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CALENDAR of the SAINTS
25 October 2009 Anno Dómini
"....and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. ~ ~ Apocalypse
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Saint Alban Bartholomew Roe, Martyr
Convert to Catholicism. Studied at the English College at Douai, France, but was dismissed for an infraction of discipline. Benedictine priest in 1612 at Dieulouard, France. Missionary to England. He was arrested and exiled in 1615 for his work. Returning to England in 1618, he was arrested again. He sat in prison until 1623 when the Spanish ambassador obtained his release on condition that Alban leave England. Soon after, Alban returned to his homeland and continued his covert ministry. Arrested again in 1625, he lay in prison for 17 years before being tried and condemned to death for the crime of priesthood. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 21 January 1642 at Tyburn, England, dying with Blessed Thomas Reynolds. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Alexander Briant, Martyr
Born to a yeoman family, described as a handsome young man, and raised Protestant. Studied in Oxford. Convert to Catholicism. Studied at the English College at Rheims, France. Ordained on 29 March 1578.
Returned to Somersetshire, England as a missioner in August 1579. Arrested on 28 April 1581 in London at the home of Father Robert Persons. Tortured in the Tower of London, partially for information on Father Robert’s location. During this misery, he wrote to the Jesuits, asking for admission; they accepted him sometime in his last weeks in prison.
Condemned to death with six other priests on 16 November 1581 at Westminster for the treason of priesthood. Hanged, drawn, and quartered on 1 December 1581 at Tyburn, England, along with Saint Ralph Sherwin and Saint Edmund Campion in the persecutions of Roman Catholics by Queen Elizabeth I. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
In prison, Saint Alexander made himself a small wooden cross, and gripped it tightly all the times, even during trial. In the courtroom it was wrestled away from him. He told the judge, “You can take it out of my hands, but not out of my heart.” The cross was later bought by Catholics, and is at the English College at Rome.
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Saint Ambrose Edward Barlow, Martyr
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Saint Anne Line, Martyr
Born the wealthy daughter of an ardent Calvinist. When she and her brother converted to Catholicism, they were disowned and disinherited. Anne married another convert, Roger Line, who was soon arrested for attending Mass, then exiled to Flanders where he died in 1594.
When Father John Gerard established a house of refuge for priests in London, Anne was put in charge. Father Gerard was sent to the Tower of London and escaped in 1597. The authorities suspected Anne of hiding him, and she moved to another house, which became a rallying point for Catholics. On Candlemas, 1601, Father Francis Page was about to celebrate Mass there, when priest-catchers broke in. Father Page quickly unvested and mingled with the others, but the altar was all the evidence needed to arrest Anne. She was tried, convicted and hanged for harboring priests hanged on 27 February 1601, with Blessed Mark Barkworth, and her friend Blessed Roger Filcock. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Augustine Webster, Martyr
Educated at Cambridge. Priest. Carthusian monk and prior of Our Lady of Melwood, a Carthusian house at Epworth, on the Isle of Axholme, North Lincolnshire, England in 1531. Imprisoned, tortured and martyred on the orders of Thomas Cromwell when he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy which recognized English royalty as head of the Church. Saint Augustine Webster was dragged through the street, beaten, hanged, drawn, and quartered on 4 May 1535 at Tyburn, London, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Chrysanthus, Martyr
Married to Saint Daria. Zealous and public in his Christianity. He was stoned to death c.283 in a sandpit off the Salarian Way during the Christian persecutions under Numerian and Carinus.His relics rest at Münstereifel.
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Saint Crispian, Martyr
Cobbler. Missionary. Beheaded during the year of 286 A. D., at Rome.
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Saint Crispin, Martyr
Roman noble. Brother of Saint Crispian with whom he evangelized Gaul in the middle 3rd century. Worked from Soissons, they preached in the streets by day, made shoes by night. The group's charity, piety, and contempt of material things impressed the locals, and many converted in the years of their ministry. Martyred under emperor Maximian Herculeus, being tried by Rictus Varus, governor of Belgic Gaul and an enemy of Christianity. Saint Cispin was tortured and beheaded during 286 A.D., at Rome. A great church was built at Soissons in the 6th century in to honor the brothers; Saint Eligius ornamented their shrine.
