Blessed William Marsden
Feast Day
25 April; 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai
Born
C.1560 at Lancashire, England
Died
Hanged, drawn, and quartered on 25 April 1586 on the beach of the Isle of Wight, England
Beatified
15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI
Venerated
8 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI (decree of martyrdom)
Biography
Blessed William Marsden was a convert to Catholicism who entered the English College at Rheims, France in 1580 to study for the priesthood. He was ordained at Rheims alongside his friend and fellow missionary Blessed Robert Anderton. The two priests sailed for England to serve as covert missionaries to the persecuted Catholic faithful, but their ship was driven off course and wrecked on the Isle of Wight. Arrested soon after their arrival, they were charged with the crime of being Catholic priests on English soil. Both were condemned and executed, giving their lives as martyrs for the faith. Blessed William is honored among the English and Welsh martyrs who suffered during the Reformation.
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