The blood of the martyrs – seeds of today’s vocations Maurice Quinn with a tale of two young men

The blood of the martyrs – seeds of today’s vocations

Maurice Quinn with a tale of two young men

Priestly vocations do not just appear from thin air but are nurtured within our homes, families and communities over a period of time. The Holy Spirit is in no hurry, and for many vocations a number of persons, events and circumstances appear to act as a catalyst, as happened to Pope St John Paul II, whose final decision, apparently, came after almost being knocked over by a bus while attempting to cross the road.

While not as dramatic as happened to Pope St John Paul II, prayer, and the hand of Our Lady and of the often forgotten Chideock Martyrs can be discerned quite clearly in the vocation journey of two young men, known here by their Confirmation names as Philip and Peter, both of whom, completely unknown to each other, attended the very first Latin Mass pilgrimage to Chideock in Dorset. This is their story.

Expectations were high on the morning of Saturday 27 September 2019 in the small village of Chideock in Dorset, at the beautiful and historic Catholic church of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs & St Ignatius, a shrine dedicated to the little known Chideock Martyrs.

The Latin Mass Society (Plymouth Diocese) had organized the first Latin Mass pilgrimage to Chideock in order to honour these brave men (seven died on the scaffold and one in prison) with a celebration of the same Mass for which they had given their lives. People had travelled from every part of the diocese and beyond for this memorable occasion; the celebrant, Fr Anthony Pillari, had travelled up from Cornwall, while the excellent serving team and organist came from Plymouth. The Torbay Knights of St Columba were on hand to fulfil a number of duties, and ladies of the parish had prepared tea and coffee for the pilgrims, while the trustees of the church organized a tour of the secret chapel located in the loft, with a talk on the shrine and the martyrs to whom the church is dedicated.

Our part of the story begins early on that same Saturday morning in the just opened church, where Veronica (identified only by her Confirmation name) lit candles before the statue of Our Lady and implored her help along with that of the Chideock Martyrs, asking them in our time of need to help provide young men willing to offer themselves for the sacred ministry. She further asked that her heavenly patrons take her petitions straight to the Holy Trinity.

A little later, Veronica was outside the church where she briefly greeted a young man about to enter. She had seen this young man before at the monthly Traditional Latin Mass celebrations that take place at Blessed Sacrament in Exeter. This was Peter, a student at Exeter University and a recent convert from the Church of England; unbeknown to Peter, he was put on the prayer list, and was offered to Our Lady and the Chideock Martyrs as a possible candidate for priestly training.

About a week before the Chideock Mass was to take place, I received a phone call from a young man offering his services for the upcoming Martyrs’ Mass by serving on the sanctuary or by joining the choir. I did not know this young man, Philip, so we agreed to meet at Chideock where I was to introduce him to the choirmaster.

An unseen hand now took charge of affairs, as, on meeting Philip as arranged, I completely forgot to take him to the choir loft, and by mistake led him to a seat at the front of the church, where he was noticed by Veronica as a possible candidate for her spiritual intentions. In the still flickering light of the prayer candles, Veronica moved places and quietly sat next to him.

The life stories of these two young men were very different, although soon they would be of one mind, sharing a desire to save souls. Philip was brought up in a Catholic family, went to a monastic boarding school and, inspired by the monks there, went on to become a teacher himself. In his formative years the Traditional Latin Rite was the norm, and like many boys coming from such a deeply spiritual and reverential background, he considered the religious life, but after visiting various communities and meeting with seminarian friends was not inspired to take it further.

'She greeted a young man … who was put on the prayer list'

Philip learned to serve the usus antiquior, became a competent MC, and went on to teach priests how to celebrate the Old Rite. After our initial meeting Philip became MC at our Exeter Latin Mass celebrations, where his expertise was much appreciated by priest and servers alike. Philip took inspiration from Benedict XVI’s teaching and welcomed his Summorum Pontificum, which made the Mass experienced by the great saints of the past more mainstream. The Holy Spirit had led Philip thus far, and at the Chideock Latin Mass, the prayers to Our Lady and the Chideock Martyrs - and not only those of Veronica – but those of the whole congregation helped Philip realize that his life was about to change dramatically.

Soon after Philip was accepted for priestly formation by the diocese, he gave me permission to spread the good news – inclusive of the prayers initially offered by Veronica to Our Lady and the Chideock Martyrs - via email to those who regularly attended the Exeter Latin Mass and with surprising results. After discovering Philip’s story, an astonished Peter replied to my email with his own amazing experience. While watching Fr Pillari at the altar during the Mass on that memorable September day, the beauty of the sacred priesthood was impressed upon him. He was beginning to appreciate the immeasurable blessing it was to stand at the threshold of heaven and earth – to be a conduit of God’s grace and love for the purpose of saving souls. The fidelity and sacrifice of the Chideock Martyrs, especiallyofthethreepriestsamongthem, coupled with the sheer beauty, dignity and reverence of the sacred mysteries stayed with Peter long after the event itself. Peter had spent many happy holidays in Chideock as a child, completely unaware of the local martyrs and of their eventual significance in his slowly developing journey of faith. Peter himself wrote, and I quote: ‘My discernment for the priesthood quickly accelerated from this point. While my desire for the married life was not taken away, I began to detect a strong sense of attraction to the life of the priest, a life grounded in total sacrifice and intimate union with Jesus… the intercession of Our Lady and of the Chideock martyrs… were instrumental in getting me where I am now.’

This quietly unfolding drama has a positive conclusion in that Peter, who hails from Sussex, has started the next stage of his priestly discernment by being accepted as a novice by one of the traditional priestly institutes, whereas Philip, a Dorset man born and bred, decided to go down the diocesan route in order to ‘help save the souls of those around me,’ and has now started his seminary formation. Our Lady and the Chideock Martyrs - pray for us. The writer has used confirmation names at the request of those involved.

' …to be the conduit of God's grace and love for the purpose of saving souls'