ST JOHN OGILVIE
John Ogilvie was born in 1579 near Keith in Banfshire, Scotland . He left home in 1592at the age of thirteen to complete his education on the continent. In 1596 he entered theScots College of Douai,which had been temporarily transferred to Louvain,declaringthat he wished to become a Catholic.
Within 2 years he was transferred to the Benedictine College at Ratisbon,then back to the Jesuit order at Olmutz. In December1599 he became a novice of the Society of Jeseus at Brunn. He was ardained priest in Paris in 1610. After repeated requeste he was sent to Scotland in November 1613.
Most if his work was done in Edinburgh,Renfrewshire and Glasgow. He had to go about as a horse dealer or a soldier as during this time King James was against Catholics. His missionary career lasted less than a year.
He was arested in Glasgow`s market place where he was betrayed for being a priest by Adam Boyd , a nephew of the sheriff. Boyd tricked John Oglvie by pretending he wanted instruction on the Catholic faith. He was arrested imprisoned and examined by the protestant Archbishop Spottiswoode of Glasgow,sent again to Edinburgh for questioning before the commisionaires and questions sent by King James V1 himself.
His tortures during this time included keeping him awake for eight days and nine nights. But they could not get him to asset the supremacy of King over Pope on spiritual matters, or to betray his catholic friends.
The accounts of his tortures make ugly reading treatment of a man worse than anything we could imagine in even prisioner-of-war camps in the second world war.He was taken to the scaffold to be hung on March 10th 1615 at Glasgow Cross where he declared his royalty to the King and said that he was sent to his death " for religion alone" his last words from the scaffold were " If there be here any hidden Catholics, let them pray for me but the prayers of heritics I will not have".He was beatified by Pope Pius XI on 22nd Dec 1929 and canonized in 1976,We celebrate his festival on March 10th.
Lynsdey Ashleigh Lawther P7
St. Patrick's Primary, Kilsyth
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BY JOHN
McCARRON, COUSIN TO JOHN FAGAN. The
backround used on this page is a picture of Glasgow Cross
where St.John Ogilvie was hanged. To see the original
picture, click on the link below:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
