History

We remember his day on July 29 on the date of his death in 1833.

The rock-like faith of Peter is at the heart of William Wilberforce’s crusade against the slave trade. England was exporting 50,000 Africans to America a year in his life time. Wilberforce’s life is the subject of the movie “Amazing Grace” (2006).  You can see the trailer here. There is also a short 3 minute introduction to Wilberforce here.

Wilberforce was an English politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.  He was a political activist and a man of strong faith.

By the late 1700s, the economics of slavery were so entrenched that only a handful of people thought anything could be done about it.

Physically he wasn’t imposing – he was less than 5 1/2 feet tall and was sickly for most of his life.  He enjoyed the plush lifestyle of his early life. However, after leaving religion he came back to Christianity through the evangelical faith of John Newton, who penned the hymn “Amazing Grace”. He urged him to use his parliamentary position to advance his causes. He attracted a number of friends, including future prime minister William Pitt. Helping him were his oratorical skills though he wasn’t the best strategist.

He won seat in Parliament in 1780. Under the influence of Thomas Clarkson, he became absorbed with the issue of slavery. Later he wrote, “So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the trade’s wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition.” Although opposed to slavery itself, the abolitionists wisely thought that it would be easier to abolish the trade before tackling slavery itself.

Wilberforce was initially optimistic, even naively so. He expressed “no doubt” about his chances of quick success. However, bills introduced were defeated in 1791, 1792, 1793, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1804, and 1805.

When it became clear that Wilberforce was not going to let the issue die, pro-slavery forces targeted him.  He was vilified; opponents spoke of “the damnable doctrine of Wilberforce and his hypocritical allies.” The opposition became so fierce, one friend feared that one day he would read about Wilberforce’s being “carbonated [broiled] by Indian planters, barbecued by African merchants, and eaten by Guinea captains.”

It would take twenty years of pleading, educating, demonstrating, and maneuvering before William Wilberforce would emerge victorious—in 1807. Helping him was the news of a slave uprising in Haiti. A year after Wilberforce’s death (in 1833) all the slaves of the Empire were declared to be free, almost 30 years before they would be set free in the United States, and over fifty years in Brazil.

At one point in the early 1790s Wilberforce actually had enough votes to pass his bill of abolition, but on the night of the vote (Parliament’s business sessions often did not begin until early evening) many of his supporters were attending a comedy at the theater, and thereby the bill failed for lack of votes.

Her day on our calendar is August 11  

From Living Discipleship: Celebrating the Saints

“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become. If we love things, we become a thing. If we love nothing, we become nothing. Imitation is not a literal mimickingof Christ, rather it means becoming the image of the beloved, an image disclosed throughtransformation. This means we are to become vessels of God´s compassionate love for others.” – Clare of Assisi

• Clare Offreduccio lived circa 1194-1253 in Assisi, Italy. She was born to the wealthy, noble Offreduccio family and was well-known for her beauty.
   
• At the age of eighteen, Clare heard Saint Francis of Assisi preach the Lenten sermons at her parish church. Inspired by his words, she decided to leave her life of wealth and privilege to join Francis and to follow the teachings of Jesus.
   
• Clare knew her family would not approve, so she left her home in the middle of the night and went to the monks, laying her rich, beautiful garments on the altar and exchanging them for the simple, rough habit of a monk. Francis reportedly cut off her beautiful hair as a mark of her commitment.
   
• She temporarily joined a Benedictine convent, from which her father tried a number of times to abduct her and bring her back home. Her father wanted her to be married, but Clare considered herself the Bride of Christ, and her commitment was to Jesus alone.
   
• Clare soon moved to a small dwelling in San Damiano. There she was joined by other women, including her sister Agnes. Clare became the abbess, or superior, of the order, which was called the “Poor Ladies of Saint Damian.”
   
• Clare was the first woman to write a rule of life for religious women. She based her rule on that of Saint Francis
   
• Clare and her nuns embraced the rule of absolute, yet joyous, poverty. They went barefoot, slept on the floor, and accepted no income, living only on the gifts of others. They lived their lives caring for the poor and devoting themselves to prayer
   
• Many, including a number of popes, resisted Clare’s rule of extreme poverty. They wanted her to change her order’s rule of life to be more in accordance with the Benedictine rule, which was not nearly so strict. Yet Clare stood firm, believing that the poverty she and her nuns observed was in imitation of the gospel and faithful to the teaching and call of Jesus
   
• Although she was the abbess, Clare insisted on caring for the sick sisters with her own hands and often reserved the most menial work for herself
   
• Clare was widely known for her dedication and wisdom. People, priests, and even popes were awed and inspired by her example. Saint Francis would come to her for comfort and encouragement. Many visited her, not only for her advice, but also to simply be in her presence
   
• Clare was particularly dedicated to the Holy Eucharist and understood the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood to have deep meaning but great power. In 1234, the army of Frederick II was preparing to assault the town of Assisi. In the middle of the night, they climbed the walls of San Damiano (where Clare and her nuns lived) and terrifyied the people. Clare was ill at the time. She reportedly arose from her bed, and retrieved the sacrament (described variously as being in a ciborium or in a monstrance) from the chapel. She went to the window and held the body of Christ uplifted before the invading army. It is said that, as she lifted it up, the soldiers fell to the ground, and the army began to flee in fear. 1 It is out of reference to this incident that Saint Clare is typically portrayed in art holding a monstrance or a ciborium.
   
• On her deathbed, Clare was heard to say: “Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he that created you has sanctified you, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me.”