The Feast of the English Martyrs falls on May 4th and this year, I thought I’d write a little series looking into into some of their stories. All 284 of these canonised or beatified men and women showed incredible courage and bravery during a time when adhering to the Catholic faith was illegal and punishable by death. Maybe you’re familiar with some of their stories? English Martyrs, pray for us! Part one of the series is all about a guy called St Nicholas Owen, SJ. St Nicholas was responsible for helping to save many souls, both directly and indirectly, but his role was a somewhat hidden one. Owen was a designer and builder of priest holes and lived in the midst of the time of the penal laws, when Catholicism was illegal in England.