Famous Priests - List of Famous Priests

Priests and priestesses have existed since the ancient times, from the simplest societies, to hamlets and royal families. A priest is a person who is authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion and acts as intercessor between humans and one or numerous deities. In order to attain priesthood, an individual has to go through a complex process of introspection, education and sacraments. Some of the ancient priests and priestesses acted as bureaucrats on behalf of kings and were also given the responsibility to staff temples, give offerings and perform other religious rituals. In places like Italy, priesthood was only attained by Roman matrons and the elite. During the onset of Christianity, there was a sudden growth in the formation of Catholic Churches since the 3rd century and priests headed churches and were appointed as the ones in authority to act on behalf of Christ. Although Islam does not hold the office or the title of ‘priest’, they do have the title of ‘mullahs’, which translates to ‘cleric’ and in layman’s terms; priests. They are not necessarily religious, but are highly educated respected individuals in the society. Hindu priests, often known as ‘pujaris’ or ‘purohits’ and belong to the ‘Brahmin’ caste and are ordained as priests after a period of training. Not only do these priests perform rituals in temples but also perform rituals pertaining to weddings, funerals and other services. Here is a list of famous priests. Go through their biographies, which include trivia, interesting facts, timeline and life history.

The Most Famous Priests

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Jim ElliotOctober 8, 1927AmericanJim Elliot was an evangelical Christian Missionary
John GeoghanJune 4, 1935AmericanJohn Geoghan was an American Roman Catholic priest who was accused of sexually abusing over 130 boys
Georges LemaîtreJuly 17, 1894BelgianGeorges Lemaitre was a Belgian scientist and priest
Óscar RomeroAugust 15, 1917SalvadoranÓscar Romero the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated within three years of his appointment
Abbe PierreAugust 5, 1912FrenchPopularly known as the founder of the Emmaus movement, Abbe Pierre was a French Catholic priest who devoted his life to serving the poor
Charles KingsleyJune 12, 1819BritishCharles Kingsley was a minister of the Church of England, Christian Socialist, novelist, university professor, historian and amateur naturalist
Martin LutherNovember 10, 1483GermanMartin Luther is known as the Founder of Protestant Reformation
Ernesto CardenalJanuary 20, 1925NicaraguanErnesto Cardenal is a Nicaraguan Roman Catholic priest who is also a poet, politician, and revolutionary
Charles SpurgeonJune 19, 1834BritishCharles Spurgeon was England’s best known preacher during the second half of the nineteenth century
Bede672BritishSaint Bede was an English monk and the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar
John Geoghan

John Geoghan

John Geoghan was an American Roman Catholic priest who was accused of sexually abusing over 130 boys

AmericanJune 4, 1935251 views

Martin Luther

Martin Luther is known as the Founder of Protestant Reformation

GermanNovember 10, 1483172 views

Georges Lemaître

Georges Lemaitre was a Belgian scientist and priest

BelgianJuly 17, 1894248 views

Junípero Serra

Junípero Serra was a Franciscan priest, who was canonized in 2015

SpanishNovember 24, 1713114 views

Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas was an Italian Dominican theologian hailed as the father of the Thomistic school of theology

ItalianJanuary 28, 1225151 views

Thomas Wolsey

Thomas Wolsey was an English cardinal and statesman, who dominated King Henry VIII’s government from 1515 to 1529

BritishJanuary 1, 1473131 views

Sam Shoemaker

Samuel Moor Shoemaker was a renowned American priest who co-founded the non-profit organization ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’

American1893156 views

Bede

Saint Bede was an English monk and the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar

British672159 views

Abune Paulos

His Holiness Abune Paulos was the Fifth Patriarch of the ‘Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church’

Óscar Romero

Óscar Romero the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated within three years of his appointment

SalvadoranAugust 15, 1917224 views