My Weekend in Columbus - A Summary of the CHN Deep in History Conference on the English Reformation - Saturday, 4 November

Rich Leonardi, Mary Virginia Anderson, Joanna Bogle, and Me

The highlight of this day for me was meeting fellow bloggers, Rich Leonardi and Joanna Bogle, both pictured above. I have been a big fan of Rich's comments and blogging since I first began reading Amy Welborn's blog (where Rich has been a frequent commenter) a couple of years ago. As Anglophiles, Rich and I have been corresponding about our mutual interest in things English and Catholic, and it was Rich who alerted me about the topic of this year's Deep in History Conference. I have been a fan of Mrs. Bogle's writing for a number of years. Her Book of Feasts and Seasons is a favorite in the Anderson household. We use it "religiously" in an effort to inculturate our family with some of the traditions of Catholicism. In addition, Sarah utilizes Mrs. Bogle's book in teaching Sunday School to 3-and-4-year-old children at our parish. Mrs. Bogle graciously inscribed the title page of our copy.

Now, back to the topics covered in the conference on Saturday.

Henry VIII - Marcus Grodi

Marcus gave a brief rundown of Henry VIII's life and the events that led to the schism from Rome. He noted the irony that Henry began on excellent terms with the Church, and was even named "Defender of the Faith" for his book against Luther.

The Attempted Return: Mary Tudor - Joanna Bogle

Joanna Bogle did an outstanding job filling in for the scheduled speaker on this topic - her husband Jamie Bogle - who had to miss the conference in order to attend a royal wedding at the Vatican.

Mrs. Bogle's talk dispelled many of the myths about Queen Mary I - known by history as "Bloody Mary". Despite the portrayal of her as bitter and vindictive, Mary was actually very popular among the people, and the announcement of her ascending to the throne was "rapturously received at London". Mrs. Bogle further noted that Queen Mary exercised toward those who opposed her "the greatest amount of clemency possible for the times".

Mary's first actions upon coming to the throne were primarily concerned with restoring the realm to Catholicism. And although, some heretics were burned at the stake, Mary is by no means deserving of the "Bloody" epithet when compared to the other Tudor monarchs. Elizabeth, for example, killed more than 800 people in the first year of her reign - more than were killed by the Spanish Inquisition in its entire 350-year history.

The Recusants - Joseph Pearce

The outstanding biographer Joseph Pearce covered those hardline Catholics of the period known as Recusants. Pearce stated that the vast majority of English during the 16th century were "devout and defiant Catholics". There were 3 types of Catholics:

(1) Church Catholic conformists (accomodationists who eventually lost their faith)
(2) Church Papists (those who attended the legally required Anglican services, but then attended Catholic Mass when it was available)
(3) Recusants (hardliners who refused to attend Anglican services, even if it meant they had to pay the legally imposed fines for not attending)

I don't want to go into too much depth, but I will mention that the bulk of Pearce's talk was devoted to one particular Recusant family (probably the most famous Recusants) - the Shakespeares. Pearce, who is currently working on a biography of William Shakespeare, made a very compelling argument, citing extensive evidentiary material, that the Bard himself was quite likely a devout Catholic and defiant Recusant his entire life.

The Martyrs - Paul Thigpen

Quite clearly, the most moving talk of the entire conference was that given by Paul Thigpen covering the martyrs. Moved to tears on several occasions, Thigpen related the horrifying details of the torture and deaths experienced by those whose only real crime was practicing their faith. "English Martyrs" generally refers to those who died for the Faith in England between the years 1535 to 1681. The Forty Martyrs of England & Wales are deemed representative of the entire group.

Thigpen focused on what he called the "heroic poetry of holiness" exhibited by the martyrs, and listed out some lessons that we may learn from them:

(1) Holy fire can set out souls ablaze.
(2) We can take heart from the martyrs' "feistiness".
(3) We should learn to imitate the martyrs' "vibrant confidence in the power of reason to change minds".
(4) The precious worth of humor in the worst of circumstances.
(5) God's plans may turn our best-laid plans on their head.
(6) Forgiveness and showing concern for the spiritual welfare of our enemies.
(7) Persecution and martyrdom are things that can and possibly will happen to us.

The Defenders of the Faith: Thomas More & John Fisher - Dr. Scott Hahn

Dr. Hahn provided a historical background for both of these saintly men, not surprisingly given Dr. Hahn's interests, focusing on their expertise in Biblical exegesis. With regard to Bishop John Fisher, the thing I found of most interest was that the one thing that enraged Henry VIII the most about Fisher's preaching was the Bishop's comparison of himself to John the Baptist. It turns out that his comparison was quite apt.

In his discussion of Thomas More, Hahn focused on More's last literary work - a profound contemplation of the spiritual meaning of Christ's suffering, The Sadness of Christ. Hahn quoted extensively from this work, and related the meaning of Christ's suffering not only to More's immediate circumstances in the Tower of London, but to our own lives and the role of suffering in our own redemption.

(UPDATE: I forgot to mention that Dr. Hahn kindly inscribed the 7 or 8 books authored by him that I had brought with me from home.)

The English Counter Reformation - Fr. Charles Conner

Father Charles Conner covered the details of the English Counter Reformation, which he also referred to as the "Catholic Reformation". There were several positive results of this period of Catholic history, including the establishment of new religious orders, the spiritual renewal of the existing religious orders, and renewed Catholic missionary activity. Also established at this time was the venerable English College in Rome.

The most vigorous proponents of the Counter Reformation were the English exiles on the Continent. The English college at Douay sent scores of priests to England. The Elizabethan response was to make it "treason" to try to re-convert someone to Catholicism, say Mass, etc. It became "treason" for any priest ordained outside of England to return to the country. It was also "treason" to harbor or aid priests in England. The Jesuits formed the backbone of the English Counter Reformation, led by Robert Parsons and inspired by men like Edmund Campion, known as the "Seditious Jesuit" for his famous "Campion's Brag".

Fr. Conner concluded his talk with the following statement: "The blood of the martyrs receives its recompense every time a convert comes into the Church."

The Aftermath - Joanna Bogle

Saturday's lectures were wrapped up by a delightful talk by Joanna Bogle on the aftermath of the English Reformation. Beginning with the Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot, Mrs. Bogle noted that the failed plot "established Catholics as 'the enemy'" - terrorists who, if they had their way, would establish foreign rule over England. Catholic ritual and devotion became objects of mockery and derision. As examples, Mrs. Bogle used the Jack-in-the-Box - a box from which something silly pops out - which is meant as a parody of the tabernacle, and the words "hocus pocus", which were meant to mock the words of consecration. Following the plot, England became solidly protestant.

Some things, however, lingered that were Catholic in origin - but nobody realized it. Things like nursery rhymes such as "Mary had a little Lamb", which, of course, she had - the Lamb of God; the phrase "touch wood" (or "knock on wood"), which originally referred to touching the Cross of Christ; the subject matter of certain pub signs; the paraphanalia of royalty; the notion that religion should be "beautiful"; etc.

Adoration

The evening officially concluded with Benediction and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Afterwards: Fellowship and Libation
Upon the completion of Adoration, the unofficial conclusion to Saturday's activities involved several conference attendees gathering in the hotel's bar for additional conversation with some of the program speakers, such as Joseph Pearce, Dwight Longenecker, and Joanna Bogle. An opportunity for additional enlightenment on the topics covered at the conference.


UPDATE
You can read Rich's account of the conference here and here.