Fr. Ignatius Spencer

From the desk of Fr. Ignatius Waters, cp

Sunday, 21st January 2018

Fr. Ignatius Spencer looks like Churchill in a Passionist habit and, to my shame, I never took much interest in him – except to surprise people by telling them he was the great, great, great uncle of Princess Diana. He was also a great uncle of Winston Churchill. But it just shows how wrong and foolish we can be when we assess people by their looks       or where they come from. Recently I’ve come to appreciate this good and holy man who courageously faced decisions I’ve never had to face in my life. And it is this one aspect I want to look at here.

He was ordained as an Anglican clergyman in June,1824 and his father, Lord Spencer, had provided handsomely for him by making him vicar of Great Brington. He took his ministry very seriously and, in the course of it, met a shy young Catholic priest called Fr. Foley and an enthusiastic young convert to Catholicism called Ambrose Phillipps. Through discussions with these and other contacts, George Spencer (as he was then) gradually became convinced of the truth of the Catholic position. Afterwards he said, “I now openly declared myself completely shaken, and, though I determined to take no decided step until I was satisfied, I had little doubt what the result would be.” Shortly after this, he told Phillipps, “I am overcome. There is no doubt of the truth. One more Sunday I will preach to my congregation and then put myself into Fr. Foley’s hands, and conclude this business.” Yet, even before they parted, he felt that this last appearance as an Anglican clergyman would compromise his conscience. Had he any right, he asked himself, “to stand in that pulpit, being convinced that the church to which it belongs is heretical?” After further reflection, he finally decided: “If this step is right for me to take next week, it is my duty to take it now. Tomorrow I will be received into the Church.” That evening they sent a message to Lord Spencer to tell him that he would give up the living of Great Brington. Part of George’s struggle and anguish in making this decision was knowing very well the impact it would have on his parents and family. There was even the fear that the news might endanger his father’s life. But he trusted that since he had taken the Lord’s words seriously about not letting love of father or mother or anyone else come between him and following Jesus, that Jesus would in turn comfort and support his parents and family. His father did in time show his understanding and forgiveness by making him a personal allowance because he had said ‘goodbye’ to £3,000 a year by his decision to become a Catholic. Still, his decision cast a gloom over the whole family at Althorp. Later his sister wrote to a friend, “My poor dear brother! What shall I say of him? I mean George, who has become a Catholic and we fear, a Catholic priest.” I wonder what she said when he went further and became a Passionist?

 I feel his conversion story helps us understand those seeming harsh words of Jesus about not letting any other love get in the way of following him.