Blessed Christopher Bales
Blessed Christopher Bales (born c. 1564 AD in Coniscliffe, County Durham, England; died March 4, 1590 AD in Fleet Street, London, England) was an English Catholic priest who was martyred during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for the crime of exercising his priestly ministry in England. He was trained at the English College in Rome, ordained a priest, and secretly returned to England to minister to the underground Catholic community. He was arrested, tried, and executed at Fleet Street, London, on March 4, 1590, at approximately 26 years of age. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987, as one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is March 4.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Christopher Bales
| Blessed Christopher Bales | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | March 04 |
| Profession | Catholic priest; missionary to Elizabethan England; Elizabethan martyr; martyr of the English Reformation |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; English Catholic tradition; Elizabethan martyrs; 85 Martyrs of England and Wales; secular clergy |
| Patronage | England; County Durham; Darlington; Catholic priests; underground missionaries; the English Catholic tradition; those persecuted for their faith in England |
| Attributes | Priestly vestments; palm of martyrdom; cross; the English college (Rome) symbol; March 4 feast |
| Birthplace | Coniscliffe, County Durham, England |
| Death Place | Fleet Street, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; executed (hanged, drawn and quartered) at Fleet Street, London, on March 4, 1590; he was approximately 26 years old; he had been arrested for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in Elizabethan England — under the Act of 1585, it was high treason for a Catholic priest ordained abroad to be present in England; he was tried, convicted of high treason solely for his priesthood, and executed; he was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987, as one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Primary Shrine | Douai, France (historical); English Martyrs churches in England; March 4 feast; JPII beatification 1987 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; March 4 feast in England and Wales and in the 85 Martyrs group |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Christopher Bales was born around 1564 in Coniscliffe, County Durham, England. He was educated at the English College in Rome, ordained a Catholic priest, and returned to England secretly to minister to the underground Catholic community — knowing that his priesthood alone was sufficient to condemn him to death under Elizabethan law.
He was arrested and tried for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in England. He was convicted of high treason and executed — hanged, drawn and quartered — at Fleet Street, London, on March 4, 1590, at approximately 26 years of age.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1987, as one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is March 4.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Coniscliffe, County Durham, England
Death location: Fleet Street, London, England
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Feast day
March 4
Veneration
Blessed Christopher Bales (c. 1564–1590) was an English Catholic priest from County Durham who was trained in Rome, secretly returned to minister to underground Catholics in Elizabethan England, and was executed at Fleet Street, London, on March 4, 1590, at approximately 26, convicted of high treason solely for being an ordained Catholic priest; one of the 85 Martyrs of England and Wales beatified by John Paul II, November 22, 1987. Feast March 4.
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