Thomas Houghton (priest)

Thomas Houghton (d. 1588) was an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr, executed for his faith during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Houghton was born in Houghton, Lancashire. He studied at Douai, then a major center for English Catholic seminarians in exile. He was ordained a priest in 1575 and returned to England to minister to the clandestine Catholic community.

During a time of intense persecution of Catholics, Houghton continued to celebrate Mass and administer the sacraments in secret. He was eventually arrested in 1587 and imprisoned for being a priest. He was tried under the laws against Catholic priests, specifically for being a priest ordained abroad and entering England.

Houghton was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on 25 February 1588, along with fellow priests Robert Sutton and George Haydock.

Thomas Houghton was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1987 as one of the Eighty-Five Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is celebrated on 25 February. He is considered a martyr for his unwavering faith and commitment to the Catholic priesthood in the face of persecution.