St Oliver Plunkett Catholic Martyr & Saint
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Charles & Emily Naper
Loughcrew
Oldcastle
County Meath
Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)49 85 41356 Fax: +353 (0)49 85 41921
info@loughcrew.com
St. Oliver Plunkett’s Family Church stands inside Loughcrew Gardens, and can be accessed during Garden opening hours through the Visitor Centre.
Oliver
Plunkett was born in Loughcrew in County Meath, Ireland on November 1,
1625. In 1647, he went to study for the priesthood in the Irish College
in Rome. On January 1, 1654, he was ordained a priest in the Propaganda
College in Rome.
Due to religious persecution in his native land, it was not possible for him to return to minister to his people. Oliver taught in Rome until 1669, when he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland.
Archbishop Plunkett soon established himself as a man of peace and, with religious fervor, set about visiting his people, establishing schools, ordaining priests, and confirming thousands. 1673 brought a renewal of religious persecution, and bishops were banned by edict. Archbishop Plunkett went into hiding, suffering a great deal from cold and hunger. His many letters showed his determination not to abandon his people, but to remain a faithful shepherd. He thanked God "Who gave us the grace to suffer for the chair of Peter." The persecution eased a little and he was able to move more openly among his people.
In 1679 he was arrested and falsely charged with treason. The government in power could not get him convicted at his trial in Dundalk. He was brought to London and was unable to defend himself because he was not given time to bring his own witnesses from Ireland. He was put on trial, and with the help of perjured witnesses, was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn. With deep serenity of soul, he was prepared to die, calmly rebutting the charge of treason, refusing to save himself by giving false evidence against his brother bishops. Oliver Plunkett publicly forgave all those who were responsible for his death on July 1, 1681. On October 12, 1975, he was canonized a saint. His feast day is July 11.
St Oliver Plunkett Family Church
There
is a tradition that the first church here was built by a Plunkett, Christopher
the Valiant, in 1519. The surviving building is known as the church where
St. Oliver would have worshipped before his departure to Rome. However,
there are indications that the main, eastern, part of the Church was built,
or re-built, in late c.17 as an attachment to the Tower House (the tall,
western part; probably dating from early c.15) which then became part
of the church. This Tower House is thought to have been a Plunkett stronghold
until Sir William Petty installed his brother-in-law, William Naper, at
Loughcrew in about 1655. If this is so, it would seem possible that St.
Oliver may have born in this building.
Above
the window at the rear of the church is the Naper coat of arms. The variety
of door and window levels would suggest that the structure of an older
(1519?) church was incorporated in a newer building.
The Plinth outside the graveyard gate, built by the Oldcastle Credit Union to accommodate an annual Mass on this site, is bordered by stones from the 1820's Loughcrew House, which was burnt three times. Part of the foundations of the previous Loughcrew House, a classic Irish Longhouse dating from 1673, can be seen inside the Gardens.