Saint of the Day

01 · Read · A life to discover

St. Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket rose from royal service as Henry II’s chancellor to become archbishop of Canterbury. The close relationship between king and archbishop deteriorated over the authority of the Crown and the freedom of the Church. Their conflict forced Thomas into years of exile in France.

Before their conflict, Thomas had been one of Henry’s most trusted servants and shared the privileges of royal administration. Becoming archbishop changed the duties he believed he owed. The dispute over the Constitutions of Clarendon exposed the difficulty of reconciling those responsibilities with the king’s expectations.

Exile included refuge with the Cistercians at Pontigny and years of separation from his church. His eventual return did not resolve the underlying struggle. The violence in the cathedral transformed a difficult political and ecclesiastical conflict into a martyr’s memory that spread well beyond England.

After returning to England, he was killed by four knights in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170. The exact wording of the king’s reported outburst should not be treated as a recorded quotation. The murder provoked widespread shock, and Thomas was canonized in 1173. His shrine became one of medieval Europe’s major pilgrimage destinations.

This saint is included on this recurring date in the U.S. Roman Rite calendar published by the USCCB. This reading guide gives U.S. calendar saints priority; the Mass celebrated on a particular year’s date can differ because of Sundays, seasons or higher-ranking celebrations.