THE P RTAL
September 2018 Page 12
Ordinariate Lay Conference ... continued from page 8
By mid afternoon , we were back in the Conference Room for the talk by Dr James Kelly . James is Sweeting Fellow in the History of Catholicism in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University , where he leads the History of Catholicism research strand within the University ’ s Centre for Catholic Studies . His main interests are in post-Reformation Catholic history in Europe , with a particular focus on the experience of the British and Irish Catholic communities at home and in exile . His talk too , is to be found on the Portal web site where you may listen to the man himself .
He had begun his talk by taking us through what martyrdom actually involved . We tend to concentrate on the end of the process : on the scaffold . But it begins sometime prior to that , with living a secret catholic life in a protestant country . Then it continued with one ’ s house being searched by people who were always less than polite . If incriminating evidence were found , you would be arrested . Prison would be a dungeon , and interviews were accompanied by severe torture . Early one morning you would be dragged from the dungeon and placed on a hurdle drawn by a horse . If your head were at the horse end , one can imagine what the horse would do upon it . If at the road end , your head was often left to hang over the end of the hurdle so you had to hold it up to avoid severe banging on the cobbled road .
This was the public display of Catholicism . There would be a great crowd , may of whom would be your supporters . Of course there would be others who would shout derisive remarks . On reaching the scaffold , it would be up the ladder and now was your chance . You would be permitted to say a few words . This was your chance to preach the Catholic Faith . Remember : you were being punished for beliefs , rather than actions .
Sometimes people were converted by that last speech . The hanging might not last long , as you would be cut down not yet dead in order that you could be cut into quarters whilst still alive . There were instances of Catholics pulling at the martyrs legs to assist death . Once dead , the faithful would rush forward to gain relics . It was a great public occasion . At the conclusion of his talk Dr Kelly also took questions , and gave erudite answers .
After Evensong we ate a delicious supper , before assembling for the Question Time . The Panel was Mgr Keith Newton , Mrs Margaret Tilley and Michael Thrusfield ; Ronald was in the chair . Questions covered a wide ranch of Ordinariate matters , and then continued when the bar opened .
Thursday was the Feast of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross , and we began with Matins . This was followed by a splendid Full English cooked breakfast . On this last morning of the Conference we were addressed by our Ordinary who summed things up before giving us all much encouragement . It was an excellent talk , and we went to Sung Mass with a spring in our step . Sung Mass for St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was glorious and Fr Keith gave a wonderful homily . After lunch it was all over and we made our respective ways home .
That , of course is not the end of things . Each delegate is asked to send in two hundred words about the Conference and any future action that they think ought to be taken . A full report on the Conference , together with a summary of these appraisals , will be presented to the Pastoral Council at its next meeting . No doubt many of the suggestions will be acted upon .
But what did the delegates think of it all ? We spoke to them . Wendy Redvers Harris and Elizabeth