At Dublin in Ireland, the passing of Blessed Francis Taylor, martyr, who, a father of a family, endured prison for seven years for the Catholic faith and, worn down by his sufferings and old age, completed his martyrdom under King James the First.
Lifespan: 1550–1621
Beatified: 27 September 1992 by Pope John Paul II
Memoria liturgica: 30 January
Praise the Lord, O my soul! (Ps 146:1)
Francis Taylor (Proinsias Tàilliùr), the second son of Robert Taylor of Swords and Elizabeth Golding, was born in 1550. His was a family of noble landowners in the County north of Dublin, who for generations had distinguished themselves in the administrative and commercial life of that city.
Father of six children, Francis Taylor remained faithful to family tradition for more than thirty years and served in various civic offices. In 1593 he was elected Mayor of Dublin. The situation for Catholics grew steadily worse, especially after the defeat of Irish Catholic resistance against Protestant English rule in 1603.
Catholics were soon excluded from public office, and the government began organizing a Parliament with a Protestant majority. Francis Taylor was elected a member of the Irish Parliament, but a Protestant mayor invalidated the election. It was in 1613, or at the beginning of 1614, that Francis Taylor was imprisoned. He chose to suffer rather than renounce his faith.
He died in prison on 10 January 1621, after seven years of suffering borne with great patience. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 27 September 1992.