Thomas Holland
English Jesuit priest and Catholic martyr
Feast: 22 December (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Thomas Holland of Lancashire studied at St-Omer and Valladolid, became a Jesuit in 1624 and was ordained at Liège. Sent to England in 1635, he was a master of disguise and spoke several languages perfectly.
Arrested in a London street in 1642, he was convicted of being a priest because he would not swear that he was not. In prison crowds came to him for confession and he said Mass. He was executed at Tyburn on 12 December 1642.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A Jesuit who would not deny his priesthood.
The cause
Thomas Holland has been beatified; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: Jesuits: the cause of Thomas Holland.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Thomas Holland
- Wikidata Q15453096 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Thomas Holland (Jesuit) (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.