St Philip Howard - who wrote and lived these inspirational words: "The more affliction we endure for Christ in this world, the more glory we shall obtain with Christ in the next."

St Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel

Today is the feast of St Philip Howard, the 20th (though some say 13th) Earl of Arundel. During the Summer, I was fortunate enough to make a pilgrimage to his shrine at Arundel Cathedral, and to his earlier resting place in the Fitzalan Chapel at Arundel Castle. So, as an act of gratitude for St Philip's faith, for his bravery in witnessing to God's truth, and for his intercession on my behalf, I would like to dedicate today's post to this man of immense prayer, suffering, patience and courage.

Philip Howard was the eldest son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, and Lady Mary FitzAlan, daughter of Henry FitzAlan, 19th (12th) Earl of Arundel. He was born in The Strand, London, on 28 June 1557, and was baptised soon after his birth in the Chapel at Whitehall Palace. The Archbishop of York, Nicholas Heath, whose London residence was in The Strand, baptised Philip; whilst Queen Mary I and her husband, King Philip II of Spain (who was also King-Consort of England), were in attendance. In fact, King Philip acted as the boy's godfather, and there is reason to believe that the young Howard was named after him.

When Philip Howard was only fourteen, he was married to his step-sister, Anne Dacre, the daughter of Lord Dacre of Gilsand. He graduated from St John's College Cambridge in 1574, before being summoned to serve at Queen Elizabeth I's Court. It is well documented that Philip enjoyed the Court's many temptations as well as it's frivolity, even to the point of neglecting his wife and the basic requirements of his own religion. Although he had been baptised a Catholic, Howard become estranged from his faith through the excesses of youth and the general anti-Catholic attitude that prevailed amongst those who were ambitious for high office or royal favour. It is said that the young Philip Howard's good-looks, intelligence and charm had also made him very popular at Court, especially with the Queen, who happened to be his second cousin.

Having said that, Philip had also suffered grievously at the hands of Queen Elizabeth I before he had even been called to attend her at Court. On 1 October 1569, Philip Howard's father, Thomas, had been arrested for apparently plotting against the Queen. Thomas Howard was eventually found guilty of high treason against the Elizabeth and was attainted (his property and titles reverting to the Crown) and executed in 1572. Philip Howard had not only lost his father under Elizabeth, but was also no-longer able to succeed to the Dukedom of Norfolk. He did, though, inherit his mother's heritage upon the death of his grandfather, becoming Earl of Arundel in 1580.

An icon depicting St Edmund Campion SJ

In 1581, soon after inheriting the Earldom of Arundel, Philip witnessed a disputation between Protestant theologians and St Edmund Campion, who was being held at the Tower of London. He was deeply moved by St Edmund's defence of the Catholic faith, as well as by the witness of several other Catholic prisoners at the Tower, including St Ralph Sherwin. Although Philip was at the Tower as an agent acting on behalf of the Crown, he was so impressed by the Catholic prisoners that were being detained there, that he seriously began dwelling on the state of his own soul and soon sought reconciliation with the Catholic faith of his childhood. Although he knew that any reconciliation with the Catholic Church could end in his own death, as had happened to his father, Philip decided to return to Arundel, where he began to make amends to his long-suffering wife and where he also planned his return to Catholicism.

Because of this profound conversion, Philip decided to wholly embrace the Christian vocation to holiness and also to commit himself totally to his vocation as a husband - seeking to be the man he had failed to be whilst enjoying the pleasures of youth at Elizabeth's Court. Soon after being reconciled to Anne, he was formally reconciled to the Church by a missionary priest called Fr Weston. It is true to say that Philip Howard was deeply troubled by the way he had abandoned both the Catholic Church and his wife, and his conversion was therefore a genuinely powerful one - he really regretted his sins and so wished to live out his act of contrition. He was determined never again to abandon his dear wife or the faith that God had given him. Having said that, Philip was also aware of the fact that he would soon be a wanted man, and that those old friends of his at Court would end up becoming his deadly enemies. He therefore decided to seek safety for a while on the Continent. However, betrayed by a servant, Philip Howard was captured by the authorities soon after his ship had left the port of Littlehampton.

