Saint John Rigby
Saint John Rigby (born c. 1570 AD in Harrock, Lancashire, England; died June 21, 1600 AD in Southwark, London, England) was an English Catholic layman who was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Southwark for the crime of having been reconciled to the Catholic Church. He is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales and one of the very few laypeople in the group. His feast day is June 21 (or October 25 with the group).
Stored in Cargo: Saint John Rigby
| Saint John Rigby | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 21; October 25 (with Forty Martyrs) |
| Profession | Layman; farm servant |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; lay Catholic; one of the few laypeople among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Patronage | Lancashire; Catholic laypeople; those who return to the faith; those persecuted for simple profession of faith; Forty Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Attributes | Layman's clothing; hangman's rope; crucifix; the act of reconciliation (his martyrdom's cause) |
| Birthplace | Harrock, near Eccleston, Lancashire, England |
| Death Place | Southwark, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered at Southwark on June 21, 1600, for the crime of being reconciled to the Catholic Church (under the statute making reconciliation with Rome a capital offense) |
| 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 June 21 |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar |
Biography
John Rigby was born around 1570 in Harrock near Eccleston in Lancashire. He was raised Catholic but lapsed from the faith for a time, attending Protestant services. Later he returned to the Catholic faith and was formally reconciled to the Church by a priest.
He was arrested — not because he was a priest or had harbored priests, but simply because he had been reconciled to Rome. Under Elizabethan law this act itself was capital treason. He was tried and convicted at Southwark, offered his life in exchange for denying his faith, and refused.
He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Southwark on June 21, 1600. He was a layman — one of the very few laypeople among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales — and his execution shows the extreme reach of the penal laws into ordinary lay Catholic life.
Pope Paul VI canonized him on October 25, 1970.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Harrock, near Eccleston, Lancashire, England
Death location: Southwark, London, England
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to John Rigby have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Feast day
June 21; October 25 (with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
Veneration
Saint John Rigby is venerated as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonized October 25, 1970. He is one of the few laypeople in the group.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.