Thomas Holland (Jesuit)
Thomas Holland (1600 at Sutton, Lancashire – executed 12 December 1642 at Tyburn) was an English Jesuit priest. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Life Holland was born in Lancashire, possibly son of Richard Holland, gentleman. He attended the English College at St. Omer's and subsequently in August, 1621, went to the English College, Valladolid. When the abortive negotiations for the "Spanish Match" were taking place in 1623, Holland was sent to Madrid to assure Prince Charles of the loyalty of the seminarists of Valladolid, which he did in a Latin oration. In 1624 he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus at Watten in the Southern Netherlands, and not long after was ordained to priesthood at Liège. He took the missionary oath 29 December 1633 and served as minister at Ghent and prefect at St. Omer's, where he acquired the nickname, bibliotheca pietatis ("Library of Piety") because of his vast knowledge of the ascetical life. He made his solemn religious profession as spiritual coadjutor at Ghent (28 May 1634) and was sent on the English mission the following year, in hopes that the change might improve his health. Holland worked in London, sometimes assuming the aliases