Coffee & Saints

Born: 1556, York, Yorkshire, England
Died: March 25, 1586

What I appreciate about St. Margaret Clitherow:
Forgive my language, but she was a bad-ass for the faith! Her own husband was a reporter of those practicing Catholicism and yet she went against him and was a devout Catholic convert who was willing to give her all to the Lord!

Coffee Order:
I picture Saint Margaret Clitherow choosing a vanilla sweet cream cold brew – She comes across to me as someone who would appreciate the blunt taste with a little sweetness on top.

March is women’s History Month; so (belatedly) I would like to honor a strong woman who gave her life for the Catholic faith! Last month I was reflecting personally on the strength of women. While men’s bodies are designed in such a way to be strong physically; women have been given an emotional strength that no other creature can compare to. How beautiful it is to be a woman – we give, we receive, God uses our bodies to create life, carry it, nurture it, bring it into the world, and help it survive. In short, women are amazing! And Saint Margaret Clitherow is proof of this.

Being that Saint Margaret was from the 1500’s in England, I do not know enough about her personally to be able to come up with a perfect picture of what she was like to be around. By “reading between the lines” of her story, I have pieced together who I think she was: daring, strong, self-sufficient. I see her as a woman who knew the difference between right and wrong; and furthermore, did not stand by and allow bad things to happen without calling them out. I can only assume that in the 1500’s this was not the standard for women; therefore, I see her as a counter-cultural character of the time.

For our coffee outing, a woman like her would not choose a frilly place filled with dainty tea cups and floral prints. I see her as a woman who knew what she liked and was not afraid to say it. For our coffee outing I see her choosing an industrial style coffee shop with worn wood, visible duct work, and live plants. Why? Because in my mind this is the type of place that men would frequent and they might turn their heads towards her, thinking, “Why is she here?”. And Margaret, ever the strong woman, would march past them, head held high, not giving them a second glance.

When it comes to a drink order, I picture Saint Margaret going bold – cold brew with vanilla sweet cream. A risk taker, I do not picture her shying away from such a strong drink that would have some other women skipping entirely as they chose their dainty tea cups. For the record, I am not saying there is anything wrong with a dainty tea cup, after all, I find them quite lovely!

I can see her so clearly sitting across from me, head held high as she speaks about her life. I do not see her as someone who would want to sugar coat, instead she would get straight to the point with me. I appreciate that.

She would talk about her parents: a loving couple who doted on their children. Margaret’s father was the Sherrif of York, a prominent position. The family was not Catholic, they were practicing Protestantism – much like most of England after the Reformation.

It appears that in the 1570’s she was converted to Catholicism by a woman from York whose husband was a prominent Catholic. I see the joy in her eyes as she tells me of the times that the two women spoke openly about religion. I wonder what the woman said to her that truly opened her eyes? I have worked in ministry a long time, and when I look back I can see how God can use any opening in conversation to create a change in them. Therefore; I personally do not think this woman was preaching to Margaret and denouncing her religion. To change a heart like this, I believe that she must have been speaking truth – just that, plain and simple. Telling someone they are wrong or degrading their beliefs will never change their heart. Kindness, love, and truth will.

Margaret would have been in her twenties when she converted and was already married to John Clitherow. Her husband worked as a butcher, but also took on a second position: Whistle blower. John was determined to help the authorities find Catholic’s who were worshipping. How did he feel when he realized that his own wife, the woman whom he loved, had started to be Catholic? This must have brought tension into their home, and I cannot picture this being the easiest marriage for either of them. Did she break down and tell him? Did he find out and confront her?

I can see her hardened jaw as she explains to me how she wanted to do something about what was happening. In jail, she was informed of fellow Catholic’s being put to death for their faith. When she was set free, she took a personal pilgrimage to the gallows where five priests had been hanged.

I picture her standing there, looking at the very place that brave men were killed for their beliefs. Did her hands touch the ropes? Did she pray aloud as she looked at the place where their bodies hung and their souls went to Heaven? What we do know, is that she made a resolve to really do something about the unfairness around her.

Many noble families with large homes were able to hide priests from the authorities. This worked well for the families with large houses and plenty of room. Saint Margaret decided to do the same; however, she lived in The Shambles and did not have as much room. She personally created a secret room in her home where she hid a priest. She set aside a cubbard where she kept his vestments and Mass supplies.

A young boy found the Mass supplies and knew what she had been doing and alerted the authorities. In an Act of Parliament in 1581 it was enacted that anyone who was harboring priests would be put to death. The judges told her that she could have a trial by jury, which she resolutely refused. She explained to them that she had not seen how she had done anything wrong and therefore a trial was not needed. They tried to scare her into submission by choosing to crush her to death. They described in detail how this would work, giving Margaret the opportunity to come to their side.

I can see the determined look on her face as she sits across from me telling me all of this. She is firm as she explains to me, as she did to them, that nothing could bring her fear for she knew the One True God. She was bold in her stance, saying that it did not matter what they did to her body; her soul was meant for Christ.

She sits up straight as she says how she was crushed to death in public on a bridge using a toll booth. She does not shy away from describing it; because it is was united her to Christ. Her husband and three children were all left behind. She had proudly and secretly taught her children the Catholic faith, encouraging them to follow their faith wherever it would take them. One of her sons left England to study the priesthood and returned as a missionary years later. I can see the pride in her eyes as she recalls this information, while she missed seeing it on earth, I believe she was praying for his every step as he studied and prepared for the mission work.

I would love the opportunity to sit with Margaret Clitherow and hear her story myself. I hope and pray that myself, and my two daughters, will be strong women of the faith, not letting anyone tell us we are wrong. While the world may be very different from what it was in the 1500’s, this does not mean that everything is perfect. As the world continues to change and move away from traditional religion (and God all together) I pray that our children remember to put the Lord first and never fear standing up for what they believe in.

Prayer:
Saint Margaret Clitherow, you were called the Pearl of York by Pope Paul VI for being so unique to the times. Please pray for us, who are still here on this imperfect earth, to have the strength and courage to stand up for what is right – even when our own family is against us. May we be able to look back at our own lives and realize that through all the trials and tribulations, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Communion of Saints was with us the whole time. We have an army of believers who can show us the way to Heaven, and we thank you for being one of them! Amen.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this Saint! The artwork above was created using AI and my own imagination – this is how I picture what it would be like to sit with Saint Margaret Clitherow in a coffeeshop today. I would love for you to share your own thoughts in the comments. How do you picture Saint Margaret Clitherow? What do you think she would have ordered at a coffee shop? Let me know below!

Cheers! ☕
Maggie