial superior of his English brethren, he preached at his visitation at Liege, on St James' day, 25th Julyn1678 (that is, about two months before the Oates persecution began), on the gospel of the feast:

"'Can you drink the chalice which I am to drink?' they say to Him, 'We can'."

He then showed clearly his foresight of the coming storm and much suffering in store for his brethren and himself; after saying that the times were now quiet, but that God only knew how long they would be so, he pointedly repeated the text.

"Can you drink the cup? Can you undergo hard persecution? Are you contented to be falsely betrayed and injured and hurried away to prison? Can you take it? We can. Blessed be God. Potestis bibere? Can you suffer the hardships of a jail, a straw bed, the rough food, the chains and fetters? Can you endure the rack? We can. Blessed be God. Can you patiently receive an unjust sentence of a shameful and agonising death? We can."

And this last clause he uttered as a prayer, with his eyes towards Heaven.

 

(From the Mementoes of the Martyrs and Confessors of England and Wales by Henry Sebastian Bowden)

 

Blessed Thomas Whitbread was born in 1618.

He was martyred at Tyburn on 30th June 1679.

 

For Catholic films on DVD of the lives of the English Martyrs visit:

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org

As seen on EWTN

Queen Mary I, Mary Tudor, History of England, Catholic Heritage - a film

Queen Mary I of England

Mary Tudor, History of England, Catholic Heritage

 

 

Last year (2016) saw the release of our film 'Mary Tudor - The Catholic Queen' on DVD.

The film is a historical, biographical journey with Queen Mary I of England told in her own words.

 

 

Film Production

 

We had wanted to have a film about Queen Mary Tudor in our collection since we founded Mary's Dowry Productions. She was the last Catholic Queen of England and remains the most maligned. It was a heavy task to research and write the narrative. While we did not want to be too biased we wanted to provide a film that is Queen Mary friendly because there is a lot of Queen Mary unfriendly out there. Interestingly, the actual historical documents, facts and information are all Queen Mary friendly, it is pretty much the interpretation and presentation of Queen Mary since the Reformation that has always taken a specific tone. So the first step in our production was to work very carefully on the facts, details and information in history and write our narrative presentation.

Next step was to find locations for our visuals, as well as the image that we wanted Queen Mary to have on screen.

 

FIRE!

 

 

Obviously we were going to include Queen Mary's most famous association with 'burning heretics' and that is how we open our film. For the imagery we drew upon footage we had captured while on location in Gosport in 2009 at the Living History Village. We open up the film with the Revival of the Heresy Acts, a fascinating part of England's history that goes back to 1382 and places Tudor governmental sentencing within the correct and whole historical context. The narration opens over the sound of the crackling of fire and the visual of the official written text of the 'Revival of the Heresy Acts' document of November 1554 - this is a very fascinating look at history linked to Queen Mary I.

 

 

BEDHAM RUINS

 

We had to present our own visuals of Queen Mary I to run throughout the film, so we decided to film outside and chose two locations local to us. The first was in the ruins of a missionary church and school located in a forest in Bedham near Petworth. We liked the idea of having the form of Queen Mary Tudor walking through a ruined building. The structure is very atmospheric and seemed to capture history. We spent a couple of hours in the eerie silence acquiring footage of Queen Mary I for specific segments of her biography.

 

 

BEGINNINGS

 

After the opening of the film with the Revival of the Heresy Acts, we go back to the very beginning of Mary Tudor's life, to her birth. In the context of history this is very fascinating and often moving and tragic. We made good use of portraits and paintings of the Princess Mary, following her through her infant and childhood years to specific events and circumstances in the life of her father, King Henry VIII, that shaped history and Princess Mary's life and future reign.

 

 

Of particular interest to us in Mary's private life was Mary's love of music and reading and later, when she sent cucumbers from her own garden to the pregnant Jane Seymour, showing her human and personal qualities and interests.

