Background
Saint Edmund Campion was born in London on 24 January 1540, he was the son of a bookseller in Paternoster Row, near St Paul's Cathedral.
Saint Edmund Campion was born in London on 24 January 1540, he was the son of a bookseller in Paternoster Row, near St Paul's Cathedral.
Saint Edmund Campion received his early education at Christ's Hospital school and, at the age of 13, was chosen to make the complimentary speech when Queen Mary visited the city in August 1553. He then attended St John's College, Oxford, becoming junior fellow in 1557 and taking the required Oath of Supremacy, probably on the occasion of his B. A. degree in 1560. He took a master's degree at Oxford in 1564.
Two years later, Campion welcomed Queen Elizabeth to the university, and won her lasting regard. He was selected to lead a public debate in front of the Queen. By the time the Queen had left Oxford, Campion had earned the patronage of the powerful William Cecil and also the Earl of Leicester, tipped by some to be future husband of the young Queen.
Although raised as a Catholic, Saint Edmund Campion took the Oath of Supremacy and the order of deacon in the Anglican Church. Repenting, he left Oxford in 1569 for Ireland, where he came under suspicion as a proselytizer for the ancient faith. Returning to England for a short time, he finally crossed to Douai and entered the seminary there. In 1573 Campion was admitted into the Society of Jesus and was ordained in 1578 in Prague. Assigned to the English Mission, he returned to England with Robert Parsons to win back Catholics who were wavering in their faith. On July 17, 1581, he was arrested as a traitor. Efforts to force him to recant failing, he was brought to trial in November and hanged at Tyburn on Dec. 1, 1581. His principal literary work was the tract Decem rationes. He was canonized by Paul VI on Oct. 25, 1970. His feast day is December 1.
He was a fellow of St John's College