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Saint Cuthbert Maine, Martyr
Raised a Protestant by his uncle, a schismatic priest. Ordained as a Protestant minister at age 19. Friend of Saint Edmund Campion. He converted to Catholicism in 1570 while a student at Saint John's College, Oxford. Studied and ordained at Douai, France, the first Englishman trained there. Ordained and returned to England in 1575 with Saint John Payne to minister to covert Catholics in Cornwall. Arrested in 1576, condemned and hanged, drawn, and quartered on 25 November 1577 for the crime of being a priest. His relics are enshrined at the Carmelite convent, Lanherne, Cornwall. EnglandProtomartyr of English seminaries. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
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Saint Crinums, Martyr
Roman martyr mentioned in the Acts of Saint Marcellinus .
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Saint Daria, Martyr
Married to Saint Chrysanthus. Zealous and public in her Christianity. She was stoned to death c.283 in a sandpit off the Salarian Way during the Christian persecutions under Numerian and Carinus.Her relics rest at Münstereifel.
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Saint David Lewis, Martyr
His mother, Margaret Prichard, was Catholic, but his father, Morgan Lewis, was a Protestant school headmaster; David, the youngest of nine children, was raised Protestant. Reconciled to Catholicism in Paris, France at age 16. Studied at the English College in Rome, Italy from 1638. Ordained in 1642. Joined the Jesuits in 1645. Spiritual director of the English College in Rome. He returned to Wales in 1648 and spent over 30 years ministering to persecuted Catholics from the village of Cym, living in a farmhouse that served as a base for missionary work. During the increased persecutions triggered by the Titus Oates Plot, David was betrayed by a servant, and arrested in November 1678 at Llantarnan, Wales. Condemned in March 1679 for the crimes of being a priest and saying Mass. Imprisoned and interrogated in London, then returned to Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales where he was hanged, drawn and quartered on 22 August 1679. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Dulcardus
Hermit at Saint-Doulchard, France. He was originally a monk at Micy in Orleans.
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Saint Edmund Arrowsmith, Martyr
Son of the farmer Robert Arrowsmith and Margery Gerard Arrowsmith. His rebel parents refused to attend Protestant services, harbored priests in their home, and at one point were arrested for their actions, and dragged away in the night, leaving the child Edmund alone. Entered Douai College in 1605; he was forced to quit due to ill health. Ordained in France in 1611. Worked among beleaguered English Catholics in Lancashire for 15 years. Even in these oppressive times he was known for his pleasant disposition, sincerity, and energy.
Queen Elizabeth's governors and hierarchy lived on confiscated Catholic property, so public distrust of priests as agents of Catholic Spain working for a Spanish invasion, worked to their advantage, keeping the population in a constant state of paranoia, dependant on an intrusive government. To keep all this in place, Elizabeth had her own Inquisition. Edmund was arrested in 1622 for his faith, and spent his prison time arguing theology with the local Protestant bishop.
Edmund was unexpectedly freed by a pardon issued by King James I. After making the Spiritual Exercises, Edmund entered the Jesuits in 1623, and returned to Lancashire for the remaining five years of his life. Betrayed by the son of the landlord of the Blue Anchor Inn in south Lancashire, he was arrested by priest hunters, and imprisoned for his vocation. He decided to let the court prove the charge rather than help them with a confession, replying, "Would that I were worthy of being a priest!" When the jury found him guilty of being a Jesuit priest, he exclaimed, "Thanks be to God!" Brought to execution, he prayed for everyone in the kingdom, then said, "Be witnesses with me that I die a constant Roman Catholic and for Christ's sake; let my death be an encouragement to your going forward in the Catholic religion." His confession on the day of his execution was heard by fellow-prisoner Saint John Southworth, and his final words were "Bone Jesu" ( O good Jesus )/i>. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 28 August 1628 at Lancaster, England. His hand is preserved as a relic at Saint Oswald's Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Edmund Campion, Martyr
Son of a Catholic bookseller named Edmund whose family converted to Anglicanism. The boy planned to enter his father’s trade, but earned a scholarship to Saint John’s College, Oxford under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I’s court favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Sought after speaker. Queen Elizabeth offered him a deaconate in the Church of England. He declined the offer, fled to the continent, and joined the Jesuits. Ordained in 1578.
