John Boste

Saint John Boste (c. 1544 – 24 July 1594) is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, and one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Life

John Boste was born in Westmorland around 1544. John was educated at Appleby Grammar School and Queen's College, Oxford, where he took B.A. and M.A. degrees, and became a Fellow of his college in 1572. Two years later he was back in Appleby, to become the first headmaster under the Charter of Queen Elizabeth. He converted to Catholicism in 1576. He left England and was ordained a priest at Reims in 1581.^[1]

He returned as an active missionary priest to Northern England, often being accompanied by John Speed. He was betrayed to the authorities near Durham in 1593. Following his arrest he was taken to the Tower of London for interrogation. Returned to Durham he was condemned by the Assizes and hanged, drawn and quartered at nearby Dryburn on 24 July 1594. This is now the site of St. Leonard's school . Boste denied that he was a traitor saying "My function is to invade souls, not to meddle in temporal invasions".^[2]

John Boste was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. He was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Their joint feast day is kept on 25 October. His memorial is kept on the day of his execution, 24 July.

References

External links

•  "Ven. John Boste". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. 
• Entry on Catholic-Forum.com Patron Saint Index