Father Bernard's very wonderful sermon this morning included the life of this great Franciscan. Here is a little bit more on him. We are so blessed to be Franciscans!
John Forest
Born in the Oxford area, John Forest became a Franciscan Friar Minor of the Regular Observance in 1491. He went on to study theology at the University of Oxford, later becoming confessor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, first wife to King Henry VIII. From 1531 the Friars Minor had gained the enmity of the King by opposing his divorce and his movements toward Protestantism.
On 8 April 1538 Forest was brought before Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, to renounce his rejection of King Henry's assumed title of Supreme Head of the Church of England. Bishop Hugh Latimer read out the beliefs that Forest was required to reject: "That the Holy Catholic Church was the Church of Rome, that the Pope’s pardon is key to the remission of sins, and that a priest can forgive a penitent sinner, After initially recanting, Forest was detained at Newgate Prison together with several other Friars, who persuaded him to stand fast in his Roman Catholic beliefs.[1]
In accordance with the custom of the time, Bishop Latimer was selected to preach a final sermon at the place of execution urging recantation, but in the end Forest was burnt to death at Smithfield, London on 22 May 1538.[2] Extra fuel for the pyre is said to have been provided by an enormous statue of St. Derfel from the pilgrimage site of Llandderfel in north Wales, and of which it was supposed to have been prophesied, would "one day set a forest on fire." [3]
Father Forest, together with fifty-three other English martyrs, was beatified by Pope Leo XIII, on 9 December 1886.
- ^ Demaus, Robert. (1904) Hugh Latimer: a biography. Religious Tract Society, London, United Kingdom. Page 293
- ^ Duffy, Eamon. (2005) The Stripping of the Altars. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. 2nd. Edition. ISBN 0300108281, page 404
- ^ Three Saints, Two Wells & a Welsh Parish by Tristan Gray Hulse
Maybe you could send me a copy of that? Maybe on a cd? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteFather only records his sermons on audio tape. You would have to write him for a copy.
ReplyDeleteWell worth the effort to obtain a copy of this excellent sermon.
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