Edmund Campion was born in London on January 25, 1540, into a Catholic family. His prodigious intellect was recognized early on, and at just 17, he became a junior fellow at Saint John’s College at Oxford University.
When Queen Elizabeth I visited the university, she was impressed by Campion’s brilliance, as were some of her officials. She offered him anything he wished, leading him away from his Catholic faith. He took the Oath of Supremacy and became an Anglican deacon.
However, his conscience and intellect soon led him back to Catholicism. He felt called to minister to the persecuted Catholic faithful in England and convert Protestants. After a period in Dublin, he returned to England and made a great impact, winning many converts.
But his success was short-lived. In 1581, he was betrayed and imprisoned. Queen Elizabeth I offered him riches if he would renounce his loyalty to the Pope, but he refused. He was sentenced to death by hanging, drawing and quartering and martyred in Tyburn on December 1, 1581. His martyrdom inspired many to convert to Catholicism. Edmund Campion was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970.
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