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Discover more about what it means to be a member of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom.
Before Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, He gave His apostles the 'Great Commission.'
'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.' Matthew 28:18–20
Throughout our history, members of the Guild have taken this call to evangelisation seriously and have been working hard to share the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith with the people of England and Wales.
Pope St John Paul II called on the Church to enter into a time of New Evangelisation, 'new in its ardor, new in its methods and new in its expression.' Pope Francis has emphasised that this missions calls us to a great personal closeness to Christ. ' ... it means instead grafting yourself to and rooting yourself in Christ, leaving yourself to be guided by the Spirit - so that all will be possible with genius and creativity."
This is what it means to be a member of the Guild: to remain close to Jesus through prayer and to have a heart for evangelisation. In this way, we follow in the footsteps of the great saints and martyrs of our land, who in good times and bad were witnesses to the Catholic faith. Let us, like them, be the voice of faith in our time.
'Of one thing I am sure, that according to our need, so will be our strength!'
St John Henry Newman, The Second Spring Sermon 1852
The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom was founded on 29th November 1887 by co-founders Fr. Philip Fletcher M.A. & Mr. Lister Drummond Q.C. They chose the title Our Lady of Ransom having been inspired by the work of the medieval Ransomers who worked to free captured Christians in the medieval days.
A Guild is an association of people who share a specific interest. Guilds originated in the medieval period and were usually groups of artisans and merchants - many still exist today. Our Guild is simply a group of lay people and priests who are passionate about the work of evangelisation in England & Wales.
We invite new members to make an annual or monthly contribution to the Guild which enables us to grow. There is no set figure for this contribution and, if you cannot afford to donate, you can still become a member.
Lay people who become members of the Guild are known as 'Red Cross Members' whereas Priest members are known as 'White Cross Members'. White Cross Members commit to offering Mass for the work of the Guild at least once per year.