Thomas Becket, the man who became St. Thomas of Canterbury, was born in London about 1118.  He received deacon’s orders in 1154 and was named to a number of ecclesiastical offices.  An intimate friend of Henry II, the King appointed him Lord Chancellor in 1155.  For seven years, Becket faithfully served his king as statesman, diplomat and soldier, participating in the worldly affairs of the powerful court.  In 1162 Becket was ordained a priest and consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.  Thereafter, his lifestyle and faith radically changed, and he became embroiled in bitter church/state jurisdictional disputes with Henry II.   

In 1164, after a stormy and dangerous royal council, St. Thomas fled to safety in France.  Six years later, he returned to England, the friendship apparently refreshed and the rift healed.  Shortly thereafter, however, the quarrel re-ignited when St. Thomas attempted to discipline bishops that had, under the instigation of Henry, infringed on the authority of the Archbishop during his absence.  Henry, now in France and hearing of St. Thomas’ actions, uttered the reckless curse which brought about the archbishop’s martyrdom.  Four knights then present, seizing upon an opportunity to please their king, sped across the Channel and, confronting St. Thomas on the evening of December 29, 1170, killed him in a side chapel of the cathedral.  Proclaimed immediately as a martyr, St. Thomas was canonized in 1173, just three years after uttering his last words: “Willingly I die for the name of Jesus and in defense of the Church.”