Franciscan Martyrs of Gorkum: Faith in Persecution – Jul 09 – Homily – Fr John Lawrence

 

Fr John Lawrence gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jul 09, 2025, where he recounts the 1572 martyrdom of St. Nicholas Pick and companions, Catholic priests and religious in Gorkum, who died defending their faith during the Dutch Revolt.

Father narrates the heroic story of the Martyrs of Gorkum, a group of 19 Catholic priests and religious executed in 1572 during the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule. Amid rising tensions, the Protestant Geuzen, or "sea beggars," captured Brielle and Gorkum, targeting Catholics. The martyrs, including nine Franciscan priests, two Franciscan brothers, three secular priests, a Dominican, St. John of Cologne, and a canon regular of St. Augustine, were imprisoned in Gorkum’s castle. Despite promises of safety, they faced brutal treatment as their captors, led by the fanatical Lumey, demanded they renounce the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, as upheld in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 1374 (CCC 1374), and the primacy of the Pope (CCC 882). St. Nicholas Pick, the guardian, and St. Jerome de Weert, a missionary, led the group in steadfast faith. St. Nicasius encouraged younger friars to confess their faith boldly, echoing Christ’s promise in Matthew 10:20, "What you are to say will be given you in that hour." Despite a letter from William of Orange urging mercy, Lumey ordered their hanging on July 9, 1572. Their bodies were mutilated and left unburied for a day. In 1616, their relics were moved to a Franciscan church in Brussels. Canonized in 1867, they are honored for their defense of the papacy and Eucharist.

For Further Reading

Matthew 10:20 - NAB - The Spirit speaks through you - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?20
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1374 - The Real Presence in the Eucharist - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c1a3.htm#1374
Catechism of the Catholic Church #882 - The Pope’s Primacy - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p4.htm#882
Catholic Encyclopedia - Martyrs of Gorkum - Detailed historical account - https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06651c.htm
Wikipedia - Eighty Years’ War - Context of Dutch Revolt - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighty_Years%27_War

00:00 - Introduction to Martyrs
00:12 - Spanish Rule Context
00:36 - Geuzen Revolutionary Movement
02:09 - Gorkum Castle Siege
02:48 - Martyrs’ Identities Revealed
03:34 - Prisoners’ Mistreatment
04:52 - Torture of Nicholas Poppel
06:06 - Journey to Brielle
08:30 - Execution of Martyrs
10:16 - Canonization and Legacy

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Nicholas Pieck and companions - Opt Mem - http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4853
Readings: Wednesday 14th Week of Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/070925.cfm
1st: gen 41:55-57, 42:5-7, 17-24
Resp: psa 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19
Gsp: mat 10:1-7

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=672&r=1440

Also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19mCpm2aTG/
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/zjY38RNBEy8