Saint’s John Jones & John Wall
Image: Ut Pupillam
(Franciscan Media) John Jones was born into a devout Catholic family in Wales, he joined the Franciscans in England according to SQPN when his Monastery was dissolved in 1559 he traveled to France to continue his theological studies where he was Ordained a Priest;
John Wall was born in England into a wealthy Catholic family according to SQPN he studied theology in France Douai and was Ordained a Priest and joined the ‘Friars Minor’ in Italy Rome, both Priests were Martyred for their faith and being Priests, becoming members of the ‘Forty Martyrs of England & Wales’ executed by the English authorities during the Reformation.
In 1571 an ‘Act of Parliament’ made it High Treason to question the Queens title as head of the Church of England, thus making Catholicism essentially treasonous. During this period, the ‘Act” authorized the confiscation of property of Catholics many of which fled to the European Continent– In the ensuing persecution some 600 Catholics died, some were executed for offenses as trivial as obtaining a Papal license to marry.
- Saint John Jones was arrested and tortured by the ‘Priest Catcher Topcliffe’ in 1596 he was imprisoned for 2 yrs and later convicted for Treason (for being a Priest) he was hanged, drawn and quartered in the early morning on this date in 1598
- Saint John Wall was arrested in 1678 and convicted for the treasonous crime of being a Priest, in 1679 he was hanged, dawn and quartered in England.
In 1970 forty of these victims were Canonized by Pope Paul VI as representatives of all of the Martyrs who died between 1584 and 1689 in England, Scotland and Wales. Many were Priests or members of religious orders but 59–including 7 of which were Canonized, were Lay Catholics.
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