Born in Wales in the 15th century, John Jones came from a family that refused to participate in the Protestant Reformation, practicing their faith in spite of the clear dangers of doing so during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.

As a boy, he entered the Franciscan monastery in Greenwich but not long afterwards it was closed, so he was sent to France to finish his studies and it was there that he became a priest. 

Then, Fr. John Jones returned to England to lead his fellow Catholics and twice was arrested for administering the Sacraments but he refused to quit. 

In 1596 he was arrested a third time and, this time, condemned, and in 1598 he was drawn, quartered, and executed for being a Catholic priest in England. 

John Wall was born two years later. 

He was educated in France and became a priest in 1645. Then he returned to England where he served for several years. Eventually, John Wall entered the Friars Minor, becoming Governor of the Royal Grammar School where he served for a quarter century. 

However, in 1678 a man named Titus Folks fabricated a plot about a Catholic conspiracy to murder King Charles II. As a result, Fr. John Wall was arrested, condemned, and executed for being a Catholic priest in England. 

Sts. John Jones and John Wall, please pray for us.