Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saint Oliver Plunkett
Born in County Meath, Ireland in 1629, Oliver Plunket studied for the priesthood in Rome and was ordained there in 1654. After some years of teaching and service to the poor of Rome he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. Four years later, in 1673, a new wave of anti-Catholic persecution began, forcing Archbishop Plunkett to undertake his pastoral work in secrecy and to live in hiding. Meanwhile, many of his priests were sent into exile, schools were closed, Church services had to be held covertly, and convents and seminaries were suppressed. As Archbishop, Plunkett was viewed as ultimately responsible for any rebellion or political activity among his parishioners.
Archbishop Plunkett was arrested and imprisoned in Dublin Castle in 1679. Since it was unlikely that he would have been convicted in Ireland his trial was moved to London. After deliberating for fifteen minutes, a jury found him guilty of fomenting revolt. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered in July 1681, the last Catholic martyr to die in England. Pope Paul VI canonized Oliver Plunkett in 1975. His body lies in Downside Abbey, his head in Drogheda.