Tuesday 1 July 2008

St. Oliver Plunkett

Today is the feast of my namesake St. Oliver Plunkett, the great Archbishop of Armagh who was martyred for the faith at Tyburn on 11th July 1681. Like myself, he was of Anglo - Irish origin. He was one of the great lights of the Irish church, and a key figure in keeping the Catholic faith alive in Ireland throughout the period of persecution. Click here for his full biography.


His head is preserved in the town of Drogheda while his arm is preserved in my old Alma Mater Downside Abbey. Here is a photo of the shrine: the reliquary lies to the right.

2 comments:

Jackie Parkes MJ said...

Happy feast Day!

Anonymous said...

I'm holding out until next Friday. Can't think what I'm going to do though!