Customer Reviews

No Ordinary Fool: A Testimony to Grace

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Catholic literature abounds in conversion stories, and many of these "Home to Rome" tales have a sort of apologetic edge. NO ORDINARY FOOL transcends that genre. While no one could miss Fr. John Jay Hughes' deep love for Catholicism, this is far more than an argument for Roman verities. It is a piercing, wise memoir, written by a priest who has prayed and thought deeply about matters of both head and heart. Hughes is admired across ideological fault lines because he cuts to the core of things, to the restless need of the human heart for a love that lasts. Anyone who wishes to take that journey would do well to have Hughes as a guide.

"No Ordinary Fool" is one of the most fascinating books which I have read and this review is one of the most challenging to write. Fr. Hughes' life story is one that no fiction writer could create and his faith story is one which only God could have enabled. Despite repeated roadblocks obstructing his journey of faith, Fr. Hughes has steadfastly followed the beacon emitted from Jesus, the guide of his life.

Fr. Hughes was born into comfortable circumstances in New York, the son and grandson of Anglican priests and, through his mother, a descendant of John Jay, a Founding Father and the first Chief Justice of the United States. He says that he is one of the very few to be listed in the "Official Catholic Directory" and the "Social Register." His childhood, with a brother and sister, was "magical" until, at age six, his mother died. This inflicted a blow from which it seems, understandably, he never fully recovered. Focusing all of his parental love on his father, he continued to follow in his footsteps. Frequenting parish houses and churches and getting to know a noted Anglican Devine, Bishop William Manning, Fr. Hughes, by age twelve, determined to be a priest. He pursued his education at boarding schools and his vocation by service at the altar and in the choir. Eventually he entered Harvard. Upon his graduation he went to Kelham Seminary in England. The description of post war austerity provides an entertaining insight into the social history of his day.

Fr. Hughes describes himself, and his father, as Anglo-Catholics, which he defines as Catholic without the Pope. During his seminary training Fr. Hughes studied many Catholic writers. It was at this time that he began to consider the claims of the Roman Church as against those of his Anglican home. His entertainment of the notion that the Roman Church, and not the Anglican, may be the true church alarmed his father and created doubts as to whether ordination was possible.

He did return to the United States and, despite his doubts, was ordained an Anglican priest and served at parishes in Utica, New York and in Arizona. During these years he continued to reflect on the claims of the churches, finally coming to the conclusion that he must, in conscience, enter the Catholic Church. This brought about a final break with his father. Despite author's continuing affection, his father excluded him from his house and they never met again.

Fr. Hughes' next goal was to continue his priesthood in the Catholic Church. This would turn out to be a long and circuitous journey. Upon recommendation, he pursued seminary studies in Germany where he acquired fluency in that language and studied under Fr. Josef Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.

Acceptance for ordination for the service of the Archdiocese of Munster, Germany brought a new crisis. The ordinary procedure would be to have been reordained, as Pope Leo XIII had declared Anglican ordination to be utterly null and void. This created a problem for Hughes in that acceptance of new ordination would involve acknowledgement that his prior ordination had been invalid, which he could not, in conscience, do. A solution presented itself in the unique chain of ordinations of his ordaining prelate which raised the possibility that, under Canon Law, his ordination had been valid. He was "conditionally" ordained, which permitted him to continue his priestly service while maintaining the validity of his original ordination.

After a period of service in Germany, Fr. Hughes sought a position in the United States, where he accepted a position in the Divinity School of Saint Louis University. This lasted for a time until, amid turmoil at the school, he was dismissed. He then spent seven years ministering to a women's religious community, but no other employment.

After this period of inactivity, Fr. Hughes was hired as a theologian by Archbishop May of St. Louis. He headed the fabulously successful Renew program and served as pastor of two parishes. Fr. Hughes places priority on his preaching. I have heard him preach and read his homilies and they are outstanding.

During this incredible life, Fr. Hughes has been a world traveler, sailor and enjoyed experiences that most could only dream of. On the pages of this book, he gives us a perspective of one who started as an outsider and shares his thought on the pre-Vatican II liturgy, post Council liturgical experimentation, the American versus the European Church and the attraction of monastic communities.

So what is the spiritual significance of this spectacular life? It may be that, despite the bumps in the road, the times when many would have felt that their dream had vanished, Fr. Hughes continued to follow his. It seems that the periods of unemployment and underemployment were terrible wastes, but "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor My ways your ways." God has His plan for Fr. Hughes and he has followed it faithfully. This work, as his life, is truly "A Testimony To Grace." This is not a book that you will put down and forget. It will make you reflect on your own life, regardless of your state. Do not let this opportunity pass by.

In this autobiography former Anglican priest Jay Hughes details his extraordinary life journey which took him into the Catholic priesthood, despite many obstacles and hardships before and after the transition. His unique path could be likened to that of John Henry Cardinal Newman, who moved over to the Church of Rome in the 19th century. Hughes' journey was far more conditioned by a varied life experiences on both sides of the Atlantic than that of devoted scholar and chuchman Newman. Although he would hardly claim to approach Newman's level of scholarship, Hughes was and is intimately acquainted with the best of Anglo Catholic studies and scholars. He studied under and became familiar with some of the giants of mid and late 20th century Catholic thought, including Karl Rahner and Josef Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Hughes' research on the validity of Anglican orders was persuasive in having his reception of Catholic orders be only conditional. He has subsequently authored many books in the areas of history and homiletics. Jay Hughes' depiction of his experience of American Catholicism before and after Vatican II was fascinating and revealing, partly because I too lived through that period--including study in Innsbruck, and partly because of his candor and passion. His style and concreteness makes his book hard to put down. There is no doubt of his strongly held faith and his resolve to achieve the goal of priesthood he set at age 12. Although his personal suffering along the way was considerable, Hughes does not tell a story intended to gain sympathy, but to reveal clearly what it is like to cling to faith while experiencing fully the human condition.