Saint John Ogilvie
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| Saint John Ogilvie | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1579 in Keith in Banffshire, Scotland |
| Died | 10th March 1615 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 1929 |
| Canonized | 1976 |
| Feast | |
 Saints Portal |
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- For lexicographer of the same name, see John Ogilvie.
John Ogilvie (1579 – 1615) was born as the son of a wealthy laird near Keith in Banffshire, Scotland, and was educated and converted to Roman Catholicism by the Jesuits in Germany. He joined the Order in 1608 and was ordained in Paris. He returned to Scotland disguised as a soldier, and began to preach and spread Christianity in secret, saying Masses in peoples homes and handing out Bibles/Rosary Beads in the streets. In 1614, he was caught and arrested (after the Scottish Reformation in 1549 it became illegal to preach, spread or otherwise endorse Catholicism) in Glasgow, Scotland, and taken to jail in Paisley. He suffered terrible tortures, including being kept awake for eight days and nine nights. Nonetheless, Ogilvie would not confess to his activities. After a biased trial, he was paraded through the streets and hanged at Glasgow Cross, on 10th March 1615.
His last words were "If there be here any hidden Catholics, let them pray for me but the prayers of heretics I will not have". After he was pushed from the ladder, he threw his hidden Rosary Beads out into the crowd. One of his enemies caught them, and he became a devout Catholic for the rest of his life. All of Ogilvie's followers were rounded up and put in jail. They suffered heavy fines, but none of them received the death penalty.
As a martyr of the Counter-Reformation he was beatified in 1929 and canonised in 1976. He is the only post-Reformation saint from Scotland.
