Blessed Edmund Sykes, Priest and Martyr († 1587)
Edmund Sykes, of Leeds, England, studied for the priesthood in Reims, France. Several months after his ordination in February of 1581, he set out for England to serve in his native region of Yorkshire. Father Sykes exerted himself so strenuously in the care of souls that his health began to falter. An informer found in Father Sykes’ illness an opportunity to betray the priest to the Elizabethan authorities. Following his arrest, Father Sykes wavered in his demand resolve, yielding to his captors’ demand that he attend a Protestant church service. Nontheless, he firmly refused to take the anti-papal oath of supremacy. He was imprisoned and later banished from the country. The exiles Father Sykes now embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome in atonement for his brief lapse. While in Rome, he perceived that God willed for him to return to England. Entering the country in secret, he resumed his priestly labors there. Six months later, he was betrayed to the Elizabethan regime by a member of his own family. Father Sykes was put to death by drawing and quartering for being a priest.
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