"I die the King's good servant, but God's first."
This quote from St. Thomas More reflects his willingness to sacrifice his life for his conscience and religious beliefs, even in the face of royal disapproval.
St. Thomas More (b. 1478, d. 1535), Lord Chancellor of England, was the highest law officer of King Henry VIII. He gave up his office, and later his life, to remain true to God and his conscience. During his life, he was known for his sociability, sense of humor, integrity, and faith as well as his sense of obligation to active citizenship and statesmanship. Today, he is the patron saint of lawyers.
The St. Thomas More Guild of Western New York is an association of Catholic lawyers recognized by the Diocese of Buffalo that supports lawyers in applying their faith to the challenges of professional and personal life.
The Guild sponsored a luncheon on May 14th, at which this year’s Essay Contest winners were announced. St. Mary School's own Gianna Charland was honored as the grade school winner!
Gianna will be an 8th grader at St. Mary School Swormville in the fall. She is an altar server, Girl Scout, and prolific volunteer, giving her time to organizations such as Brothers of Mercy at Christmastime and St. Luke’s on New Year’s Eve.
In her essay, Gianna answered the question: “Who is a modern St. Thomas More?”. Gianna chose to write about St. Maximilian Kolbe, who gave his life at Auschwitz by volunteering to die in place of another prisoner. As Gianna wrote in her essay, St. Kolbe, like St. Thomas More, inspires us to stand up for what’s right no matter the consequence.
Congratulations Gianna, we are very proud of you! Read Gianna's essay in it's entirety below.
Pictured above: Mr. Geoff Charland, Gianna Charland, Mrs. Gina Charland
Who is a Modern St. Thomas More?
By Gianna Charland, Grade 7, St. Mary School SwormvilleSt. Thomas More was a brilliant scholar and writer, but the thing that made him stand out most among other people and saints was how he stood up for what he believed was right, even when the king told him to do wrong. Since this happened, he was persecuted and died. Not many people stand up for what they believe in like St. Thomas More did, but I know one person and saint who did, and I consider him to be a modern day St. Thomas More. This person and saint is St. Maximilian Kolbe.
St. Maximilian Kolbe got arrested because he was aiding Jewish people and the Polish underground. He was also sheltering refugees. After he was arrested, he was taken to a camp called Auschwitz, where the Nazis then imprisoned him. The Nazis didn't like priests, so they treated them very poorly. He could have not told anybody he was a priest, but instead he led prayers and counseled people who needed help. When they lined everyone up and randomly chose someone to be persecuted, he stood up and said, "Take me, instead of him." Even when he was about to die, all he did was pray and sing to the Lord. When he died, he wasn't afraid because he knew he would be with the Lord.
So, just like St. Thomas More, St. Maximilian Kolbe was persecuted and stood up for what he believed in, even in the roughest of times. They also both prayed and sung to the Lord even in their hardest moments of life because they knew no matter what happened the Lord would be with them every step of the way.
I chose St. Maximillian Kolbe because he inspires me to do good and stand up for what you believe in no matter what the consequence is. He inspires me to do good because even in the hardest of times, he wasn't scared because he knew that God would not let any harm come to him, and he also volunteered to die in place of another one the prisoners so the other prisoner could be with his family. These actions are hard to do and may seem scary, but St. Maximillian Kolbe did them without doubt and made an ultimate sacrifice. That is why I choose St. Maximillian Kolbe.
In conclusion, I consider St. Maximilian Kolbe to be a modern day St. Thomas More because he sacrificed his for his faith and someone else, and didn't hesitate. He also knew that God was with him no matter what and continued to pray and sing to him even in the hardest of times.