 

RACTON RUINS

 

For additional visuals we travelled to Racton Ruins outside of Chichester. This was a very eerie place with some beautiful views. We wanted Queen Mary I to have a structure behind her and this worked very well in the background. The various images and locations are interspersed throughout the film and give an overall effective presentation of Queen Mary I as a person, a living form, that we were able to run beneath the narrative of her life and reign.

 

 

FINISHING TOUCHES

 

To complete a film by Mary's Dowry Productions, the final edit is given colour effects and any special effects required. It is then sent as an AVI file over to our composer, Bernadette. Bernadette has her own music blog where she often writes about her inspirations and experience writing each film score. It can be visited here:

 

BERN'S MUSIC CORNER

 

This is the most important finishing touch because the original music score flows alongside the narrative and visuals to complete our unique filmmaking style. In the music for our film about Queen Mary Tudor, Bernadette used a lot of Gregorian Monks in the segments about the Church in England, the dismantling of Catholic culture and the Mass. This is beautifully effective and spiritual.

Overall, the music score for 'Queen Mary I of England' draws the viewer and listener into the journey of the Queen, with special touches of instruments from the Tudor Era fused with several modern instruments. Some of the instruments used in our film score include:

 

STRINGS

EARLY RENAISSANCE HARP

LUTE

NYLON GUITAR

TRADITIONAL WOODEN FLUTE

SHEVANNAI

CANTUS

TENOR VIOLA DA GAMBA

ALTO RECORDER

SMALL PSALTRY 

 

 CONCLUSION

 

'Queen Mary I of England' by Mary's Dowry Productions was a journey through faith and history in England for ourselves too and one that we are now pleased to have available on DVD worldwide. Having wanted to present her life and reign for so many years, we are pleased to be able to offer another source for anyone interested in the life of the daughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon. It is a film that delves into the history of England and England's Catholic heritage.

 

Our film runs for 55 minutes and very carefully and thoroughly presents the life, reign and death of Queen Mary I of England with our trademark style and approach.

We are pleased to be able to offer this DVD worldwide in all region formats in our online shop which can be viewed by following the link below.

 

MARY TUDOR DVD

 

Coming soon from

Mary's Dowry Productions

to DVD

'Queen Katherine of Aragon'

 

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org



Saint John Bosco and his dreams - Catholic Film News - a new DVD now available, 40 dreams, priest, teacher, friend.

'Saint John Bosco and his dreams'

CATHOLIC FILM NEWS - June 2017

 

 

NEW FILM RELEASE

NEW from Mary's Dowry Productions is our 50 minute film exploring the life and dreams of Italian priest, educator, writer and friend, Saint John Bosco, produced in 2017 and now available on DVD worldwide through:

 

AMAZON UK

 

and

 

Mary's Dowry Productions ORG

 

FILM PRODUCTION INFORMATION

 

Saint John Bosco is one of 80 original films on the lives of the Saints produced by Mary's Dowry Productions, and is one of our new releases in 2017, the 10th year of the founding of our film production apostolate. Saint John Bosco has a run length of 50 minutes and takes the viewer on an informative, prayerful and very atmospheric journey through the life and dreams of this Italian Saint.

A book called 'The 40 dreams of Saint John Bosco' first came into our hands about 20 years ago. It presents a selection of dream/visions that Saint John Bosco had, beginning as a small boy, as recorded by the Saint in his journals and diaries. The dreams made a great impression upon us and have often been the subject of our conversations.

 

 

In 2016 we had one of our conference/discussions about Saints and films and thought how amazing it would be to have not only a biographical film about Saint John Bosco's life and missions, but a presentation of some of his dreams. His dreams were given not only as lessons, warnings and instructions for his Oratory boys, but for all Christians, and they are especially relevant today.

Of course, recreating such vivid and descriptive dreams would be a challenge, especially for a film apostolate that functions on the tiniest of budgets. But when we feel that a subject is inspired, we simply go for it. So, at the end of 2016 we booked a couple of filming days in the 'barn' (our 'studio') next to our church and set about planning our film.