He spent some time working in Bohemia, then returned to London,England as part of a Jesuit mission, crossing the Channel disguised as a jewel merchant. Edmund worked with Jesuit brother Saint Nicholas Owen. In London he wrote a description of his new mission in which he explained his work was religious, not political; it became known as Campion’s Brag. Widely distributed, it encouraged many Catholics to remain loyal to their faith. It also led to Edmund’s arrest, imprisonment and torture in the Tower of London, and martyrdom. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 1 December 1581 at Tyburn, London, England; parts of his body were displayed at each of the four city gates as a warning to other Catholics. Relics are venerated at Rome, Prague, London, Oxford, Stonyhurst, and Roehampton. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Blessed Edmund Daniel, Martyr
Jesuit seminarian. One of the Irish Martyrs. First Jesuit martyr in Europe; hanged on 25 October 1572 in Cork, Ireland. One of the Irish Martyrs.
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Saint Edmund Gennings, Martyr
Convert to Catholicism at age 17. He studied and was ordained at Rheims, France in 1590. He then returned to England to minister to covert Catholics. Martyred on 10 December 1591 at Gray’s Inn Fields, Tyburn, London, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Engratia, Martyr
Sister of Saint Fructus and Saint Valentine. Martyred during the year 715 A.D.; relics at Segovia, Spain by invading barbarian muslims.
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Saint Eustace White, Martyr
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Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
Following the dispute between the Pope and King Henry VIII in the 16th century, faith questions in the British Isles became entangled with political questions, with both often being settled by torture and murder of loyal Catholics. In 1970, the Vatican selected 40 martyrs, men and women, lay and religious, to represent the full group of perhaps 300 known to have died for their faith and allegiance to the Church between 1535 and 1679. They each have their own day of memorial, but are remembered as a group on 25 October.
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Bishop Saint Fronto
1st. century, bishop. According to legend he was born in Lycaonia and became a follower of Christ, was baptized by Blessed Apostle Saint Peter, and became one of the seventy-two disciples. He is said to have accompanied Blessed Apostle Saint Peter to Antioch and Rome, from where he was sent with a priest, George to convert the GAULS. He is supposed to have become the first bishop of Perigueux and George the first bishop of Le Puy, both in France.
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Saint Fructus, Martyr
Brother of Saint Engratia and Saint Valentine. When his brother and sister were martyred by invading barbarian muslims, Fructos fled and lived out his life as a hermit.
Bishop Saint Gaudentius of Brescia
Studied under Saint Philastrius, Bishop of Brescia, Italy. He preached throughout Italy and in the East, respected wherever he went for his oratory and leading the Christian life. When Philastrius died near the end of the 4th century, the people of Brescia chose Gaudentius as their bishop. He was consecrated by Saint Ambrose of Milan in 387. Guadentius wrote many pastoral letters, and ten of his sermons have come down to us. They show a desire to educate, and to present good examples for living.
He left his diocese in 405 to join a delegation sent by Pope Innocent I to defend Saint John Chrysostom from charges brought by a heretic. The group was forced by John’s enemies to return to Italy. Their ship sank near Lampsacus, Greece, but the group finally safely reached home. Though the delegation did not achieve its mission, Saint John sent a letter of thanks to Saint Gaudentius.
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Saint George, Martyr
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Saint Goeznoveus
Brother of Saint Maughan.
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Bishop Saint Guesnoveus, Martyr
Brother of Saint Maughan.
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Saint Henry Morse, Martyr
Convert. Studied for the priesthood in Rome. Joined the Jesuits in 1626. Worked as a covert priest in London, and among plague victims in 1636, catching the plague himself - and recovering from it. Betrayed to the authorities by an informer, he was briefly imprisoned in 1638. He ministered to people around the countryside of southern England for years. Arrested and convicted of the "crime" of Catholicism in 1647; hanged, drawn, and quartered on 1 February 1645 at Tyburn, London, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Henry Walpole, Martyr
Educated at Norwich, Cambridge and Gray's Inn, London. Adult convert to Catholicism. Studied for the priesthood at Rheims, France in 1582, and English College, Rome, Italy in 1583. Joined the Jesuits in 1584. Ordained on 15 December 1588 at Paris, France. Chaplain to the English soldiers stationed in Brussels, Belgium. Vice-governor of the College of Saint Alban at Valladolid, Spain in early 1593. Returned to England to minister to covert Catholics on 4 December 1593 around York. He was arrested the next day for the crime of priesthood, serving time in York and the Tower of London, and being repeatedly tortured before his martyrdom; he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 5 November 1595 at York, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Bishop Saint Hilary of Mende
Adult convert. Hermit on the River Tarn. Monk at Lerins. Bishop of Mende.
