John Lowe (1553–1586) was an English

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

Life

John Lowe was born the youngest son of Simon Lowe and Margaret Lacy of London in 1553. His father was likely the Simon Low, a merchant-tailor and citizen of London. They were parishioners of St Magnus the Martyr. John was for some time a Protestant minister. After his conversion, he studied at Douai. He was a servant at Anchin Abbey for 1578–1579. He entered the English College, Rome, arriving on 19 November 1581, and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

there on 19 August 1582, but there is no record of where and when he was ordained a priest. Leaving Rome in September 1583, he was recorded as leaving

Rheims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

for the mission in England on 20 December 1583. Records show that his absence abroad had been noted by the English government. By this time his father had died, and his mother Margaret was living on

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

. Walking with her one evening nearby in May 1586, he talked too unguardedly about his aspirations to martyrdom and was overheard and denounced to the authorities. He used to frequent the house of a Mr. Tremayne in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...

, where he was subsequently arrested. He was taken to

the Clink The Clink was a prison in Southwark, England, which operated from the 12th century until 1780. The prison served the Liberty of the Clink, a local manor area owned by the Bishop of Winchester rather than by the reigning monarch. As the Libe ...

on the 11 May of that year. He was executed by

hanging, drawing and quartering To be hanged, drawn and quartered was a method of torturous capital punishment used principally to execute men convicted of high treason in medieval and early modern Britain and Ireland. The convicted traitor was fastened by the feet to a h ...

Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in London, Middlesex, England, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. Tyburn took its name from the Tyburn Brook, a tributary of the River Westbourne. The name Tyburn, from Teo Bourne ...

on 8 October 1586. He was executed along with two fellow priests,

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

and Robert Dibdale."Beati Giovanni Adams, Roberto Dibdale e Giovanni Lowe"
Santi e Beati, 18 September 2000 All three priests were beatified (the last stage prior to

canonisation Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sai ...

) by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on 22 November 1987.

References

Sources

*The most reliable compact source is Godfrey Anstruther, ''Seminary Priests'', St Edmund's College, Ware, vol. 1, 1968, pp. 214–215. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, John 1553 births 1586 deaths English beatified people Martyred Roman Catholic priests 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests People executed under Elizabeth I by hanging, drawing and quartering 16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 16th-century venerated Christians Executed people from London People executed at Tyburn Eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales

Life

See also

References

Sources