Luke Wadding(1588 -1657) --: Fr. Luke Wadding was born in Waterford in 1588, the
son of Walter and Anastatia (nee Lombard) Wadding. He became an orphan at 14 and
left Ireland for Portugal were he entered the Franciscan order and was ordained on Sept.
23rd.,.1605. He spoke Greek,Portuguese, Hebrew and many Castilian dialects fluently.He
held the post of Lecturer in Divinity at Salamanca until 1618 He travelled Spain and
Portugal preaching, and was sent to Rome, Italy where he wrote the history of the
Franciscan order. He spent twenty five years of his life writing the Annals Ordinis
Minorum(Annals of the Franciscan Order" published in 8 volumes. His fame came
about from his editing of the works and philosophy of Duns Scotus, his predecessor in the
order, in 16 vols.In 1625 he founded St. Isidores College in Rome.He later founded a college for the education of priests for Ireland. He worked very hard for the persecuted Catholics of Ireland in the mid 1600's.He raised 36,000 dollars, soldiers and materials for the confederate Catholic cause in Ireland during the year 1642.
Father Luke Wadding became one of the most renowned in Rome, where he was regarded as a most brilliant and noble clergyman. He died in St. Isidore's on November 18th. 1657. There is a statue of this famous man outside the Tower Hotel on the Quay in Waterford.
This stamp was issued on 25th., November 1957.