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Saint Hildemarca
Benedictine nun at Bordeaux, France. Invited by Saint Wandrille to govern the monastery he founded at Fecamp.
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Saint John Almond, Martyr
Grew up in Ireland. Educated at Much Woolton, in Rheims, and at the English College, Rome at age 20. Ordained in 1598. Returned to England as a home missioner in 1602. Arrested in 1608 and 1612 for the crime of being a priest. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 5 December 1612 at Tyburn, England. The effectiveness of his debating skills against the anti-Catholic powers of the time led to his being one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales..
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Saint John Boste, Martyr
Educated at Queen's College, Oxford from 1569-1572. Fellow at Queen's College. Convert to Catholicism in 1576 at Brome, Suffolk, England. Resigned his position at Oxford, and studied in Rheims in 1580. Ordained on 4 March 1581. Returned to England in April 1581 as a missioner to the northern counties, often disguised as a servant in the livery costume of Lord Montacute. Assisted in his mission by Blessed John Speed. He became the object of an intense manhunt, was betrayed by Francis Ecclesfield near Durham on 5 July 1593 at the home of one William Claxton, and arrested. He was sent to the Tower of London where he was crippled by being tortured on the rack. Sent to Durham in July 1594, where he was tried for the treason of being a priest. Upon his conviction, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 24 July 1594 at Dryburn near Durham, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.'
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Saint John Houghton, Martyr
Graduated from Cambridge with degrees in civil and canon law. Ordained in 1501 and served as a parish priest for four years. Carthusian monk, doing his noviate in the London Charterhouse, and making his final vows in 1516. Prior of the Beauvale Carthusian Charterhouse, Northampton. Prior of the London Charterhouse.
In 1534 he was the first person to oppose King Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy. Imprisoned with Blessed Humphrey Middlemore. When the oath was modified to include the phrase "in so far as the law of God permits", John felt he could be loyal to Church and Crown; he and several of his monks signed the oath, though with misgivings. Father John was released, and a few days later, troops arrived at the Chapter house and forced the remaining monks to sign the modified oath.
On 1 February 1535, Parliament required that the original, unmodified oath be signed by all. Following three days of prayer, Father John, with Saint Robert Lawrence and Saint Augustine Webster, contacted Thomas Cromwell to seek an exemption for themselves and their monks. The group was immediately arrested and thrown in the Tower of London. True to his Carthusian vow of silence, he would not defend himself in court, but refused to cooperate or sign. The jury could find no malice to the king, but when threatened with prosecution themselves, they found John and his co-defendants guilty of treason; he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 4 May 1535 at Tyburn, London, England; his body was chopped to pieces and put on display around London as an example to others .
First person martyred under the Tudor persecutions, dying with Blessed John Haile and three others. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Jones, Martyr
Born to a strong Catholic Welsh family. Joined the Franciscans in Greenwich. When the monastery was dissolved in 1559, he travelled to France to study. Ordained at Rheims.
Returned to England to work with Catholic prisoners at Marshalsea Prison in London. Arrested for his faith, he was imprisoned at Wisbech Castle, but escaped to the Continent. Lived at Pontoise, France, and then the Ara Coeli Franciscan Observant house at Rome. Returned to England as a missioner 1592, and worked in several places in the country. Elected Franciscan provincial of England.
Arrested and tortured by the priest-catcher Topcliffe in 1596. Imprisoned for two years with Blessed John Rigby. Convicted on 3 July 1598 for the treason of being a Catholic priest.
