Blessed William Spenser
Feast Day
24 September; 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai; 22 November as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales
Born
C.1555 in Gisburn, Lancashire, England
Died
Hanged on 24 September 1589 in York, North Yorkshire, England
Beatified
22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II
Venerated
10 November 1986 by Pope John Paul II (decree of martyrdom)
Biography
Blessed William Spenser was raised in an Anglican family. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford, England, but left in 1580 and entered the Catholic Church in 1582. He then studied at the seminary in Rheims, France, and was ordained a priest for the apostolic vicariate of England on September 24, 1583. Father William returned to England to minister secretly to persecuted Catholics during the Reformation. His priestly work was carried out at great personal risk, as Catholic clergy faced arrest and execution under English law. He was eventually captured, tried, and martyred for the crime of being a Catholic priest in England.
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