Died: 1595

Do you like poetry? Is writing something you enjoy? Here is a saint for you!

Robert Southwell loved to write. He saw God in the world around him. His writings were a reflection of all that is true and beautiful. The simplicity of Robert`s writing gives it a clearer picture of his soul than do the most detailed accounts for his life, because he put everything inside him into his writings.

He was born in England around A.D. 1561. He went to school in France where he realized his calling. He wanted to convert people with his writings. At seventeen he applied to become a Jesuit priest. They refused his first request because of his age. His first recorded writings showed his disappointment; "...Alas, where am I, and where shall I be? A wanderer in a dry parched land." Soon, however, he was accepted into the Jesuit novitate in Rome, and two years later he began his English mission.

In the time of the "Protestant Reformation," the King of England had made himself the head of the Church. Life was tough for priests. Their lives often ended on heroic martyrdom. This didn`t stop Southwell. The devotion he had to the Catholic Church made him a dangerous man in the eyes of the English monarchy. In 1592, after six years of active missionary work in England, Robert was arrested by order of the King. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London until he was hung at Tyburn on February 21, 1595. He was a martyr at the age of thirty-four.

While he was in prison in the Tower of London, he continued his work. He developed his writing skill to the best of his ability. He wrote many books on the Church, God, and nature while he was there. He had the greatest love of God that remained strong even in the hardest conditions. He is a source of inspiration for all people.

*If you need help with English class or poetry class, why not pray to Saint Robert Southwell.