Watching Thanksgiving specials this week. We all know (or think we know) the story of the Pilgrims and how they came to America looking for religious freedom. Funny how many of the documentaries fail to mention that these separatists were not the only religious group who were denied religious freedom in England in the seventeenth century.
St. John Wall was born in Lancashire, England, in 1620 - the year the Pilgrims took to sea on the Mayflower. When he came of age, he went to France to study at the English College, Douai and was ordained to the priesthood in 1645. He returned to his homeland and served those who remained faithful to the Pope. He then returned to the continent to join the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) taking the name Friar Joachim of St. Ann.
After a stint of serving as Vicar and novice-master at Douai for a time, he again returned to England, settling in Worcestershire, where he served for over 20 years, using several aliases, and living as a fugitive. In 1678, he was arrested under suspicion of being a party to the Titus Oates plot. Ultimately, he was executed just for being a Catholic Priest and exercising as such - which was a crime in itself. He was a much respected local figure and the crowd's reaction showed that their sympathies were entirely with him.
His feast day is July 12.
No comments:
Post a Comment