Young People in York

On Saturday 13th December, the youth group of St. Robert's made a pilgrimage to York. The first port of call was York Minster, one of the largest Gothic Cathedrals in Northern Europe. There has been a Church on this site since 627 and it was here in 306 that Constantine was made Roman Emperor (within a decade Constantine had converted to Christianity and brought an end to state persecution). The current Church was finished in 1408.

Click here for more on Constantine's conversion.

We then walked from the Minster to St. Margaret Clitheroe's house in the Shambles. St. Margaret (who was martyred at the age of 30 in 1586) was a Catholic convert during times when it was illegal to be Catholic in England. Her husband paid the fines she incurred by not attending Anglican services, while she enabled priests, who travelled incognito, to celebrate Mass in her home.

She was eventually found out and arrested by the police. When she refused to recant her faith and convert to Anglicanism, she was sentenced to death by being crushed. As she was being led off to be martyred, this cheerful woman flung of her hat and threw it to her husband saying "There's for the head of my house" and took of her shoes, flinging them to her daughter instructing her to follow in her footsteps.

Click here for more on St. Margaret Clitheroe.

After lunch we visited the Bar Convent, the oldest living convent in England. Sr. Margaret spoke about the convent, which contains a priest's hiding hole (in which they had to hide during a persecution raid). The convent also holds the relic of St. Margaret Clitheroe. During a short prayer service we reverenced the relic, asking St. Margaret to help us to be like her: strong in our faith and cheerful in our love.

Click here for what we believe about relics and why are they important.