Marian Priests facts for kids

Marian Priests were English Catholic priests. They were ordained, or became priests, during or before the time of the Catholic Queen Mary (1553–1558). These priests continued their work into the reign of her Anglican successor, Queen Elizabeth I.

The name "Marian Priests" helps tell them apart from "Seminary priests." Seminary priests were trained in places like Douai in northern France, Rome, or other English seminaries on the European mainland.

A Time of Change for Priests

Soon after Queen Elizabeth I became queen, Catholic ordinations stopped in England. This happened because the remaining Catholic bishops were put in prison. If new priests from seminaries abroad hadn't started coming to England, the Catholic priesthood might have disappeared there.

There was a big difference between Marian Priests and Seminary Priests. Strict new laws, like the one from 1584, mainly targeted Seminary Priests. These laws made it a very serious crime, called high treason, for Seminary Priests to be in England.

However, Marian Priests were under older laws. For example, the Act of Supremacy 1558 punished anyone who supported the Pope's authority in England. Another law made it high treason to support the Pope or refuse to take the Oath of Supremacy. This oath was a promise to accept the Queen as the head of the church.

Many Priests Refused to Change

A historian named Dom Norbert Birt found that many more Marian Priests lost their jobs than people first thought. He estimated that about 7,500 priests were working in England when Elizabeth became queen.

Many of these priests, though unwillingly, accepted the new religious changes. Some even celebrated Catholic Mass early in the morning and then led the Church of England service later.

But a very large number of Marian Priests refused to change their beliefs. It was often said that only 200 refused the Oath of Supremacy, but this number was misleading. It only included important church leaders and wasn't a complete list. More than half of the Marian clergy either resigned or were removed from their positions early in Elizabeth's reign. Dom Norbert Birt found nearly 2,000 priests who gave up their jobs for their beliefs.

As years passed, many of these faithful priests died. But even as late as 1596, almost fifty of them were still working in England. Because of their slightly better legal position, they didn't face the same harsh persecution as the Seminary Priests. Only one Marian Priest, the Venerable James Bell, is known to have been executed for his faith.