THE NOBLE ARMY is a short book describing the life and Christian faith of the ten “modern martyrs” whose statues, in 1998, were placed above the great west door of Westminster Abbey. This is not a guide book: James Hawkey, the Canon Theologian, has brought together material that originated as sermons by the Dean and various Canons at the Abbey; so the content is intended to be reflective and devotional. This is underlined by Justin Welby in the foreword, who reminds us that it is not primarily the death of these martyrs which is most significant, but the faith that they shared with all of us who trust the risen Jesus Christ.

Hawkey describes, in the introduction, the process that the Dean and Chapter went through to identify which martyrs to choose for the statues. Their aim was to represent the widespread persecution and martyrdom of people as Christians in the 20th-century so the collection is intentionally ecumenical. Some figures are well known — Martin Luther King, Jr, Óscar Romero, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for example. Others I learned about for the first time, such as Manche Masemola (in South Africa), Esther John (in newly formed Pakistan), and Lucian Tapiedi (in Papua New Guinea).

The main chapters begin with a photo of the relevant statue, which gives some sense of the person. The key points of each life and faith journey are presented, but in slightly different ways, partly depending on how much is known. Central for each martyr was the need to respond as a Christian to their own circumstances, be it under the incoming Bolsheviks (Elizabeth of Russia), in Auschwitz (Maximilian Kolbe), or in Idi Amin’s Uganda (Janani Luwum).

AlamyThe ten statues of 20th-century martyrs on the west front of Westminster Abbey

Sadly, humans are ever more skilled at killing one another; so more 20th-century Christians died for their faith than in any previous century. The book’s final chapter is by the Chaldean Archbishop of Iraq, underlining the continuing reality of martyrdom into the 21st century through experience of faith and martyrdom in Iraq.

I found the whole sobering, but encouraging, and I will definitely look closer at the statues when I am next in Westminster.

Dr Anne Spalding is a member of the Third Order of the Society of St Francis, and lives in Suffolk.

The Noble Army: The modern martyrs of Westminster Abbey
James Hawkey, editor
Haus Publishing £7.99
(978-1-914979-01-9)
Church Times Bookshop £7.19