The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-06-04
A NOBLE CONVERT.
The Life and Good Work of Ru-
dOlph, Eighth Earl Of
Denbigh.
5 FAMOUS DECLARATION

II am a Catholic First and an
Englishman Afterwards
Censured.
! The Denbigh peerage, says the Ave
Maria, is not among the very ancient
ones in the roll of England's aristocracy
nevertheless, the family is of noble orl-
gin, being closely connected with the
royal house of Hapsburg; and the earls
bear as secondary title that of Count of
Hapsburg, Rhelnfelden and Laufenburg
in the Holy Roman empire. The first
Earl of Denbigh was created by James
[. in 1920. His son took part with Crom-
well; and thus father and son fought on
each side during the civil war in Eng
land, some twenty years later Rudolph,
eighth Earl of Denbigh, whose de-, th
took place March 10, 1892, was not g.
leader Of men nor prominent figure in
the history Of his country; yet he has
left a memory behind him, an example
of consistent and practical holiness. He
has shown us how man born and bred
amid the surroundings Of wealth, high
rank and social position, may live as one
poor in spirit and fervent in ell~tloing
He was born on Apri g. 1923, with q
| ct1 Fot1 ~
fashioned Protestant, and brought up
his family piously. His mother died in
18A2. When Viscount Fielding, as he
was then called, prepared for college, his
fathers fear was not that he should be
led away by the temptations Of the great
universities, bnt that he should imbibe
the errors OF thu day, for the "Tracts of
I; the Times" were in full circulation, and
John Henry Newman was silently medi-
tatlng at Littlemore. Oxford is close to
Newnha1n Paddock, the seat of the Den.
bighs; but to avoid the high church
teaching OF Oxford, Rudolph Lord Feild-
ing was sent to Cam bridge. But ali in
vain; the young mans ardent nature
took fire, and he became very high
church indeed.
He was % when ne married Louisa,
only child and heiress Of David Pennant,
ESQ. He thus became possessed of the
beautiful estate of Downing in North
Wales. The marriage was one Of those
perfect unions SO rarely met with. Lord
Fielding veneratad as well as loved his
wife; she was charming being, with
many gifts and cultured mind. She
was of the same religious opinions as her
husband, and was thought by his Prot
estant relatives to have urged him on"
Desiring to help forward the cause Of
the church Of England, which they then
believed to be a branch of the church
Catholic, they resolved to build at Pan
tasaph, about two miles from Downing, a
beautiful Gothic church. The founda-
tion stone was laid in 1849, and the
preacher on the occasion was Archdea-
con Manning Of Chichester, afterward
the dearly loved cardinal, who preceded
Lord Denb1gh but two short months to
the tomb. However, before the church
and land actually passed cut of Lord
F'eilding's possession, great change had
taken place.
The year 1850 was stirring one in
England. The "Gorham oase'' was de-
cided. A clergyman named Gorham had
preached in the diocese of Exeter that
there was no regeneration in baptism.
The bishop of Exeter, leading high
churchman of that day, prosecuted him.
The final appeal rested with the privy
council, who declared that in the church
OF England ministers were free to preach
this doctrine or the co. .trary, as they
pleased. This, decision struck dismay
into the hearts Of the high church party.
Lord Fielding believed in the real
presence of our Lord in the blessed
sacrament, and thought that the church
OF England possessed this treasure.
Having gone to the Protestant COM
munion one day in strange church, he
saw with horror the crumbs Of the bread
that had been used brushed off to the
floor. Lord Fielding remained till the
church was empty, ard then licked up
the crumbs with his tongpe. God re-
warded that devotion, however mistaken
in it's object.
! In the summer of 1850 Lord and Lady
Fielding we're in Edinburg. There they
happily met with Very Rev. DR.. Gillis,
vicar-apostolic. This learned and accom-
plished prelate soon convinced the young
couple where they could find the true
religion. All was arranged fer their re-
ception into the church at an early hour
on the Feast of st. Austin, August %,
and the preceding evening they retired
early to rest. But they were not asleep