The Reconversion of England “did not begin when Newman was converted nor when the hierarchy was restored. It began on a bleak October day of 1841, when a little Italian priest in comical attire shuffled down a ship's gangway at Folkstone.” (James Broderick, “The Second Spring of Catholicism in England”).
I was reading the story of Blessed Dominic Barberi who was a 19th century Italian priest, who travelled to England for the conversion of souls – particularly Anglican souls – to Catholicism.
Blessed Dominic was not well received in England. In fact, the priest was openly mocked and ridiculed as if he were an animal. He was called “demon” “papist” and “devil”. And eyewitness accounts of his arrival into English towns describes crowds who rushed out to gape at him and fling insults at him… “as if he were a savage beast... the more respectable citizens joined in the hideous outcry against the ‘Demon, the Papist, the Devil!’, as they called him.” One of the additional barriers to his mission for conversion was his very poor English. Due to his accent, it was impossible for Blessed Dominic to say “th”. Instead he would replace this sound with a “t” sound. And this made it even more difficult for him to preach his message to the people that he met.
And today, I have been reflecting – not on the obstacles that made Blessed Dominic’s mission appear almost impossible – but on the GRACES that ensured that is bore fruit. You see, despite all the obstacles to his mission, Blessed Dominic eventually received many hundreds of people into the Catholic faith. About one hundred years after Blessed Dominic first set foot on British soil, James Broderick (a Jesuit storyteller) wrote a book called “The Second Spring of Catholicism in England” about the reconversion of England. In that book, Broderick explains that the reconversion of England “did not begin when (Saint John) Newman was converted nor when the hierarchy was restored. It began on a bleak October day of 1841, when a little Italian priest in comical attire (Blessed Dominic Barberi) shuffled down a ship's gangway at Folkstone.”
You see, Blessed Dominic depended upon what he did have, rather than complaining about what he did not have. And what he did have was only his zeal for souls. And using only that, Blessed Dominic Barberi, boarded a ship for a foreign country where he could not even really speak the language, and spent his life telling people about God. And in this Blessed Dominic was a true apostle for the New Evangelization and through this he brought to God many souls!
For Christ told His disciples, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay. Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the labourer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart.” (Matthew 10:7-15). For our God does not demand perfection from us – He works with our limitations – after all, the Creator of the Universe is more than capable of making all my crooked lines straight…
And knowing that, how could I possibly have any excuse to offer my work, my time, my whole life to the service of my God… For He can use all things for the GOOD! And how I love Him for that!
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.