St Oliver Plunkett: 400 Years of Witness to Faith, Peace, and Reconciliation

This weekend we celebrate and mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett  in 1625.  This weekend’s milestone invites us to reflect with fresh eyes on his remarkable life and enduring witness. This year also marks 50 years since his canonisation by Pope Paul VI in 1975, when the Church recognised him as a saint for our modern times.  St. Oliver is today a symbol of steadfast faith, courageous forgiveness and offers hope for a lasting peace, a peace that many at home and abroad desire greatly.

Archbishop Eamon Martin speaks to Mark Davenport, from BBC’s Sunday Sequence, on the life and continue legacy of St. Oliver Plunkett

From Rome to Ireland – A Shepherd for His Time

Born in Loughcrew, Co. Meath, Oliver Plunkett was ordained a priest in Rome and later appointed Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland at a time of deep turmoil and persecution. For over two decades he had lived and studied in Rome and his return to Ireland was in many ways both a homecoming and a courageous act of service.

St. Oliver travelled across dangerous territory, often in secret, so that he could to visit and minister to his people.  St. Oliver confirmed thousands, reorganised dioceses, founded schools and encouraged clergy and laity to remain steadfast in faith. His deep commitment to education and renewal reflected his conviction that the Church must form minds as well as hearts. Even without martyrdom, St. Oliver’s life and ministry helped people understand and live the Gospel in a time of uncertainty.

A Peacemaker and Reconciler

St Oliver was renowned for the gift of reconciliation. In an Ireland divided by political and religious conflict, St. Oliver refused to be drawn into factions or violence. He worked tirelessly to unite clergy, to foster understanding between communities and to call all people to peace. Even when unjustly accused and imprisoned his words and actions breathed the essence of forgiveness. His letters from prison reveal a man of profound serenity and charity, one who “allowed no bitterness to take root in his heart.”

His Martyrdom and the Journey of His Relics

In 1681, St Oliver Plunkett was executed at Tyburn, London, the last Catholic martyr to die in England. His remains were recovered and treated with reverence by faithful friends who travelled with them first from London to Lamspringe Abbey in the Diocese of Hildesheim, Germany, where English Benedictine monks kept them safe for many years. Later, his body was transferred to Downside Abbey in England for veneration.

The relic of his head was returned to Ireland and safeguarded by Dominican nuns at the Siena Convent in Drogheda, before being solemnly enshrined in St Peter’s Church, Drogheda, where pilgrims continue to visit today. The quiet devotion of those who come to pray there, seeking peace, reconciliation and courage, is a living testimony to the power of his example.

A Saint for Today

Four centuries on, St Oliver Plunkett continues to speak directly to the heart of the Irish Church. His story calls us to integrity in leadership, courage in faith and hope in true reconciliation and healing here on the Island of Ireland. St. Oliver reminds us that faith is not merely preserved in the comfort and confines of the Church but lived out in the witness of Christian life that often comes at great cost.

As we honour St. Oliver on the 400th anniversary of his birth, we are each challenged to continue the work he began, that is to:

  • To build peace on our island through dialogue, forgiveness, and truth.

  • To nurture the faith and education of the next generation.

  • To ensure that the Church remains a credible witness to the Gospel of mercy and justice.

Continuing the Journey

St Oliver’s life and death form a bridge between the struggles of the past and the hopes of the present. His steadfastness and purity in faith invites each of us to renew our own commitment to the Gospel and live out our baptismal calling daily, to walk humbly, to forgive generously and above all else to be peacemakers in our time.

As we mark the 400th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his canonisation, may we find in him a patron and companion for our journey towards a more reconciled and hope filled Ireland.

“May peace be ever in our hearts, on our lips, and in our land.”
St Oliver Plunkett

Prayer to St Oliver Plunkett

O God of life and hope,

Through the waters of Baptism you have called us to be your people,
anointed us with the Spirit and sent us forth as witnesses to your love.

We thank you for the faith and courage of St Oliver Plunkett,
who remained steadfast in the face of persecution, and who poured out his life in the service of your Church.

May his example awaken in us the grace of our own baptismal calling, May we each live as priest, prophet, and servant in our time.

Grant that, like St Oliver we may be builders of peace, speakers of truth and ministers of mercy sharing in the one mission of Christ.

May the flame of Baptism burn brightly in our hearts and may we renew the Church in every age through the intercession of St. Oliver, and may we be drawn together in unity as one Body in Christ.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

St Oliver Plunkett, pray for us!