The execution took place early in the morning to reduce the chance of a mob; the executioner, roused out of bed for the job, forgot his ropes. During the delay while he went for them, John preached to the crowd, and explained he was being murdered for his faith, not for disloyalty to his country; hanged, drawn, and quartered in the early morning of 12 July 1598 at Southwark, England; the body chopped to pieces and displayed on roadside poles as warnings to others; they were pulled down by some local Catholics, at least one of whom was jailed for the offense; surviving relics are at Pontoise, France. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Kemble, Martyr
Son of John and Anne Kemble. Studied at Douai, France. Ordained on 23 February 1625 at Douai College. Returned to England on 4 June 1625 as a missioner in Monmouthshire and Herefordshire. He tended to his covert flock for 53 years.
Arrested at Pembridge Castle, the home of a family member, in 1678, and lodged in Hereford Gaol. Falsely accused of being part of the Titus Oates Plot. Condemned in March 1679 for the treason of Catholic priesthood. Before leaving for his execution, John sat for a while with the under-sheriff, having a final drink and smoking a final pipe. This led to the Herefordshire expression "Kemble cup" and "Kemble pipe", meaning one taken before a parting. Sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered on 22 August 1679 at Widemarsh Common, Hereford, England, Saint John was so well respected in the area that he was permitted to die on the gallows and avoid the agony of the drawing and quartering elements. He was buried in the Welsh Newton Churchyard; his hand is preserved as a relic at Saint Francis Xavier's church, Hereford, England. He was martyred at age 80. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Lloyd, Martyr
Educated at the Royal College of Saint Alban at Valladolid, Spain, entering in 1649. Took the missionary oath on 16 October 1649 to return to England. Sent to Wales in 1654 to minister to covert Catholics, he lived his vocation while constantly on the run for 24 years. Arrested at Penllyne, Glamorganshire, 20 November 1678. Served time in the Cardiff jail with Saint Philip Evans. It took several months before the authorities could find anyone will to testify about the two, but they finally had a trial and condemned them on 5 May 1679 for the treason of Catholic priesthood. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered 22 July 1679 at Gallows Field, Cardiff, Wales. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Pain, Martyr
Convert. Studied at Douai, France in 1574. Ordained on 7 April 1576. Returned to Ingatestone, Essex, England, ministering to covert Catholics and bringing many back to the Church. Worked with Saint Cuthbert Mayne. Arrested for his work in 1577, he was exiled to Douai in 1579. Returned to England in 1581 to resume his work. Betrayed by by John Eliot, a known murderer who made a career of denouncing Catholics and priests for bounty, he was arrested in Warwickshire, tortured several times, accused of plotting to kill the queen based solely on Eliot's testimony, and was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 2 April 1582 at Chelmsford, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Plesington, Martyr
Son of Robert Plessington, a Royalist Catholic, and Alice Rawstone. His family was persecuted for both their religious and political beliefs. Educated at by Jesuits at Scarisbrick Hall, then at the Royal College of Saint Alban at Valladolid, Spain and then Saint Omer's monastery in France. Ordained in Segovia on 25 March 1662. He returned to England in 1663 ministering to covert Catholics in the areas of Holywell and Cheshire, often hiding under the name William Scarisbrick. Tutor at Puddington Hall near Chester. Imprisoned for two months, and hanged, drawn, and quartered on 19 July 1679 at Barrows Hill, Boughton, England for the crime of priesthood. He was interred in the local cemetery of Burton, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Roberts, Martyr
Son of John and Anna Roberts; his ancestors were princes of Wales. Raised Protestant, but always felt an affinity for Catholicism. Studied at Saint John's College, Oxford from 1595-1597, but left without a degree. Studied law at the Inns of Court at age 21. In 1598, while travelling in France, he converted to the Roman Catholic faith, the One True Church, at Notre Dame in Paris.
Entered the English College at Valladolid on 18 October 1598. Left the College in 1599 to join the Abbey of Saint Benedict, Valladolid. Benedictine novice at the Abbey of Saint Martin at Compostela in 1600, and was ordained there.
Returned to England as a missioner, leaving on 26 December 1602, and entering the country in April 1603. Arrested in May 1603, and exiled. Returned to England in 1604, worked with plague victims in London; arrested and banished again. Returned to England in 1605. During a search for suspects involved in the Gunpowder Plot, John was found in the home of Mrs. Thomas Percy, and was arrested. Though he had no connection to the Plot, he spent seven months in prison, and was exiled again in July 1606.
