Blessed William Marsden

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.