 

VISUALS

 

Saint John Bosco's Oratory Boys
© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

Casting was the first step in the production process. We like to have a variety of imagery in our films, sometimes they only show a Saint in an abstract way, distant shots out and about. Other times we call upon our eager and willing team of 'actors' to portray specific Saints and characters associated with them. This requires backdrops and a filming day especially set aside.

For the portrayal of Saint John Bosco we asked a parishioner friend who had portrayed Saint Maximilian Kolbe for us in 2015. For Don Bosco's story we needed a selection of visuals to run beneath our narrative that would include Saint John Bosco's Oratory boys. Among the boys would be Saint Dominic Savio. The boys would feature in the Oratory scenes as well as the dreams we chose to present in our film. As well as boys, we needed a few girls to work with Saint Mary Mazzarello, co-foundress with Saint Don Bosco of the Salesian Sisters. We also needed characters who would feature in Saint Don Bosco's dreams, such as the devil, Death's Messenger, the 'man in the cap' - Don Bosco's guide - and others. We called upon a cast of about 20 parishioners, local Catholic school children, teachers and friends to portray these various people.

 

Death's Messenger
© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

The Devil
© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

The dreams that we chose to portray also include 'To Hell and Back', one of Saint John Bosco's most vivid and sobering dream involving a long journey with his guide into hell. We kept things simple but this turned out to be visually very effective in the end result.

The filming day took place in January 2017 in the 'barn' and its courtyard and garden with simple sets to serve as backdrops. The visuals that we acquired were perfect. It was a difficult day, lots of things go wrong and there is always the sense of oppression whenever we film (always a good sign), but lots of things happen that make us stop and think 'wow that is so guided'. We acquired some wonderful images. The next step saw us finalising narrative, acquiring paintings, photographs and images over the next few months so that in May we were able to work on the editing process.

 

Editing process
© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

Editing Saint Don Bosco
© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

Finally, at the end of May, despite numerous obstacles (again, always a good sign) the film was complete with effects and credits and ready for the music. Music composition on our films is the most important part because it creates such a specific atmosphere for the film. Our films are prayerful encounters and journeys as well as informative tools. Bernadette wrote a beautiful and powerful score for Saint Don Bosco while Emily finalised the DVD cover. The film was ready for release on June 2nd and is now available in our online shops and through Amazon.

 

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

Our film 'Saint John Bosco and his dreams' takes a look at some serious topics such as the tragic consequence of sin and the reality of hell. Some of the imagery in Saint John Bosco's dreams is powerful and shows some of his Oratory boys fleeing the Justice of God into hell. Saint John Bosco's visit to hell, its chambers and viewing platform as well as the inscriptions shown to him by his guide, are also sobering.

We were pleased to be able to present these important messages and images through film and our own experience watching the final DVD left us truly feeling as though we had journeyed with Saint Don Bosco through the places God wished for him to see and share with us.

 

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

© 2017 Mary's Dowry Productions

 

Our film is available NOW through our online shops and Amazon UK.

 

Coming soon:

 

Saint Dominic Savio

Saint Mary Mazzarello

 

as well as

 

Saint Faustina

Saint Margaret Mary

Blessed Bartolo Longo

Saint Claude de la Columbiere

and many more.

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org

 

 

Why venerate the martyrs? "Our forefathers in the faith are indeed exceedingly honourable" - The Martyrs of England and Wales

The Faith of our Fathers in England and Wales

4th May 2017

The Martyrs

Mass in a forest - the life of an English Martyr

Our film production apostolate, Mary's Dowry Productions, was founded in 2007 because of an English Martyr. Saint Philip Howard, the Earl of Arundel.