Saint John founded a house in Douai for exiled English Benedictines; this house became the monastery of Saint Gregory at Douai. Responsible for the conversion of Blessed Maurus Scott. Saint John returned to England in October 1607, was arrested in December, and sent to Gatehouse prison. He escaped, and spent a year working in London, but was again arrested. His execution was scheduled for May 1609, but the intercession of the French ambassador led to a reduction in sentence; he was exiled again.
Saint John returned to England a few months later, getting arrested during Mass on 2 December 1610. Convicted on 5 December 1610 of the crime of priesthood. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 10 December 1610 at Tyburn, England with Blessed Thomas Somers. His remains were taken to Saint Gregory's in Douai, France, but disappeared during the French Revolution; two fingers are preserved at Downside Abbey and Erdington Abbey. Saint John is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Southworth, Martyr
Studied and was ordained at the English College, Douai, France. he returned to England on 13 October 1619 to minister to covert Catholics. Arrested and condemned to death for his faith in Lancashire in 1627; he was held in various prisons; hearing the final confession of Saint Edmund Arrowsmith just before that martyr was led to the gallows. Through the intercession of Queen Henrietta Maria, he and fifteen other priests were turned over to the French ambassador on 11 April 1630 to be sent into exile in France.
Soon after, Father John returned to England, working with Saint Henry Morse. They worked tirelessly and fearlessly with the sick during a plague outbreak in 1636. He was arrested again for his faith in Westminster on 28 November 1637. Held in various prisons until 16 July 1640 when he was released due to the mitigating circumstances of his good works.
Arrested again on 2 December 1640; he pled guilty to the crime of priesthood, and was condemned to death. After 14 years in prison, during which he ministered to any prisoners who showed interest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 28 June 1654 at Tyburn, London, England by order of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. His remains were purchased by the Spanish ambassador to England, and sent to the English College in Douai, France. The relics were hidden to prevent destruction during the French Revolution. Rediscovered in 1927, they now rest at Westminster Cathedral, London One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Wall, Martyr
Born to a wealthy Catholic family. Studied in Douai, and entered the Roman College on 5 November 1641, using the name John Marsh. Ordained 3 December 1645. Joined the Friars Minor in Rome on 1 January 1651, taking the name Joachim of Saint Anne. Vicar and novice-master at Douai. Joined the Worcester mission in 1656 where he served for over 20 years, using several aliases, and living as a fugitive. Arrested in connection with the Titus Oates Plot in December 1678; acquitted of participation in the plot, but was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 22 August 1679 near Redhill, Worcester, England for the crime of priesthood; buried at Saint Oswald's church. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint John Rigby, Martyr
Lancashire gentleman. Raised Protestant but converted to Roman Catholicism. Converted others, including his father.
Imprisoned at Newgate for his faith, and for refusing to acknowledge the Queen as head of the Church. Jailed with Saint John Jones. Tortured and martyred in 1600 at Saint Thomas, Watering, England; his body was chopped up and scattered around Southwark by order of Justice Guady for refusing to attend Protestant services. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Luke Kirby, Martyr
Educated at Cambridge. Converted to Catholicism in Louvain. Seminarian at Douai College in 1576. Ordained at Cambrai, France in September 1577. Took vows at the English College, Rome, on 23 April 1579. Returned to England to minister to covert Catholics. When he arrived in Dover in June 1580 he was arrested for the crime of being a priest. Transferred to the Tower of London on 4 December 1580. Tortured. Condemned to death on 17 November 1581, he spent several more months in prison, the last few weeks in chains. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 30 May 1582 at Tyburn, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Bishop Saint Lupus of Bayeux
5th century Bishop of Bayeux, France.
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Saint Margaret Ward, Martyr
Daughter of Thomas and Jane Middleton, a candle maker and the Sheriff of York for two years. Raised Anglican. Married to John Clitherow, wealthy butcher and chamberlain of the city of York, on 8 July 1571. Converted to Catholicism around 1574. Imprisoned several times for her conversion, for sheltering priests (including her husband's brother), and for permitting clandestine Masses to be celebrated on her property. During her trial in Tyburn on 14 March 1586, she refused to answer any of the charges for fear of incriminating her servants and children; both her sons became priests, her daughter a nun. She was pressed to death on Good Friday, 25 March 1586 at York, England; Saint Margaret's right hand lays in rest at Saint Mary's Convent, York . One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
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Saint Minias, Martyr
Martyred soldier of Florence, Italy, sometimes called Miniato. He was martyred for making converts during the reign of Emperor Trajanus Decius. An abbey near Florence bears his name.
