Saint John Plessington
Saint John Plessington (born c. 1637 AD in Dimples, Lancashire, England; died July 19, 1679 AD in Chester, England) was an English Catholic priest who was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Chester during the anti-Catholic hysteria of the Titus Oates Popish Plot. He was executed for the statutory crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in England. He is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales canonized in 1970. His feast day is July 19 (or October 25 with the group).
Stored in Cargo: Saint John Plessington
| Saint John Plessington | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 19; October 25 (with Forty Martyrs) |
| Profession | Secular Catholic priest; chaplain to Catholic gentry families |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; secular clergy; trained at Valladolid and Segovia; served the Catholic gentry of the Wirral |
| Patronage | Chester; Cheshire; the Wirral; priests under persecution; Forty Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Attributes | Priest's vestments; hangman's rope; crucifix; scaffold (his farewell speech) |
| Birthplace | Dimples, Garstang Parish, Lancashire, England |
| Death Place | Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered at Chester on July 19, 1679, for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in England during the Titus Oates Plot |
| Primary Shrine | No specific surviving shrine; venerated among the Forty Martyrs |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast October 25 (with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales); individual feast July 19 |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar |
Biography
John Plessington was born around 1637 in Dimples, Lancashire. He was educated at the English College of Valladolid in Spain and ordained a priest. He returned to England and served for about twelve years as a chaplain to Catholic gentry families on the Wirral Peninsula in Cheshire, providing the sacraments to the Catholic community there.
He was arrested in 1679 during the Popish Plot hysteria triggered by the fabricated accusations of Titus Oates. He was tried at Chester purely for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest. He was convicted and sentenced to death.
At the scaffold he delivered a composed farewell speech, affirming his loyalty to the king in civil matters, denying any part in any plot, and stating clearly that his priesthood alone was the grounds of his execution. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Chester on July 19, 1679.
Pope Paul VI canonized him as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales on October 25, 1970.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Dimples, Garstang Parish, Lancashire, England
Death location: Chester, Cheshire, England
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Feast day
July 19; October 25 (with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
Veneration
Saint John Plessington is venerated as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonized October 25, 1970.
Prayers
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