Today, when Christianity is facing new challenges and increasing hostility in all corners of the world, the courage of the martyrs and their profound faith will continue to give strength and inspiration to those who strive for truth and holiness.

How the English martyrs inspired me to make the most difficult film of my life

By CHRISTIAN HOLDEN

We must not forget the heroism of men like Roger Wrenno,

 who actually ran to the gallows

Producing documentaries about the Catholic faith over the past few years has been a great privilege. I love doing it and consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to work full-time in sharing the truths of the Catholic faith.

Each project poses its trials and difficulties. It can be difficult enough producing a good film with a quality soundtrack. But the real test is ensuring that we get the content right: clear, orthodox catechesis. We don’t just want people to have enjoyed watching a “nice” film; we desire that people benefit intellectually and spiritually.

Our most recent project, Faith of Our Fathers: In Search of the English Martyrs, was without doubt the most difficult and challenging project to date. Having only a short space of time to shoot the film, we had to cover a lot of ground very quickly – sometimes only having about one hour at sites, leaving very little room for errors or second takes. We visited some fantastic locations including Stonor Park and Wardley Hall, Tyburn and Rievaulx Abbey.

The journey was led by my brother, Fr Marcus Holden, and Fr Nicholas Schofield. Along the way we had the opportunity to interview Archbishop Vincent Nichols, Bishop Terence Brain of Salford, Lord Camoys, Abbot Cuthbert Madden and many others.

Many Catholics today have forgotten the stories of the English martyrs. We know the famous names like Thomas More, John Fisher and Edmund Campion, but how many remember the stories of Francis Bell or Thomas Maxfield?

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