BL. EDWARD POWELL, PRIEST AND MARTYR - 30 JULY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JULY

Saints celebrated on the 30th of July

WELCOME!

BLESSED EDWARD POWELL, PRIEST AND MARTYR

Edward Powell, born in Wales c. 1478, was educated at Oxford, where he graduated M.A., becoming a Fellow of Oriel College in 1495. In 1501 he was appointed rector of Bleadon in Somerset and later held livings at Salisbury, Carlton-cum-Thurlby, Lyme Regis, Bedminster, Bristol, and Sutton le Marsh. 

After Henry VIII's accession to the throne he preached a number of times at court. When Luther's doctrines spread to England they were fiercely opposed by Powell in a dissertation, Propugnaculum summi Sacerdotii Evangelici, published in 1523. He declared himself unequivocally opposed to Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon and to his marriage with Anne Boleyn. For this reason, and also because he was constantly preaching against the Protestant Movement, he lost favour at court, and when, in 1534, he refused to acknowledge the succession to the throne he was found guilty of high treason. He remained a prisoner in the Tower of London until July 1540 when he and five others were taken to Smithfield and executed.

Source: Jones, E. G., (1959). POWELL, EDWARD (1478? - 1540), Roman Catholic theologian. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 31 Oct 2024, from https://biography.wales/article/s-POWE-EDW-1478

⬅️ The Holy Martyrs of England and Wales

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Edward may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.