Biography
John of Cologne
About John of Cologne
John of Cologne was a Dominican priest who served the parish of Hoornaar near Gorinchem. The Catholic Church in Norway places his birth around 1500 in Cologne, while acknowledging that his early background and birth year are poorly known. He entered the Dominican community there before being sent to the Netherlands.
The Nashville Dominican sisters’ account remembers about twenty years of parish service. It also explicitly notes that records of his sermons are not available. His clearest personal episode belongs to the imprisonment of the Gorinchem clergy: he continued ministering when other priests could no longer do so.
Estius says that he traveled from his parish to Gorinchem to administer the sacraments. On a journey to baptize a child, he was arrested and imprisoned with the other clergy. The writer also defends his wearing the clothing of a secular priest, describing it as a precaution taken with his superiors’ consent.
He was hanged at Brielle with the nineteen Gorkum martyrs on July 9, 1572. Their shared commemoration is July 9.
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