PLUNKETT, Oliver, Blessed, Martyr. - Of a noble Irish family, b. at Loughcrew (county Meath) in 1629, d. in London on 11 July 1681.

Having gone to Rome in 1645 with Cardinal Legate P. F. Scarampi, he completed his studies at the Irish College and at the Sapienza; ordained a priest in 1654 and unable, because of Cromwell's persecution, to return to his homeland, he was professor of theology at the College of Propaganda Fide, consultor of the Congregation of the Index and procurator of the Irish bishops. Elected in 1669 Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, he entered his see in 1670. His principal care, amid harsh difficulties of every kind, was the restoration of piety and discipline among the clergy and the faithful, for which purpose he also held two provincial synods. The outbreak of the so-called Titus Oates plot (v.) and the wavering conduct of Charles II forced him from 1674 to carry out his ministry in secret, until, with the persecution grown fiercer, he was betrayed and arrested in Dublin in 1679, then transferred in 1680 to the prisons of London, where he was condemned on the false testimony of two apostate religious, as guilty of high treason, that is, of false religion. He was hanged and quartered at Tyburn. His body, secretly carried in 1685 to Hildesheim (Hanover), was brought back by Cardinal A. Gasquet to Downside Abbey in 1883. The martyr's head is venerated at Drogheda. Fr. Plunket was beatified by Benedict XV on 23 May 1920. Feast on 11 May.

Bibliography9 works

BIBL.: P. Moran, Memoirs of the most Rev. O. P., Dublin 1861; 2nd ed. 1895; id., Spicifugium Ostorriense, 3 vols., ibid. 1874-1885 (with important documents); J. Spillmann, Die Blutzungen aus den Tagen der Titus-Oates-Verschwerung, Freiburg im Br. 1901, pp. 333-33; C. Salotti, Un martire irlandese, il b. O. P., Rome 1920; R. Challoner, Memoirs of missionary Priests, ed. H. Pollen, London 1924, pp. 574-83; H. Concannon, Blessed O. P., Dublin 1935; id., Blessed O. P. Historical studies, ibid. 1937; cf. furthermore for the relics and for the text of several letters Downside Review, 40 (1921), p. 1 ff.

Celestino Testore

@incollection{ec9_plunket_oliver_beato_martire, author = {Testore, Celestino}, title = {Plunket, oliver, beato, martire}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {1634--1635}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/plunket-oliver-beato-martire} }

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Plunkett, Oliver, Blessed, Martyr

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