Nicholas Owen
The holy Nicholas Owen , a Jesuit (* around 1550 , † 1606 ), was a lay brother (under the Superiors of the English Jesuits, Henry Garnet ). It is considered unlikely that Nicholas Owen completed a regular novitiate with the English Jesuits and it is not certain to what extent he was actually accepted into the order.
He was best known for his work as a designer and artful builder of priestly holes in England during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Life
Little is known about the saint's early life. He was most likely born in Oxford to a Catholic family around 1550.
He was trained as a bricklayer (according to another representation: carpenter or joiner ). He used these skills to build holes for priests during the persecution of Catholics in the homes of Catholic families and is said to have saved many lives as a result.
He is said to have moved from house to house under the code name Little John and only asked for the bare minimum as payment for his work.
Owen was arrested (with torture) in 1582 or 1583 and 1594 in connection with his effectiveness for the English Catholics. He is said to have been instrumental in the liberation of John Gerard from the Tower of London (1597).
Capture, Torture and Death
Owen was captured again after the 1605 Gunpowder Conspiracy at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire , and tortured to death on the rack in the Tower in 1606. Despite the severe torture, he is said to have not revealed any secret.
He was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1929 and by Paul VI in 1970 . canonized with the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales .
The exact date of his death is not known. Partly March 2, 1606, in other sources November 12, 1606 is given.
Adoration
Owen's feast day is celebrated along with the other 39 martyrs on October 25th.
Saint Nicholas Owen is the patron saint of Catholic magicians (illusionists) and escape artists .
His memory is celebrated on December 1st.
Literary mention
Nicholas Owen is mentioned in the following books:
- Robert Hugh Benson , Come Rack! Come Rope! (1912). German: Despite torture and rope! (1926). In this novella he is referred to as "Hugh Owen",
- Catherine Aird , A Most Contagious Game , New York: Doubleday 1967, 1st edition,
- David Pirie , The Dark Water, Arrow Books 2004 (German: Die Hexe von Dunwich, Cologne 2015)
See also
- Anglican Community
- Church of England
- List of beatifications under Pope Pius XI.
- List of canonizations under Pope Paul VI.
- List of eminent Jesuits - Nicholas Owen
Web links
- Nicholas Owen's Priest Holes - Last Refuge for Persecuted Priests
- St. Nicholas Owen (Catholic information portal kath-info.de)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c See also: Website of the Jesuits in Austria ( Memento of the original from January 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 78 kB).
- ↑ According to The National Catholic Register .
- ^ Lives of the Saints By Alban Butler, Peter Doyle, ISBN 0-86012-253-0
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Owen, Nicholas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Little John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Mason, lay brother of the Jesuits, martyr |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1550 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oxford , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1606 |
| Place of death | Tower of London , England |