HEAVENLY
BRICKS

Thomas More was a lawyer and judge, as well as the Lord High Chancellor under king Henry VIII before the protestant reformation. However, his success as a politician would come at odds with his faith when the Church of England separated from the Catholic Church and appointed the King of England as its supreme head. More refused to swear allegiance to the king as the head of the church, and for this he was convicted of treason and beheaded. Up until his death, More wrote against the reformation. Just before he was killed, he kissed his executioner and forgave him. Lifetime:  1478 to 1535 Region:  London, England Patronages:  Lawyers; Adopted children; Politicians; Difficult marriages Iconograpy:  Fur hood; Robe; Quill pen; Chain of office Feast Day:  June 22

St. Marina's mother died when she was young, and in his mourning, her father decided to give all he had to the poor, marry off Marina, and become a monk. Marina didn't want this and convinced her father to let her join the monastery with him as a man, calling herself Marino. Nobody in the monastery knew that their new brother was actually a woman, and Marino developed a reputation for extreme piety, humility, and holiness. However, one day Marino and some of the other monks were sent on a trip, during which Marino was accused of fathering the child of an innkeeper's daughter. Though this was obviously impossible, the monk chose to accept exile as punishment rather than reveal herself as a woman. When the child was born, she adopted him and raised him as her own, feeding the baby with sheep milk. Eventually Marino and the child were accepted back into the monastery. The child became a monk himself, and Marino lived there until he died, whereupon his brothers finally learned