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Saint Miniato, Martyr
Soldier. Evangelized among the troops when stationed in Florence. Martyred during the Christian persecutions of Roman Emperor Decius. An abbey outside the Florence city walls is named for him.
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Saint Peter de Geremia
Educated at the University of Bologna; brilliant law student. One night while he meditated on the worldly success he would have, he was visited by the spirit of a deceased relative, a man who had also been a lawyer, whose pride and perjury had lost him his chance at paradise. Shaken, Peter devoted himself to prayer, asking for his vocation. Soon he received a word that he should become a Dominican. In a rage, his father came to Bologna to stop him, but when he saw completely happy Peter was, the older man gave him his blessing.
Peter became one of the finest preachers in Sicily, always preaching in the open air because no church was large enough to hold the crowds. Visited by Saint Vincent Ferrer. Abbey prior.
One day when there was no food for the community, Peter asked a fisherman for a donation; he was rudely refused. Getting into a boat, Peter rowed from the shore and made a sign to the fish; they broke the nets and followed him. The fisherman apologized, Peter made another sign to the fish, and they returned to the nets. The monastery was ever afterwards supplied with fish.
Sent to establish regular observance in Sicilian monasteries. Called to Florence by the Pope to help heal the Greek schism; he managed a brief union. Offered a bishopric, but refused.
Once when Peter was preaching at Catania, Mount Etna erupted and lava flowed toward the city. The people begged him to save them. He preached a brief sermon on repentance, went to the nearby shrine of Saint Agatha, removed the saint's veil, and held it towards the lava flow. The eruption ceased and the town was saved.
Miracle worker; raised the dead to life, healed the crippled and the blind, converted sinners.
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Saint Philip Howard, Martyr
Grandson of the poet Henry, Earl of Surrey, who was executed by King Henry VIII in 1547. Son of Thomas, the 4th Duke of Norfolk. Godson of King Philip of Spain. His parents were Protestant, but his mother returned to Catholicism and helped hide priests. Married to Anne, daughter of Lord d’Acre, at age 14. His father was beheaded by Queen Elizabeth in 1572 when Phillip was 15. Grandfather of Blessed William Howard. Graduated from Saint John’s College, Cambridge in 1574. Courtier to Queen Elizabeth at age 18. Earl of Arundel and Surrey on 24 February 1580. At the royal court he led a sinful and dissolute life.
In 1581 he was present at the Tower of London during the proceedings against Saint Edmund Campion, Saint Ralph Sherwin and others, and they had a great effect on him. He returned to his home in Arundel to consider their faith and his own, and was reconciled to the One True Faith on 30 September 1584. He planned to move abroad so he could practice his faith, but was betrayed by a servant, arrested on 15 April 1585, and lodged in the Tower of London on 25 April. He was interrogated extensively for a year, found guilty of treason due to being Catholic, fined £10,000, and returned to prison. During the wave of anti-Catholicism that swept the country in 1588, he was re-tried , found guilty of praying for victory for the Spanish Armada, and sentenced to death. He spent the next seven years in prison, praying for hours each day, eventually dying 19 October 1595 from gross mistreatment malnutrition in the Tower of London, London, England. He was buried in the graveyard of the Tower church near his father and grandfather; re-interred in Long Horsley in 1624; re-interred in the Fitzalan Chapel, Arundel; relics re-interred in the Arundel cathedral in 1971 One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Philip Evans, Martyr
Educated at the college of Saint Omer. Could play the harp, and played tennis. Joined the Jesuits on 7 September 1665. Ordained at Liege, Belgium. Sent to southern Wales in 1675 to minister to covert Catholics. Arrested at Christopher Turberville's house, Sker, Glamorganshire on 4 December 1678 during the increased persecutions following the Titus Oates Plot. When he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy he was imprisoned in Cardiff Castle; he served time with Saint John Lloyd. Condemned on 5 May 1679, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 22 July 1679 on Gallows Field in Cardiff, Wales for the crime of being a priest. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Polydore Plasden
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Saint Ralph Sherwin, Martyr
