The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-05-29
BLESSED OLIVER PLUNKET

their property and who went as out
laws into mountain Businesses, plumb
ering those about them. The Prelate
induced them to renounce their
| plundering.
Great zeal, efficiency and solicitude
| for his people marked the Primate's
| churchly labors. He refused to for
| sake his people when in 1873 a new
horror of persecution broke upon the
| Irish Church. Schools were scattered
| and chapels closed. Instead of a pal
| ace, his episcopal lodgings were some
| matched hut in some remote place
He even concealed himself in the
woods or mountains with the Arch
! bishop of Cashel.
Seized and Imprisoned.
Then the sanity prelate himself
| fell into the hands of prosecutors. The
government repeatedly issued writs
for the arrest of DR.. Plunket. He was
seized and put in prison in Dublin
| Castle on December 6, 1879. Perjured
informers were ready to swear his life
| away. No jury would listen to them
in Ireland, where their character was
| we'll known. In London it was diff
ferent, so his trial was transferred
| thither.
1t happened that the supposition
that rebellion was being fomented
in Ireland was necessary to sustain
the Shaftesbury Conspiracy against
Catholics in England The Primate
would be at the head of such rebel
lion, it was claimed, and it was
charged that his visits to the Tories
of Ulster were part of such move
| ment. Such accusations as that a
French or Spanish fleet was chartered
by him to land troops at Carlingford
Bay, were. laid to his charge. But
his real crime was that he was a
Catholic Bishop, and no secret was
made of this fact.
In Lives Of the Chief Justices of
England" Lord Brougham brands
Chief Justice Pemberton, who presided
at the trial of DR.. Plunket, as betray-
| ing the cause of justice and dis
gracing The English Bar This Chief
Justice stated from the bench that
there could be no greater crime than
to try to propagate the Catholic faith.
Sentence Of death was announced
The Primate replied, "Deo Gratias."
C'Thanks be to God.')
Closes Long Series.
Then came the tragic close of this
heroic life. A witness of the eXecu-
and his heroism in death DR.. Plunket
and his herosm in death DR.. Plonket
gave more glory to religion than he
could have won for it by many years
of successful apostolic labors. Sur
rounded by a guard, DR.. Plunket was
led to Tyburn for execution on Friday,
July II, 1881. His death was a
memorable one for even this memoir
able place.
His remains were inferred apart in
st. Giles churchyard. In 1884 they
were taken to the Benedictine mon
astery at handspring in Germany.
After 200 years they were translated
and enshrined in St. Gregory's Col
lege, Downside, England. The head,
| we'll preserved, was from the first en-
shrined apart, and since 1922, has
been in the care of the Dominican
| nuns at their Siena Convent at
Drogheda, Ireland. Pilgrims come
from various parts of Ireland and
elsewhere to venerate this relic and
many miracles have been recorded in
| this connection
Oliver Plunket's martyrdom closed
the long series of deaths for the faith
| at Tyburn. The day after his execu-
ton the conspiracy burst, and Lord
Shaftesbury, the chief instigator of
the persecution, was consigned to the
Tower and his chief periured witness,
/ Titus Oates, was put in jail