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Saturday 18 February 2012

St. Philip Howard, pray for us



The third saint to be commemorated in the new chapel at Horsham is the star of the Howard Family, St. Philip Howard, 13th (20th) Earl of Arundel. His image is surrounded by the two Jesuits, Ss. Robert Southwell and Thomas Garnet. One of the endearing charms of this man are his writings, which became popular immediately after his death in the Tower, in 1595. A short list of these publications follows: "Epistle of Christ to the Faithful Soul " translated from Lanspergius (Johann Justus of Lansberg), was printed at Antwerp, 1595; St-Omer, 1610; London, 1867; his "Fourfold Meditations of Four Last Things" (once attributed to Southwell ), London, 1895; his "Verses on the Passion", by the Cath. Record Soc., VI, 29. from the Catholic Encyclopedia. 

Photo from Diocese of Arundel and Brighton News Blog 09-02-12
That he suffered so terribly for such a long time imprisoned for his faith gives us hope in our own increasingly troubled times. I, for one, find it comforting that a layman of the stature of St. Philip went before us to God to intercede for us now. His feast day is October 19th and he is the main patron of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.