St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Canterbury

Canterbury: St Thomas of Canterbury Church

It comes as a major surprise to find a working shrine of St Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Once a magnet for millions of pilgrim’s footsteps, the modern shrine is housed in the side chapel of a peaceful Catholic church a few steps away from the cathedral, on a quiet side road. Not a soul entered the building during the hour I spent here. The relics on display above the altar are a small piece of bone, perhaps from the saint’s finger, and a fragment of his burial shroud.

Highlights

• St Thomas Becket’s  relics
• Vestments of martyred archbishop Oscar Romero

A panel beneath the reliquary details the historical evidence about these relics. The saint’s finger bonehas been here since 1953, when it was brought to Canterbury by a Belgian prior. It had been on the continent since 1220, when cardinals from Rome attended the translation of St Thomas Becket’s relics. They are believed to have taken some of the saint’s holy body back with them.

The fragment of burial shroud has a more detailed pedigree, having been authenticated and verified in the 18th century by the Vatican. The fabric from shrouds is commonly used as a relic in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. There is another relic above it, perhaps a second piece of St Thomas’ bones, but the church’s panel doesn’t describe it.

The relics are clearly visible in a glass-fronted reliquary case, with a candle stand and prayer kneeler beside the altar. The side chapel in which they are housed is dedicated to the English Martyrs. It is on the south side of the nave, on the right as you enter.

Another relic sits in a niche on the far side of the altar, arising from a very different place and time. Yet there are considerable parallels, since it belongs to another great martyred church leader who was attacked by secular authorities, Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was gunned down in San Salvador while celebrating Mass in a hospital for cancer patients. He was shot while holding aloft the chalice – his blood and the Communion wine mingled as they spilled on to the altar. The relic is one of his vestments – though not the one he was wearing at his martyrdom.

An implacable opponent of El Salvador’s dictator, Romero urged Christians to boycott the government on account of its shocking violations of human rights, assassinations and persecution of the church. He was recognised as a saint by the Vatican in 2018, canonised on 14 October by Pope Francis. His statue stands outside Westminster Abbey in central London. His church festival is kept on 24 March, the date when he was murdered in 1980. The church is open to visitors during the daytime and celebrates Mass at least once a day, with service times on a panel by the door.

Directions

St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church, Burgate, Canterbury CT1 2HJ

W3W: dreams.idea.monks

GPS: 51.2784N 1.0831E

https://stthomasofcanterbury.com

St Thomas of Canterbury’s church is a minute’s walk from the cathedral entrance, to the east along Burgate. It is easy to recognise by the prominent tower in front. It is open daily with a busy timetable of services, full details on the website. The parish office is tel: 01227 462896.