Since then, we have managed to present the accounts of several English Martyrs in film biographies as a way of making their heroic witnesses, missions and love for the Catholic Faith in England, more well known. Many of these have been broadcast on EWTN, thus reaching people all over the globe. We have had many letters and emails from people, especially in the USA, who have been amazed to learn the history of the English Martyrs, and the history of the Catholic Faith in England especially during penal times.

As a daily remembrance of our forefathers in the faith, we recall the historical records of their lives and times as well as their own writings.

The claims of the martyrs on our devotion need hardly be expressed. If the apostle of every country is specially venerated as the means by which the faith was first received, what honour is due to this goodly company of our own race and speech which at so great a cost preserved the faith for us?

Its members are our patrons, then, by the double tie of nature and grace.

 

Saint Henry Morse in prison © 2014 Mary's Dowry Productions

"Look," says the Prophet, "to the rock whence you are hewn, to the hole of the pit whence you were dug out." And our forefathers in the faith are indeed "exceedingly honourable." Fisher, the saintly cardinal; More, the illustrious chancellor; Campion, the "golden-mouthed"; Southwell, the priest poet; Margaret Pole, the last of the Plantagenets; Margaret Clitherow, in the "winepress alone", Ralph Milner, the sturdy yeoman; Philip Howard, the victim of Herodias; Swithun Wells, a "hunter before the Lord"; Horner the tailor, with his vestments of salvation; Mason, the serving-man; Plunketh, last in time, not least in dignity or holiness. All these, high or humble, with the sons of SS. Augustine, Benedict, Bridget, Bruno, Francis, Ignatius, and the crowd of secular priests, bear the same palm and shine with the same aureole, for they confessed una voce the same faith and sealed it with their blood, and for this land of ours.

(From the Preface of the Mementoes of the Martyrs and Confessors of England and Wales by Henry Sebastian Bowden)

 

Protomartyr Saint John Houghton, who was executed on 4th May 1535

Some of our films about the English Martyrs are available to watch on Youtube, thus reaching a different audience as well as being shown to classes.

All of our films are available on DVD worldwide in all region formats from:

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org

 

 



3rd May 1606 - an English Martyr - The execution of Father Henry Garnet, Jesuit

THE EXECUTION OF FATHER HENRY GARNET

3rd May 1606

 

 

On this day in England in 1606, Father Henry Garnet was executed at Tyburn, London.

For some centuries, a second feast, the Invention of the Cross, was celebrated on May 3 in the Roman and Gallican churches, following a tradition that marked that date as the day on which Saint Helena discovered the True Cross. In Jerusalem, however, the finding of the Cross was celebrated from the beginning on September 14.  Pope Saint John XXIII removed this duplication in 1960, so that the General Roman Calendar now celebrates the Holy Cross only on September 14.

 

At the time of Father Henry Garnet's execution, he highlighted the date of the Feast of the Holy Cross and reaffirmed his innocence of the crimes of which he was charged.

Father Henry Garnet was an important figure in England during the time of the Martyrs, as the head of the Jesuits in England and a deeply holy priest.

 

We have included Father Henry Garnet in several of our film biographies of the English Martyrs, especially in our film SAINT NICHOLAS OWEN: THE PRIEST HOLE MAKER.

 

Here is an account of this day in 1606:

 

3rd May 1606 - Father Henry Garnet's execution

 

After about three months spent in the Tower, on Saturday 3 May 1606 Garnet was strapped to a wooden hurdle and taken by three horses to the churchyard of St Paul's. He wore a black cloak over his clothes and hat, and spent much of the journey with his hands together and eyes closed. Present in the churchyard were the Sheriff of London, Sir Henry Montague, George Abbot and John Overal. When asked if he had knowledge of any further treasons, Garnet replied that he had nothing to say. He rejected any entreatments to abandon his faith for Protestantism, and said that he had committed no offence against the king. The only thing he thought he might be condemned for was for abiding by the terms of the confessional, and if by that action he had offended the king or state, he asked for forgiveness. The recorder announced that this was an admission of guilt, but Garnet reiterated his not guilty plea and continued to argue the point.

