Blessed Edward Waterson

8 January
29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai

Profile

As a young man Edward travelled to Turkey with some English merchants. There he met and was befriended by a wealthy Turk who liked Edward so much that he offered his daughter in marriage if the Englishman would convert to Islam. Edward declined, but the incident set his mind on spiritual matters. The route home ran through Rome, Italy and Edward converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism in 1588. Entered the seminary at Rheims, France on 24 January 1589, ordained on 11 March 1592. Returned to England on 24 June 1592 to minister to his countrymen in hiding for their faith. Arrested for the crime of priesthood soon after, he was abused in prison for several months before being martyred.

Born

at London, England

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 8 January 1593 at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England
the prison horses refused to drag Edward to the scaffold
when the guards finally got him there, the ladder jumped around to keep them from climbing it until Edward made the Sign of the Cross over it

Venerated