Nicholas Pieck, O.F.M., "Nicolaas" or "Claes Pieck" in Dutch, was a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...

who was one of a group of Catholic clergy and

lay brothers Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...

, the Martyrs of Gorkum, who were executed for refusal to renounce their faith in 1572.

Life

He was born in the town of Gorkum (now Gorinchem), the son of Jan Pieck and Henriea Clavia, devout Catholics. He was sent to college at

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

, and as soon as he had completed his classical studies he received the habit of the Friars Minor at the

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

in that town. Nicholas was ordained a priest in 1558, devoting himself to the apostolic ministry. He was appointed

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

of the friary in

Gorkum Gorinchem ( or ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The municipality of Gorinchem al ...

, his native town.Heckmann, Ferdinand. "St. Nicholas Pieck." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 29 May 2013
/ref> Pieck preached against

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

. In particular, he preached the dogma of the

Real Presence The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist, not merely symbolically or metaphorically, but in a true, real and substantial way. There are a number of Christian denominati ...

. In June 1572, the citadel of Gorkum was taken by the

Watergeuzen Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...

, who retained 19 of the clergy as prisoners although they had promised to let the inhabitants depart from the town without being molested.Habig O.F.M., Marion. ''The Franciscan Book of Saints'', Franciscan Herald Press, 1959
/ref> For reprisals, because of the city's determined defense, they gathered all the members of the clergy in Gorkum into one prison and took out their grievances against the Spanish crown on the priests and religious.
Pieck and eight other Franciscan friars were confined in a dark and foul dungeon where they were tortured. Taking the cord which Pieck wore around his waist and putting it around his neck, they first suspended him from a beam and then let him fall heavily to the ground. This torture was continued until the cord broke, and Father Nicholas fell to the ground unconscious.
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 1 April 2016] Pieck's two brothers tried to obtain his release, but the guardian would not leave the others. Other priests were captured, bringing the total to 19. On 6 July they were thrown half-naked into the hold of a ship and removed to Brielle. Stopping at Dordrecht they were exhibited for money to the curious. At Brielle the commander of the Watergeuzen, William II de la Marck, promised them freedom if they would renounce the authority of the pope and belief in the

. None did. Despite instructions from Prince

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

to spare them, and protests from the magistrates of Gorkum, the members of the group were hanged on 9 July 1572 in an old barn at the deserted Ruggen Monastery on the outskirts of Briel. The execution was clumsily handled; it took two hours for some of them to strangle.Foley O.F.M., Leonard. ''Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feast'', (revised by Pat McCloskey O.F.M.), Franciscan Media
They became known as the Martyrs of Gorkum.

Veneration

Martelaren van Gorcumkerk (Amsterdam) Interieur Glas-in-lood 1

Nicholas and his companions were beatified by

Clement X Pope Clement X ( la, Clemens X; it, Clemente X; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death in July 1676. Elected pope at ag ...

, 24 November 1675, and canonized by

Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

, 29 June 1867. For many years the place of their martyrdom in Brielle has been the scene of numerous pilgrimages and processions.Albers, Petrus Henricus. "The Martyrs of Gorkum." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 29 May 2013
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pieck, Nicholas 1534 births 1572 deaths People from Gorinchem Dutch Friars Minor 16th-century Dutch Roman Catholic priests People executed by the Netherlands by hanging Burials in South Holland Executed Dutch people Martyred Roman Catholic priests Dutch Roman Catholic saints 16th-century Christian saints Franciscan martyrs Franciscan saints Beatifications by Pope Clement X Canonizations by Pope Pius IX