Guild of Our Lady of Ransom

The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom is a charity, founded in 1877, which supports projects and initiatives in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, through its grant programme and network of members.

History
In 1886, the Catholic priest, The Reverend Fr Philip Fletcher (1848–1928) established a Union of Intercession for the Conversion of England. A graduate of Exeter College, Oxford, Fletcher was the son of Sir Henry Fletcher, 3rd Baronet, and curate at St Bartholomew's Church, Brighton. One of Fletcher's friends was the Catholic barrister and orator, Lister Drummond (1856–1916), who was a grandson of Thomas Lister, 2nd Lord Ribblesdale and a descendant of the Jacobite rebel, William Drummond, 4th Viscount Strathallan.

A year later, on 29 November 1887, Fletcher and Drummond established the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom to involve Catholics in evangelisation and the conversion to the Catholic faith of the people of England and Wales, in the restoration of those who have lapsed from the practice of their faith, and for the praying for those who have died who have no-one to pray for them.

The Guild took two medieval orders as its model: the Trinitarians and the Mercedarians. It was dedicated to Our Lady, St Gregory and the English Martyrs and took as its prayer as that of the Blessed Henry Heath on the scaffold at Tyburn in 1643: "Jesu convert England, have mercy on this country". The Guild members (known as Ransomers) were originally composed of White Cross (clerical), Red Cross (evangelical), and Blue Cross (supplicant) Ransomers.

Thousands of Catholics enrolled in the Guild, including the Cardinals Henry Edward Manning and Herbert Vaughan, Archbishops of Westminster, and Saint John Henry Newman (as White Cross Ransomers).

The Guild was recognised and blessed by Pope Leo XIII in 1900 who became its first President, and each Pope since then has served as President of the Guild. It was registered as a charity in 1965. The Guild's current Master is Mgr John Armitage.

Activities
Pilgrimages

For many years, the Guild has organised pilgrimages for its Ransomers to sites of devotion overseas, including Marian shrines such as those at Boulogne and Halle. It organised an annual pilgrimage to York from 1892. It also the first public pilgrimage since the Reformation to the Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham on 20 August 1897. It also arranged pilgrimages in the British Isles, such as to Glastonbury, and sites at Canterbury, Chelsea, Hastings, Holywell, Padley, King's Lynn, Westminster, Willesden, York, and Walsingham.

In 2019, as part of the spiritual preparation for England's re-dedication as the Dowry of Mary, the Guild and Our Lady of Walsingham organised a two-year Dowry Tour of England's Catholic Cathedrals, including Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral, and St John's Cathedral, Norwich.

Ransom and Dowry Grants

The Guild organisation, supported by a network of members, offers grants to parishes and churches in England and Wales. With an emphasis on evangelisation, the Guild aims to enable parishes, ministries and individuals to promote Catholicism. It has two programmes: Ransom Grants and Dowry Grants.

Ransom Grants support parishes which are in need of funding, and especially those which are working on evangelistic and formative projects.

Dowry Grants support new and innovative works of evangelisation which promote the Catholic faith.

Masters
• 1877–1928	The Rev. Philip Fletcher

• 1928–51	Mgr John Henry Filmer

• 1951 68	Mgr Laurance Goulder

• 1968–2010	Mgr Anthony George Stark

• 2010–20	The Rt Rev. Peter Smith

• 2020–		Mgr John Armitage

Publications
The Guild has published various books and pamphlets over the decades, including the following titles:

General Pamphlets

Pilgrimage Pamphlets

Biographical Pamphlets