Picture: Matham, Jacob (1571-1631) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Andrew Wouters
Dutch Catholic priest and martyr
SaintResearchedDocumented cause
Feast: 9 July (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1542
Died
1572
verified
Beatified
14 November 1675
verified
Canonised
29 June 1865
verified
Who they were
Andreas Wouters of Heinenoord was a priest whose conduct, the Catholic Encyclopedia says, was not edifying up to the time of his arrest; he made ample amends by his martyrdom.
He is one of the Martyrs of Gorkum, captured by the Calvinist Sea Beggars in 1572, who after suffering in prison at Gorkum were taken to Brielle and put to death amid cruel mutilations for refusing to deny the Catholic faith.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A weak priest who found at the end the strength to die for the faith.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Martyrs of Gorkum
- Wikidata Q107076198 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Andrew Wouters (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.