William Spenser was born in England in 1555 and raised by a devout Anglican family. His uncle was an Anglican priest and he arranged for William to be educated at Trinity Collage in Oxford, then after earning a masters degree he began teaching. After studying the arguments, William accepted Catholicism as the true Church and he converted many students, though he himself refrained from publicly converting for a while. Unable to wait any longer, he left for France and after two years in seminary he was ordained and returned to England. It wasn’t long before Fr. Spenser was arrested for being a Catholic priest. He joyfully ministered to other prisoners until he was martyred by being hung, drawn, and quartered at the age of 34.
CHALLENGE
When Blessed William Spenser returned to England, the first people he brought into the Catholic Church were his parents and his uncle. How often do we try to save the world but shy away from trying to save the souls of our own family members? Who in your immediate family needs brought into the Church? Pray for God to open your lips, for the Holy Spirit to give you courage, and reach out to them today.
