Answer: Edmund Campion and Robert Persons were Jesuit priests who led the English Mission of 1580. They secretly returned to England to strengthen and support the Catholic community during a period of intense religious persecution. Campion became famous for his eloquent defense of the Catholic faith and was eventually arrested, tried for treason, and executed in 1581. Persons escaped to the Continent, where he continued to support English Catholics through his writings, organization, and leadership. Their mission became one of the most significant episodes in the history of the English Reformation.