The Patron of the Yorkshire Brethren – Blessed Nicholas Postgate
In every age, God raises up patrons—men and women whose lives become living beacons for the faithful. For the scattered Catholic flock of North Yorkshire, persecuted and hunted, yet steadfast in hope, the name of Blessed Nicholas Postgate rings as both shepherd and martyr, father and friend, pastor and patron.
Born in Egton in the year of our Lord 1596, in a time when the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was deemed treason and the priesthood punishable by death, Nicholas Postgate heard the quiet call of divine vocation and answered with a life of humble fidelity. He departed the green dales of his homeland for Douay College in France, that venerable seminary where so many English martyrs were formed in spirit and intellect, hearts afire with love for Christ and His Church.
Returned to English soil in 1630, he did not seek comfort nor applause. Rather, he trod the moors and valleys of Yorkshire, unseen by many, yet known deeply by his flock—comforting the dying, baptising infants in secret, feeding souls with the Bread of Life, and hearing confessions under starlit skies. For nearly fifty years, Fr. Postgate lived not for himself, but entirely for Christ and His people.
It was while performing one of the holiest of duties—a baptism—that he was arrested by an exciseman seeking favour, not justice. At eighty-two years of age, his body worn but his spirit undimmed, Fr. Postgate was taken to York. There, on the Knavesmire, he was subjected to that cruel death reserved for traitors: hanged, drawn, and quartered. He spoke no long speech. He needed none. His life was the sermon.
Yet we do not weep without hope. Holy Mother Church, in her wisdom, raised him to the altars, and in 1987, Blessed Nicholas Postgate was beatified by Pope John Paul II—his sacrifice no longer hidden in the heather, but proclaimed to the world.
He is today the patron of the Yorkshire Brethren—those who still walk the lanes he trod, teach in the schools that bear his name, serve in parishes planted in soil watered by his blood. He is a patron for all who serve quietly, persevere nobly, and suffer with grace.
May we, too, be found faithful. And may Blessed Nicholas Postgate intercede for us, that we might have the courage to witness to Christ, whether in silence or in suffering, until the day we stand with him in the courts of the King of Martyrs.
Blessed Nicholas Postgate, patron of the Yorkshire Brethren, pray for us.
The Yorkshire Brethren Society provides vital support to retired and infirm priests across the Catholic Dioceses of Middlesbrough, Hallam, and Leeds—home to the cathedrals of St. Mary’s, St. Marie’s, and St. Anne’s respectively. Many of these priests have given a lifetime of service to their communities, and in retirement, the Society ensures they are not forgotten by offering financial assistance, pastoral care, and spiritual companionship.
