If he is declared a saint, he will belong to a unique breed of saints in the Catholic Church. He will be very different from the typical saint—austere and aloof, single and withdrawn. Having received requests from organizations and individuals from various parts of the world, Bishop Peter Doyle of Northampton, England, appointed Canon John Udris in 2014 to see if a cause for G.K. Chesterton’s sainthood should be opened. Fr Udris plans to submit his report to the Bishop at the end of this year.
Fr Udris was chosen for this task, because he was in charge of the parish in Beaconsfield in the diocese of Northampton. People from different parts of the world, especially the U.S., Canada and South America, kept coming to the parish, wanting to pray at the tomb of Chesterton. The locals, who knew him as a writer, were surprised to learn that he had admirers all over the world who were convinced that he was not merely a brilliant writer, but also a holy man.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born on 29 May 1874 in Kensington, London. He studied art and literature. When he was twenty-seven, he married Frances Blogg, to whom he remained a devoted husband till the end. Although born an Anglican, Chesterton, through study and reflection, came to consider Anglicanism as a “pale imitation.” He became a Catholic in 1922.
Students of English Literature everywhere inevitably study one of his many works. He was a versatile writer—a poet, essayist, novelist, dramatist, journalist, biographer, and art and literary critic. He was also a skilled orator, philosopher and a lay theologian. George Bernard Shaw referred to him as “a man of colossal genius.” Chesterton’s literary output is amazing: around eighty books, several hundred poems, about two hundred short stories, 4,000 essays, and several plays. He wrote ten biographies of saints like Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas.
He wrote a weekly opinion column for The Illustrated London News for thirty years. It has been reported that one of these columns deeply influenced our own Mahatma Gandhi. Similarly, his novel, The Napoleon of Notting Hill, is said to have inspired Michael Collins to start a movement for the Irish independence. His other well-known book, The Everlasting Man, contributed to C.S.Lewis’s conversion to Christianity. From 1932 until his death, Chesterton delivered over 40 talks per year on BBC Radio.
His best-known book, Orthodoxy, was an inspiring account of his faith-journey. Since he let his faith penetrate his writings, they have led many into full communion with the Catholic Church, and this is one of the main reasons why many admirers affirm he should be beatified.
Brilliant and humorous, Chesterton used paradox to great effect. He was six feet, four inches tall, and he weighed around 130 kg, but he could joke and laugh at his girth. During the First World War, a woman asked him why he was not “out at the Front” (why he was not a soldier fighting for Britain). He replied, “If you go round to the side, you will see that I am.” It is a mixture of humour, wit, paradox and profundity that have made many of his remarks well-known quotations. He once said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” On 14 June 1936, Chesterton died at the age of 62 at his home in Beaconsfield.
In spite of his intellectual calibre and literary achievements, he was always kind and humble, forgiving and grateful. A prayerful man, he always respected the poor. The beauty of God’s creation brought him great joy. “He had a lovely attitude to life. He engaged with God in the simplest things, such as a country walk,” says Fr Udris. No wonder the writings of this great man sparkle with his spirituality, marked by serenity and joy and influence so many. If Chesterton is canonized, he would be a different kind of saint, don’t you think?
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