Saint of the day, March 10 – Zeale
St. John Ogilvie, a 16th- and 17th-century Scotsman who converted from protestantism to Catholicism, served as a Jesuit priest and died a martyr’s death at the hands of state officials.
March 10 - Saint John Ogilvie
Born: July 4, 1579
Died: March 10, 1615
Nationality: Scottish
Vocation: priest, religious
Attributes: noose, gallows, martyrs’ palm
Canonization: October 17, 1976, Pope St. John Paul II
St. John Ogilvie was born to a Protestant father and Catholic mother in Scotland when Catholicism was outlawed. Though raised as a Protestant, John converted to Catholicism while studying abroad. After entering the Jesuits, he studied to become a priest and was ordained in Paris.
A few years later, John returned to Scotland to minister in his native land in secret. He brought the sacraments to Catholic homes while disguised as a horse dealer. Only one year later, he was betrayed to the government by a man who had infiltrated the underground Catholic community.
John was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured for nine sleepless days, but he refused to renounce the papacy or reveal the names of those he served. John was tried for treason and executed by hanging.
John Ogilvie is the only canonized Scottish martyr from the reign of James I (VI).
St. John Ogilvie, pray for us!
