Blessed Thomas Holland was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London during the English Reformation.

He was born to a noble family of England in 1600 and was sent to France and Spain for his education. He entered the Jesuit order in 1624 and was ordained a priest soon afterwards. After teaching and serving spiritual needs in France and Belgium, he was sent as a missionary to England, where being Catholic was forbidden.

He was well-suited to be a missionary in the Catholic underground community in London—he spoke flawless Spanish, French, and Flemish, and was known to be very good at taking on various disguises.

On Oct. 4, 1642, he was arrested in the street for a vague suspicion and was imprisoned. He was tried for being a priest—though there was no evidence for this charge, he refused to swear that he was not a priest, and was found guilty. He was sentenced to death.

When he returned to prison to await his execution, he heard many confessions and was even allowed to celebrate Mass several times.

He was executed on this date in 1642, and was led from the prison in a cart. When they arrived to the place of execution, he stood and addressed the large crowd that had gathered to watch. He confessed to being a Catholic, a priest, and a Jesuit, and then placed the noose around his own neck and forgave the judge and jury who had convicted him. He then forgave his executioner and gave him a few coins he had in his pocket. The cart pulled away and he was left to hang till dead.

Blessed Thomas Holland, you were the master of disguise who ministered to underground English Catholics, pray for us!