The Fitzalan Chapel - Traditional resting place
of the Dukes of Norfolk (Earls of Arundel).
This Chapel remains Catholic, though is attached
to the local Anglican church

St Philip Howard was immediately sent as a prisoner to the Tower of London - an event that occurred on 25 April 1585. After being interrogated for over a year, Philip was eventually tried before the Star Chamber at Westminster. He was found guilty of treason, though not high treason, and was fined £10,000 and sentenced to an indefinite imprisonment at the Queen's pleasure. Soon after his committal, Philip Howard petitioned Queen Elizabeth to allow him access to his wife and son, Thomas - who had been born during his imprisonment. He was told that were he to attend a Protestant service only once, the Queen would not only grant him his desire, but would also restore him to his former dignity and bestow upon him her royal favour. In reply, St Philip, although desperate to see his beloved Anne and his new born son, is reported to have said, "Tell Her Majesty, if my religion be the cause for which I suffer, sorry I am that I have but one life to lose." He resolutely refused to attend a Protestant church service, and was therefore not allowed to see his wife again and never got to set eyes on his own child.

St Philip spent nearly 11 years in the Tower of London. Each day was a form of martyrdom for him, for he was constantly alone and deeply wanted to see his wife and son. He also feared that it would only be a matter of time before he would be found guilty of high treason on some trumped up charge. In 1589, a year after the Spanish Armada, St Philip Howard's fears were realised - he was accused of praying for the success of the Spanish invasion (which had been launched by his godfather), and was subsequently found guilty of high treason before the King's Bench. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered - a barbaric form of execution usually reserved for those low-born men who had been found guilty of high treason against the Crown.

In a homily preached in October 1995, on the 400th anniversary of St Philip's martyrdom, the late Cardinal Basil Hume spoke these words concerning the Saint's suffering and his abandonment to God's will: -

When condemned to death in 1589 Philip showed that cheerful embracing of God's will which was such a characteristic of all our English martyrs. Philip waited for his execution to take place. It never did. Why? The Queen, Elizabeth, never signed the death warrant. Philip, remarkably, was never told. So he expected each day to be his last. He lived every hour the martyr's cheerful and courageous acceptance of death. 

We read: "not a bell sounded, but it might be his knell; not a footstep was heard, but it might be the messenger of death. Each morning, as he rose, he knew not but that, before night, he might be a headless corpse; each night, as he lay his head upon his pillow, he was uncertain whether the morning might not summon him to another world." Acceptance of God's will and the desire to do his will, at whatever the cost, there is the secret of holiness. 

Philip's holiness was the result of his prayer-life and of his suffering. These two, prayer and suffering, conform us best to him who prayed: "Father, let this chalice pass from me, but not my will but thine be done... Into thy hands, Father, I commend my spirit." Suffering detaches us from making life in this world, with all its attractions, our only objective; prayer attaches us to God who increasingly becomes the ultimate reason of all our human endeavour.

Philip Howard spent several hours in prayer and meditation every day whilst incarcerated in the Tower of London - just as had St Thomas More before him, who saw his confinement in the Tower as a chance to live the sort of monastic vocation that he had tried before his first marriage. St Philip was also noted for his heroic patience in suffering both the privations of prison and the injustice of his sentence. He was also admired by many for being constantly courteous, especially to those gaolers who were often unkind to him.

The Shrine of St Philip Howard at Arundel Cathedral

Eventually weakened by malnutrition and illness, and possibly even having been the victim of some form of slow poisoning, St Philip Howard died on 19 October 1595. He was 39 years old, and was immediately proclaimed a martyr by many Catholics throughout the British Isles and Europe.

After his death, Philip Howard was buried with little ceremony at St Peter's ad vincula in the Tower of London. Nearly 30 years years later, his widow, Anne, and his son, Thomas (who had by then been granted his grandfather's lesser titles), were given permission by King James I to bury Philip's body in the FitzAlan Chapel at Arundel Castle. On 25 October 1970, Pope Paul VI canonised Philip Howard together with the other Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A year later, St Philip's remains were transferred to Arundel Cathedral, where they were enshrined for veneration in a new altar dedicated for this purpose.

During his imprisonment, St Philip had written these words on the wall of his cell in the Tower of London: Quanto plus afflictionis pro Christo in hoc saeculo, tanto plus gloriae cum Christo in futuro Arundell - 22 June 1587. These words have been translated to read: 'The more affliction we endure for Christ in this world, the more glory we shall obtain with Christ in the next - Arundel, 22 June 1587'; and can now be found on the step before his shrine at Arundel Cathedral. St Philip did not merely believe these words, he lived them. In that sense, this man who suffered so much for the Catholic faith and who never saw his son because he refused to attend a Protestant liturgy, should be a great inspiration and pattern to us all!

St Philip Howard, pray for us

[Images: 1 St Philip Howard; in the public domain; source: Wikimedia Commmons. 2 St Edmund Campion SJ (icon); source: A Catholic View blog. 3 The Fitzalan Chapel; my photo (August 2011). 4 The Altar of St Philip Howard at Arundel Cathedral; my photo (August 2011)]