Thomas More was born in 1478 at London, England.  He was a lawyer by profession and  a devoted family man and father of one son and three daughters.  He was a friend of the king at that time, King Henry VIII. He held the office of Lord Chancellor of England, a position of power second only to the king. Thomas More opposed the king on the matter of royal divorce, and refused to swear the Oath of Supremacy which declared the king the head of the Church in England. He resigned as Chancellor, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was martyred for his refusal to bend his religious beliefs to the king's political needs.

Thomas More died in 1535, beheaded by King Henry.  He was canonized in 1935 by Pope Pius XI.