Christian feast day: William Tirry (Catholic Church)
William Tirry
William Tirry OSA was an Irish Roman Catholic priest of the Order of Saint Augustine following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. He was captured by the priest hunters at Fethard, County Tipperary while continuing his priestly ministry covertly and was hanged at Clonmel, officially for high treason against the Commonwealth of England, but in reality as part of The Protectorate's systematic religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Pope John Paul II beatified Friar William Tirry as one of the 24 officially recognized Irish Catholic Martyrs in 1992.
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization. The Church consists of 24 sui iuris (autonomous) churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies around the world, each overseen by one or more bishops. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church.
May 2
May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 243 days remain until the end of the year.