HE was born in Kilmallock & died in Clonmel. 

He became confessor to Gerald, Earl of Desmond.

He fell into the hands of a hired trafficker in soldiers. He was handed over to Sir John Norris, President of Munster & thrown into Clonmel prison. 

At Easter 1585, (21st April), Victor White, for a  sum of money obtained that he pass a night in his house. But the spy sought to sell the pious host, the whole neighbourhood, and the priest to the President. 

He went and told the President that he allowed Maurice to to pass the night in Victor's house, and that all the neighbourhood Catholics had been told that Mass would be celebrated there the next day.

The President got his soldiers ready. When Mass time was drawing near soldiers rushed in. The priest thrust himself into a heap of straw in the courtyard. 

Victor was cast into prison, and risked losing his life and property. Victor and Maurice, vied with each other, the one to conquer, the other to die.

When Maurice heard that Victor was in peril; he returned to save him. Victor was set free, Maurice cast into prison.

He could have prevented its execution and saved his life, if he abjured the true faith and took the oath asserting the Queen’s supremacy. But he finished his course, and kept the faith. 

Manuscript History of the Irish Martyrs says he was hanged, his head cut off and his body divided into four parts. 

Others that after his head was cut off, the Catholics, induced the executioner not to mangle the headless body any further or cut it in pieces. 

So Fr Robert Rochford, says in a letter about Maurice’s death. The difference may have arisen from the fact that some supposed the sentence had been carried out in the usual way, in accordance with the commonly received form of words, and spoke of the sentence rather as pronounced than as executed and therefore I should say that in the History of the Martyrs the sentence rather than its execution is spoken of. 

But since at times, some part of the usual form of the sentence is omitted, those who examined the matter thoroughly, describe it in greater detail, and it may be that this was done more carefully in the narrative of Fr Rochford than in the Brief History.

Whether quartered or not, there is no doubt whatever but he was beheaded. His head exposed for several days to the view of the public. 

The crowd that gathered  each day used to perceive, about ten o’clock, an outburst of ruddy colour & perspiration of the forehead and cheeks. Some remarked that this was the time when Maurice, used to celebrate Mass. Some perceived too, that his hands after his death formed the sign of the cross. 

When the soldiers who were on guard saw this, they strove to separate them and to straighten them, so that they should not be in the form of a cross, yet they returned to themselves to the same position; as the elements return naturally to their centre when the obstacle is removed, so the fingers of the martyr returned and formed a cross. 

In this way he went to his crucified Lord, April 30”, in the year of our Lord 1585.

F. Mooney refers in the following notice:

In the convent of Clonmel is interred the Rev. F. Maurice. His remains were buried behind the high altar.’

See also Holing, Copinger, Molanus, Q’Sullevan, Wadding, Lynch, and Bruodin.

Please pray for final perseverance for all of us!
May the martyrs of old inspire us all.