The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-12

i
and at this time was under the tutoIship o
Rev. Mr.. Hodson, Maizemore Court, near Glou
cester. The boy was mot herless, bat father
love watched over him and provided him will
everything necessary for his meatal and mora
culture. His Anglican tutor was thorough AMI
careful in his training, and the Church Of Eug
land had no nobler or more promising mem
Der than this young heir of the Clarendon
estates. And yet, as his hand was the first tt
raise the long forgotten cross upon the Angli
can affairs of his native land, so he was to be-
under di ivine Providence, Que of the ficst in tha
grand uprising of Faith and Reason which
drew SO many souls to the shelter of the One
| True Church.
But what 10 most beau tiful in the life Of this
illustrious man, who left to Eogland the leg.
acy of his virtues and his prayers, last March
1873, is the singular way in which divine
Mercy led him to know and to embrace the
| trnth.
When only twelve years old-while in Rev.
| Mr.. Hodson's school, he met an old French
exile, Abbe Giraud, who was his teacher in
French. The quiet holiness of this venerable
priest impressed him favorably, and young as
he was, he felt con vinoed that the good Abbe,
and those who were like him-couid not be
idoA tors nor deceivers.
A few timid questions asked of the priest
and kindly answered, were the 6rst steps in
that wonderfol con version which made Am
brose De Lisle, in 1926, at the age of fifteen.
leave the church of his fathers for that of his
early ancestors.
We are amazed when we read of the youth.
fol heroism which made him take o step
fraught with such grave responsibilities, and
the youthful perseverance which made him
cling to the religion which his heart elected
and his reason approved.
The little work. memorial tri bate to Mr..
De Lisle's worth and virtues-from which we
gather our information, was sent FROM EGG
land by his widow to sohoolmate of hers in
ST. Louis, by whom VIC have been kindly loan-
ed the volume.
From it's pages we learn that in 1880, the
Hon. and Rev. George Spencer (sinoe known
as the saintly Father Ignatius of st. PauD.
then an Anglican clergyman, came to stay at
Clarendon in the hopes of bringing back to the
Church of England the youthful heir of that
ancient seat; but after weeks discussion,
Ambrose alone on one side, and several clergy
men and one bishop of the Established Church
on the other, Mr.. Spencer Was convinced of tho
truth of Catholicity and entered into the Fold
Of which he has since proved himself so zeal
ous q shepherd of souls
1t was also while Montal en- bert was visiting
Mr.. De Lisle at Gracedien that the plan of
"The Monks Of the Vest WAS conceived, for in
company with his host, he rambled over all
the ruins of the Cisterciau Abbeys founded in
England during the time of st. Bernard, and
thus the beautiful tribute to the noble monks
took form and color in his mind.
The fret of the heroic band of Clergyman
who made such bic sacrifices for conscience,
sake, Rev. Waldo Sibthorpe and the Rev. a,
Waeketbath, were both received into the
Church at Graoedien and owe their conversion
to the Faith to the generous exertions of Mr..
De Lisle in establishing mission church in
his immediate neighborhood.
In 1914, Mr.. De Lisle travelled on the CONT.
neut with portion of bis family, and the fol-
lowing extract from his journal dated Brussels,
July 10th, will prove interesting to every
Catholic wao reads these lines: 1--WE went
with Able Donet, one of the Canons CT the
Cathedral to visit the Pope's Nuuco, Monstg.
nor Pecc;. Archbishop of Dsmietta. 1 never
saw holier looking man. His oountenance
was most beautiful. He talked with the deep.
est interest of the Oxford divines.
The thoughtful and deeply analyt mind
of Mr.. DeLisle, which had l9d him, as boy
of twelve, to question his French teacher con.
oerning the doctrines of the Churcb, and at
thirteen to persuade his Anglican friend, the
Vicar of Shepshed, to place cross within his
church; and at fifteen to embrace q creed held
in disoredit throughout the whole of England;
also inspired him to use his pen in defence of
the cause he loved and priced 80 dearly. Among
his works, we may mention a remarkable book
entitled Mahometauism in its Relation to
Prophecy" He also translated into English,
Montalembert's Life of Saint Elizabeth Of
Hungary" and Mauzoni's "Vindication of Ca.
tbolic Morality" besides publishing a little
book of devotion to the Blessed Virgin, called
a"Msuusl of Devotion" and also books on the
Gregoriau chant; while the last work from his
pen was q series of articles in the Westminst;r
Goeette on the Reunion of Christendom."
All of thess show the pious bent Of his mind