Above:  The Flag of England

Image in the Public Domain

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BLESSED PHILIP POWEL (FEBRUARY 2, 1594-JUNE 30, 1646)

English Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr

The call of God on the life of Blessed Philip Powel led to martyrdom.  Powel, born in Tralon, Brecknockshire, England, on February 2, 1594, was a son of Roger and Catherine Powel.  Our saint studied law in London before pursuing theological studies in Douai, France.  He, having joined the Benedictines at Douai, became a priest there in 1618.  Four years later Powel returned to his homeland as an underground priest.  From 1624 to 1645 our saint worked in Leighland, Somersetshire.  Then civil war forced him to relocate to Devonshire.  For half a year Powel served as a chaplain to Roman Catholic soldiers in Cornwall.  En route to southern Wales via ship, Powel became a prisoner on February 22, 1646.  The harsh conditions of his incarceration in the Tower of London led to him developing pleurisy, or the inflammation of the lining of the lungs and the chest wall.  Powel, tried, convicted, and condemned on June 9, 1646, died on June 30.  He was 52 years old.

Pope Pius XI recognized Powel as a Venerable then a Blessed in 1929.

The English government should have pursued a policy of religious toleration.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

FEBRUARY 7, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF HELDER CAMARA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF OLINDA AND RECIFE

THE FEAST OF SAINT ADALBERT NIERYCHLEWSKI, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR

THE FEAST OF MITCHELL J. DAHOOD, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF SAINT MOSES, APOSTLE TO THE SARACENS

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Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Blessed Philip Powel

triumphed over suffering and was faithful even to death:

Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving,

to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world,

that we may receive with him the crown of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with

you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 51:1-12

Psalm 116 or 116:1-8

Revelation 7:13-17

Luke 12:2-12

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 714

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