A fellow and noted classical scholar at Exeter College, Oxford, England; he received his Master of Arts degree on 2 July 1574. Convert to Catholicism in 1575. Studied for the priesthood at the English College, Douai, France; ordained on 23 March 1577. He then studied at the English College, Rome, Italy where he became a leader of the English students; Proto-martyr of the English College, Rome. Returned to England on 1 August 1580 to minister to covert Catholics. On 9 November 1580 he was arrested in London for the crime of priesthood, and imprisoned in Marshalsea prison; he ministered to fellow prisoners, and converted many of them. In December 1580 he was transferred to the Tower of London where he was tortured on the rack and thrown out into the snow to recover. Queen Elizabeth offered to make him a bishop if he would renounce the Catholic Church; he refused. Convicted with several other priests on 20 November 1581 of treason for promoting Catholicism, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 1 December 1581 at Tyburn, London, England . One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Richard Reynolds, Martyr
Educated at Christ’s College and Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge; made a Fellow of Corpus Christi in 1510. Entered the Bridgittine Order in 1513 at Syon Abbey, Isleworth, England. Noted for his scholarship and personal holiness. Arrested on 28 April 1535 with Carthusian priors for the treason of refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as head of the Church. Hanged, drawn and quartered on 4 May 1535 at Tyburn, London, England. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Robert Lawrence, Martyr
Carthusian priest. Prior of the Carthusian charterhouse of Beauvale in Nottingham, England. Hanged, drawn and quartered on 4 May 1535 at Tyburn, London with several brother Carthusians. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Robert Southwell , Martyr
Raised in a piously Catholic family. Educated at Douai and at Paris, France. Joined the Jesuits in 1580. Prefect of studies in the English College at Rome, Italy. Ordained in 1584. Returned to England in 1586 to minister to covert Catholics, working with Henry Garnett. Chaplain to Ann Howard, wife of Saint Philip Howard, in 1589. Wrote a number of pamphlets on living a pious life. Arrested in 1595 for the crime of being a priest. Repeatedly tortured in hopes of learning the location of other priests. He was so badly treated in prison that his family petitioned for a quick trial, knowing that his certain death would be better than the conditions in which he was housed. Spent three years imprisoned in the Tower of London, and was tortured on the rack ten times; between abuses he studied the Bible and wrote poetry. He was finally tried and convicted for treason, having admitted that he administered the Sacraments. He was hanged, drawn and quartered on 21 February 1595 in Tyburn, London. While hanging, he repeatedly made the sign of the cross; onlookers tugged at his legs to help him die quicker. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Swithun Wells
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Saint Tabitha
Widow of Joppa ( in modern Israel ), who was mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (9:36-42) as one who "was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving." She fell ill and died and was raised from the dead by Blessed Apostle Saint Peter. Tabitha is sometimes called Dorcas.
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Saint Thomas Garnet, Martyr
Son of Richard Garnet, an Oxford don. Nephew of Henry Garnet, superior of all Jesuits in England, and in charge of the network of covert priests working among the Catholics who had refused to take the oath of Supremacy. Court page to the Count of Arundel as a boy. Because Catholic colleges had been turned over to aggressive Protestants, young Thomas went to the continent in 1593 to attend the newly opened Jesuit college at Saint Omer in the Low Countries. He studied for four years at the college of Saint Alban at Valladolid, Spain where he was ordained. Joined the Jesuits in 1604, but before he could begin his novitiate he was arrested for priesthood and lodged in the Tower of London. Exiled from England in 1606. He returned soon after to minister to covert Catholics, and worked near Warwickshire for six years, but his ministry ended in arrest during the round-up following to the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. A plot was hatched to break Thomas out of jail, but he wrote his superior asking that the plotters not try. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on 23 June 1608 at Tyburn, London. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
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Saint Valentine, Martyr
Sister of Saint Fructus and Saint Engratia. Martyred by invading barbarian muslims in 715 A.D. Her relics rest at Segovia, Spain.
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