Bid for statue to commemorate St John Ogilvie
A campaign has been started to remember a Catholic martyr who was imprisoned and tortured in Paisley.
St John Ogilvie was a Scottish nobleman who was raised a Calvinist but who converted to Roman Catholicism.
Roman Catholicism was banned in post-Reformation Scotland, and he was imprisoned in Paisley for treason where he was tortured by sleep deprivation before being executed at Glasgow Cross.
An online campaign has been launched to mark the place with a statue where St John was hanged and drawn.
The Order of the Knights of St Columba, a Catholic fraternal organisation, is supporting the campaign to build a statue in an alcove at Glasgow Cross.
Quoted on Vatican Radio’s website, Supreme Knight Charlie McCluskey said:“Let’s make this happen.”
He added:“We have made tentative enquires to the council. We need to move onto the next stage. If there’s public support we’d be happy to take the lead on this.”
And former Roman Catholic Bishop of Paisley the Most Rev Philip Tartaglia, who is now Archbishop of Glasgow, said in a homily on St John Ogilvie’s feast day:“There are more subtle forms of restricting religious freedom, when it gets into the realm of limiting your freedom to say in public places what you believe and what you hold most dear in your heart and in your conscience.”
He added:“That’s one reason why we continue to need the example, inspiration and intercession of Saint John Ogilvie.”
John Ogilvie was the eldest son of Walter Ogilvie, who was a respected Calvinist from Aberdeenshire.
At the age of 12 the young John was sent to the Continent to be educated.
And it was while there that he decided to become a Roman Catholic, and at the age of 17 was received into the church at Leuven, Germany.
He returned to Scotland in 1613, disguised as a horse trader, and began to preach in secret.
He was later betrayed, and this led to his execution.
St John is remembered in Paisley today at St John Ogilvie Primary School, and until recently at the now-closed Ogilvie Club.