John Ogilvie SJ was born of noble Calvinist parents in 1579 at Drumna-Keith in Banffshire, Scotland. As a boy he was sent to the continent to further his education. With the help of Father Cornelius van den Steen (also known as Cornelius a Lapide) he was received into the Catholic Church, and was a student at the Scots College in Louvain and at other centres of learning. He entered the Society of Jesus on November 5 1599, and after insistent pleading, he was allowed to return to his native country where his ministry was cut short by his betrayal and capture in Glasgow. After extreme suffering he was hanged on March 10, 1615. The principal cause of his martyrdom was his insistence on the primacy of the Pope in spiritual matters, a primacy he affirmed with great constancy to the very end. He was enrolled among the saints by Blessed Pope Paul VI on October 17, 1976.

The following letter written secretly in prison a short time before his death and addressed to Father Claude Acquaviva, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, reveals the courage and humility with which St John faced martyrdom:

Dearest and wisest of veterans, after Christ and his angels and saints the most tender love of my heart. 

My sufferings are terrible, the tortures severe. Your Paternity’s charity will ensure that you pray for me, that I may die with great generosity for the ever victorious Jesus. May Christ long protect you, the most expert leader of his chosen and tested soldiers as the bulwark of his Church. 

Your Very Reverend Paternity’s little servant in Christ, and most unworthy child,

John Ogilvie SJ

Last Letter Of St John Ogilvie SJ

As we continue through Lent towards Holy Week, Good Friday and Holy Saturday we are asked not to rush, not to start preparations for the resurrection, but to wait, to understand our own powerlessness. On International Women’s Day, we begin to listen to the voices of women who, on Holy Saturday, are doing just that. They are women of God, who have been present in Jesus’s life; women whose stories are often told but not always heard; strong women, loving women who, even though they do not fully understand what is happening, are waiting, waiting for God to act.

Music used: Mazurka in G minor Op 67 No 2. By Chopin, arranged by Chad Lawson for piano, violin and cello0, from 'The Chopin Variations'. 
Music licensed by Magnatune under a by-nc-sa license creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/legalcode

Introduction to Women of the Cross

Music used: Mazurka in G minor Op 67 No 2. By Chopin, arranged by Chad Lawson for piano, violin and cello0, from 'The Chopin Variations'. 
Music licensed by Magnatune under a by-nc-sa license creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-…a/1.0/legalcode
Photo by mahyar tehrani on Unsplash

Woman taken in adultery

Music used: Mazurka in G minor Op 67 No 2. By Chopin, arranged by Chad Lawson for piano, violin and cello0, from 'The Chopin Variations'. 
Music licensed by Magnatune under a by-nc-sa license creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-…a/1.0/legalcode

Veronica

Music used: Mazurka in G minor Op 67 No 2. By Chopin, arranged by Chad Lawson for piano, violin and cello0, from 'The Chopin Variations'. 
Music licensed by Magnatune under a by-nc-sa license creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-…a/1.0/legalcode
Photo by cristian-newman on unsplash

Martha

Mary of Bethany

Woman at the Well

Woman with a Haemmorhage

Mary Magdalene

Cardinal Vincent Nichols has visited the Hurtado Jesuit Centre in Wapping, east London, home of the Jesuit Refugee Service in the UK. 

On Thursday 12 July, Cardinal Nichols, President of the Bishops' Conference, met with refugees and learnt more about the challenges they face on a daily basis.

"What the Jesuit Refugee Service sets out to do is to be with people - to accompany them - not pretending that it can solve some of the difficult problems around the presence of refugees in this country.

"This accompaniment is symbolised in a meal that is provided every day  which is shared together... this provision of human warmth and shared food is what those living in destitution most appreciate. 

"In a way it contrasts with the harshness of the way our procedures deal with those that seek asylum. I have heard heart-rending, terrible stories about how some people have been treated."

Cardinal meets with refugees at Jesuit centre in London

Rooted in the rich tradition of our spirituality, Jesuits are contemplatives in action, living lives of service around the world.

Last Letter Of St John Ogilvie SJ

Jesuits in Britain

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