My Weekend in Columbus - A Summary of the CHN Deep in History Conference on the English Reformation - Sunday, 5 November

Panel Discussion: from L to R, Paul Thigpen, Joseph Pearce, Marcus Grodi,
Dwight Longenecker, and Joanna Bogle
The last day of the Deep in History Conference included a Mass with an outstanding homily on the Eucharist by Fr. Ray Ryland. I particularly related to his statement about protestants who read the 6th chapter of John, suddenly have the light go on in their heads, and from that moment on know that they have to be a part of the Church so that they can partake in the Body and Blood of our Lord. (UPDATE: I forgot to mention that Fr. Ryland noted that the Mass intention was for the election of pro-life candidates across the country on Election Day this Tuesday.)

Later in the morning, Fr. Ryland gave a very moving talk titled "A Convert Looks Back at the Church of England". The bulk of his discussion dealt with how all the non-Catholic churches, including the Eastern Orthodox churches, are engaged in "reconstruction" because of the problem of a lack of authority. By this, Fr. Ryland meant that these churches look to some romanticized "ideal" in the history of the Church and try to reconstruct it in the present. For evangelical protestants, it's the first century; for Anglicans, it's the first 5 centuries; and for Eastern Orthodox Christians, it's the first 8 centuries of the Church.

All non-Catholic faiths involve picking and choosing those things they like and excluding other things they dislike, while at the same time adding things that were never there before. Fr. Ryland noted that once he realized that his Anglo-Catholic views within the Episcopal Church involved the same sort of picking and choosing without any reference to authority, he realized that he needed to be Catholic.

Fr. Ryland concluded his remarks with a very moving reflection: that as a protestant his personal relationship with Christ was always on his terms, because he was the one defining what his own beliefs were; but as a Catholic, his personal relationship with Christ is on Christ's terms, because Christ has defined those terms via His Church. Having experienced the same phenomenon in my own life as a convert, I had a lump in my throat.

The conference concluded with a wrap-up panel discussion and Q&A session. Unfortunately, we had to get on the road so I got to see only a few minutes of the panel (as well as snap the photo at the top of this post).

In conclusion, I was very impressed with the Deep in History Conference. Marcus Grodi and the folks at the Coming Home Network are to be congratulated on a job well done. The conference has grown exponentially over the 4 years it's been held, with over 750 attendees this year. It has gotten so big, that next year it will be held in a larger hotel and conference center. Based on my positive experiences this year, I plan to attend again next year, when the topic will be "The Catholic Church in the New World".