 

3rd May, a second FEAST OF THE CROSS - SAINT HELEN

 

 

 

Garnet highlighted the date of his execution, 3 May, the Feast of the Cross, and reaffirmed his innocence. He defended Anne Vaux against claims that their relationship had been inappropriate. He then prayed at the base of the ladder, disrobed down to his long, sewn-up shirt, "that the wind might not blow it up", and mounted the ladder. He ignored a Protestant minister who came forward, replying to an objectionable member of the audience that he "ever meant to die a true but perfect Catholic". Bishop Overal protested that "we are all Catholics", although Garnet disagreed with this. He once again said his prayers, and was then thrown off the ladder. Before the executioner could cut him down alive, many in the crowd pulled on his legs, and as a result, Garnet did not suffer the remainder of his grim sentence.

 

Henry Garnet conceals St. Nicholas Owen in one of
St. Nicholas Owen's own priest holes before he and
his fellow Jesuits hide themselves
Screenshot © 2010 St. Nicholas Owen DVD

 There was no applause when the executioner held Garnet's heart aloft and said the traditional words, "Behold the heart of a traitor". His head was set on a pole on London Bridge, but crowds of onlookers fascinated by its pallid appearance eventually forced the government to turn the head upwards, so its face was no longer visible.

A bloodstained straw husk saved from the scene of the execution and said to bear Garnet's image became an object of curiosity. It was smuggled out of the country into the possession of the Society of Jesus, before being lost during the French Revolution (from Wikipedia)

 

Henry Garnet features in several of our films.

Visit us online for a full listing of films including

Saint Nicholas Owen and Saint Helen:

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org 

A meditation on the English Martyrs, Mary's Dowry Productions, Feast Day May 4th

 

Here is a meditation on the

ENGLISH MARTYRS

for their feast day on May 4th

 

For films about individual English Martyrs visit:

 

www.marysdowryproductions.org

 

In this video you will see some new footage of 'St. Thomas Garnet' which we filmed for in March. A new film biography of his life and martyrdom will be available this year (2017).

Meanwhile, we have a variety of films of the English Martyrs in stock, shipped worldwide in all region formats, some of which have been broadcast on EWTN.





THE WITNESS OF TRADITION - St Richard Reynold, English Martyr, May 2017

THE WITNESS OF TRADITION

St. Richard Reynolds - Bridgettine monk

Martyred on May 4th 1535

 

 

St. Richard Reynolds was hanged, drawn and quartered with St. John Houghton.

Here is today's reading taken from:

Mementoes of the Martyrs and Confessors of England and Wales

by Henry Sebastian Bowden

 

The Witness of Tradition

 

INTERROGATED by Chancellor Audley as to why he persisted in an opinion against which so many lords and bishops in Parliament and the whole realm had decreed, Reynolds replied:

 

"I had intended to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ when He was questioned by Herod and not to answer. But since you compel me to clear both my conscience and that of the bystanders, I say that if we propose to maintain opinions by proofs, testimonies and reasons, mine will be far stronger than yours, because I have all the rest of Christendom in my favour.

I dare even say all this kingdom, although the small part holds with you, for I am sure the larger part is at heart of our opinion, although outwardly - partly from fear and partly from hope - they profess to be of yours."

 

On this he was commanded, under the heaviest penalties of the law, to declare who held with him. He replied,

"All good men of the kingdom hold with me," and added, "As to proofs of dead witnesses, I have in my favour all the general councils, all the historians, the holy doctors of the Church for the last fifteen hundred years, especially St Ambrose, St Jerome, St Augustine and St Gregory."

 

St. Richard Reybolds was dragged to Tyburn on a hurdle and gained the martyrs crown on 4th May 1535.

 

For film biographies of the English Martyrs visit:

www.marysdowryproductions.org