David Kerr, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lansing, reflected on the significance of Saint John Ogilvie’s feast day in a statement released March 10. Kerr, who is from Glasgow, Scotland, discussed the importance of patriotism and faith in connection with the life and martyrdom of Saint John Ogilvie.
Kerr said that patriotism is “a natural and noble virtue by which we have a particular love for the people of our own country.” He added, “Hence, the prayer of myself, and many Scots Catholics, upon this day is that our dear homeland continues to find her way back to Jesus Christ and His Holy Church – the ‘Auld Faith’ – through the example, inspiration, and intercession of Saint John Ogilvie.”
Saint John Ogilvie was born in 1580 and converted from Presbyterianism before being ordained as a Jesuit priest in Paris in 1613. He returned to Scotland where it was illegal to practice Catholicism at that time. Within a year he was arrested in Glasgow and later executed for high treason at age 36. A Protestant nobleman from Hungary who witnessed his execution later converted to Catholicism after catching Ogilvie’s rosary beads.
Devotion to Father Ogilvie grew after his death. He was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church before the end of the seventeenth century, beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929, and canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1976 following a reported miraculous healing.
The Diocese of Lansing was established in 1937 and first led by Bishop Joseph H. Albers. It now serves more than 185,000 Catholics across several Michigan counties under Bishop Earl Boyea since 2008 according to diocesan history.
Kerr concluded his reflection with a call for prayer: “Saint John Ogilvie, pray for us!”
