Saint Luke Kirby
Saint Luke Kirby (born c. 1548 AD in Yorkshire, England; died May 30, 1582 AD in Tyburn, London, England) was an English Catholic priest who was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in Elizabethan England. He was executed on the same day as Saint Edmund Campion's companions, including Alexander Briant and Ralph Sherwin, though Campion himself had been executed the previous December. He is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales canonized in 1970. His feast day is May 30 (or October 25 with the group).
Stored in Cargo: Saint Luke Kirby
| Saint Luke Kirby | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | May 30; October 25 (with Forty Martyrs) |
| Profession | Secular Catholic priest; martyr |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; secular clergy; trained at Douai; Forty Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Patronage | Yorkshire; English Catholics; priests under persecution; Forty Martyrs of England and Wales |
| Attributes | Priest's vestments; hangman's rope; Tower of London (where he was tortured) |
| Birthplace | Richmond, Yorkshire, England |
| Death Place | Tyburn, London, England |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on May 30, 1582, for the crime of being an ordained Catholic priest in England under the Act against Reconciliation (1581) |
| 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 May 30 |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar |
Biography
Luke Kirby was born around 1548 in Yorkshire. He studied at Cambridge, then went to Douai (the English College) and was ordained a priest. He traveled to Rome and returned to England in 1580.
He was arrested in 1581, soon after his arrival. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and tortured with the Scavenger's Daughter. He was tried and convicted of being an ordained Catholic priest under Elizabethan law. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on May 30, 1582, alongside Robert Johnson, William Filby, and Thomas Cottam.
Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1886. Pope Paul VI canonized him as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales on October 25, 1970.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Richmond, Yorkshire, England
Death location: Tyburn, London, England
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Notable location: He trained at Douai and was ordained a priest; he then traveled to Rome and returned to England in 1580 to serve the English Catholic underground; he was captured, tortured in the Tower of London (subjected to the Scavenger's Daughter), tried, and convicted of being a priest (Douai, France (training))
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Feast day
May 30; October 25 (with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales)
Veneration
Saint Luke Kirby is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, canonized October 25, 1970.
Prayers
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