Saint Nicholas Pieck, martyr at Gorkum

Saint Nicholas Pieck, martyr at Gorkum, was a Dutch Franciscan priest and one of the Martyrs of Gorcum. He was born in 1534 and served as the guardian of the Franciscan convent at Gorkum. In 1572, during the religious persecutions in the Netherlands, he and his companions were captured and executed for refusing to renounce the Catholic faith and papal authority. He is venerated as a steadfast witness to the faith and was canonized in 1867.