Priest and Martyr (ca. 1637-1679)
His life
+ John was born at Dimples Hall in Garstang, England, to a family who experienced persecution because of their commitment to the Catholic Faith.
+ After attending seminary in France, he was ordained a priest in Segovia, Spain, in 1662.
+ In 1663, John returned to England to minister in secret to Catholics in the areas of Holy well and Cheshire.
+ Arrested for the crime of being Catholic and a priest, he was martyred on July 19, 1679.
+ Saint John Plessington was canonized in 1970 and is honored as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
For prayer and reflection
“The Lord granted him a stern struggle, that he might know that wisdom is mightier than all else.”—Entrance Antiphon for the Mass of One Martyr
Spiritual bonus
On this day, we also remember Blessed Vicente Cecilia Gallardo. A 21 year-old novice in the Congregation of the Missions (the Vincentians), he was martyred on July 19, 1936, during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War. He was beatified in 2017.
Prayer
Almighty and merciful God, who brought your Martyr blessed John to overcome the torments of his passion, grant that we, who celebrate the day of his triumph, may remain invincible under your protection against the snares of the enemy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs—For One Martyr)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
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