APRIL 20TH, FERIA OF EASTERTIDE

Month in honor of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Today in the Roman Martyrology, we find —

BLESSED WILLIAM THOMPSON, who was born around the year 1560 at Blackburn, in Lancastershire, England. It seems that he was born to a Catholic family, and eventually left England, during the persecution of Catholics by Bloody Bess, in order to study at the English College in Rheims, France. When he was ordained a priest, he returned to minister to covert Catholics in England during that period of persecution. He was hunted down and eventually convicted of the 'crime' of being a priest. He was hanged, drawn and quartered on 20 April 1586 at Tyburn, in London, England. On November 22d, AD 1987, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II. as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales.