This week’s
saintly bishop . . .
St. Oliver
Plunkett, Archbishop of Armagh
Born in
Ireland, November 1, 1629, St. Oliver studied and became a priest in Rome.
During this time England conquered Ireland, the public practice of Roman
Catholicism was banned, and Catholic clergy were executed. St. Oliver finally
returned to Ireland 10 years after the start of the Restoration to build
schools for children and clergy. Anti-Catholicism resurfaced in the ‘70s
forcing St. Oliver into hiding. He was eventually caught, unfairly tried, and
found guilty of conspiring against the King of England. In 1681, he was hanged
and drawn and quartered. His head is on display at St. Peter's Church in
Drogheda, Ireland.
When we
reflect on the disarray in today's Catholic Church, we cannot help but pray for
a shepherds who will utter these words of St. Oliver's and, more importantly,
live them: "we … have acquired the habit of suffering to the extent that
it will be less inconvenient in the future…For if the captains fly, it is in
vain to exhort the single soldiers to stand in battle."
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