St. Nicholas Owen and the priest holes

 

I've always been fascinated by the saints of the English persecution of the 17th century -- both priests and laymen and women who gave their lives so that priests could celebrate Mass and hear confessions in the era where the royal crown put priests to death for administering the sacraments.

Here's a brief story from the National Catholic Register about a layman, Nicholas Owen, who was a carpenter who built many "priest holes" (hiding places within homes to prevent the royal army from capturing these renegade priests) before he was eventually hanged for it.