Lent Lectures 2026 – ‘…there arose a great storm…’
In the Lent Lectures this year Dr Richard Maguire will consider the immense challenges Catholicism in England has faced in the last 500 years. The lectures can only cover this lengthy period in brief, but we hope they will provide a starting point for further discussion and thought.
The Sacred Scripture which provides the foundation for these lectures is Matthew 8:24-26:
‘24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.’
Lecture Dates:
27 February | 6 March | 13 March
7–8pm
Week One: The calm before ‘a great storm on the sea’ – medieval Catholic England and the King’s ‘great matter’
This lecture begins with a discussion of the notable change in our understanding of medieval Catholic England that has occurred since the 1980s, which has shown that traditional Catholicism formed the bedrock of medieval English life and was deeply popular among the population. It will examine how the Sacraments, especially the Mass, were central to English life and self-understanding. The lecture will then look at how this period of religious calm was upended in the 1530s as Henry VIII sought to end his marriage to the devout Catherine of Aragon. It will examine what happened during the break from Rome and how this affected Catholics in the parishes.
Week Two: Catholic England is ‘swamped by the waves’ (1547AD to 1780AD)
This lecture will consider the radical change in approach to religion that occurred in the aftermath of Henry’s death. It will suggest that Protestant Reformers who gained ascendency under Edward VI and Elizabeth I deliberately focused on the destruction of the Mass to achieve their aim of removing the Catholic understanding of the Sacraments from English life. Using the example of the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549, the lecture will argue that these moves were driven by a small, but powerful, minority, and were deeply unpopular with the wider population. The lecture will finish by looking at the penal period and how this immense change to English religious life was entrenched.
Week Three – ‘Why are you afraid?’ The (incomplete) reconstruction of Catholic England (1780AD to 1967AD)
This lecture will examine why the English ruling elite gradually allowed the return of Catholicism to England from 1780, culminating in Catholic Emancipation in 1829. After the hierarchy returned, numbers of Catholics slowly increased, and the lecture will examine the witness given by the increasing numbers of converts to the Faith during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. Hopes of a great renewal were not realised, however, as Catholic England faced a new challenge – modernism – described in 1907 by Pope St Pius X as ‘the synthesis of all heresies’ (Pascendi Dominici Gregis).
All are welcome to attend.