Requiem at the Altar of St Gregory

From San Gregorio I set out at half seven this morning, to serve a Requiem (for Robert Peckham) at SSma Trinità. Fr Brendan was there as planned, and very fittingly we had the Low Mass at the side altar of St Gregory, with its marvellous altarpiece of that holy Pope, enlightened by the Dove of the Holy Ghost, beholding the deliverance of souls from purgatory at his prayers and offering of the Mass. Requiescat in pace.

Mass done, Fr very kindly invited me, and the visiting American priest, plus one of the regular servers at the church (an American student at the Angelicum) to go for coffee at a bar nearby. It was very interesting to talk with them, especially with Fr Brendan, who it turns out knows a number of priests and laymen of my acquaintance - even Mark, that former blogger in Edinburgh. We had a very interesting discussion afterward all about Biblical theology (how to steer between the Scylla and Charybdis of fundamentalism and heterodoxy), while strolling the local streets. He also revealed that, like Fr Mannes my old mate, he is a great Star Wars devotee!

Requiem for Robert Peckham

Sancta ergo et salubris est cogitatio pro defunctis exorare, ut a peccatis solvantur.

(II Mach. xii, 46)

As mentioned below (and thanks to Kiran for first alerting me to this noteworthy man), Robert Peckham was a sixteenth century Englishman, who died in Rome, having left all he loved in England, on account of her having miserably defected from the Catholic Faith.

His anniversary of death falls to-morrow, and I have arranged with Fr Brendan, one of the priests at Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, to have a Requiem Mass said for him at 8.15 am on Thursday morning the 17th (this being the first free day). Hopefully I will serve this Mass. (If anything comes up and the Mass time changes I will hopefully put a note here.)

In case any may scoff and say, What the benefit of a Mass said so many ages later? - I would contend that his friends put up that memorial inscription in his honour not merely to perpetuate his memory and teach future generations something of how godly virtue spurs one to do even the hardest things, but to elicit prayers on his behalf. Would that one day someone remember me after I am dead and gone!

Robert Peckham, R.I.P.

Robert Peckham was an Englishman who left all he loved in England when his nation fell from the Catholic Faith; he died in Rome on the 13th of September 1569, and had a memorial erected to him in the forecourt of San Gregorio al Celio, where I'm staying. It appears that he had the friendship and the aid of his fellow-escapee from evil Elizabeth, the last of the English hierarchy, Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St Asaph (who assisted at Trent, and ordained St Philip Neri).

I feel a great sadness at this and a connexion to him, and to a fellow Englishman also commemorated by a plaque at St Gregory's, since it was from this same church that St Augustine of Canterbury and his companions went forth in 597 at Pope Gregory the Great's command to bring the pagan English the True Faith; and here one of the faithful remnant of their mission came to die when all seemed lost, when after near a thousand years faithlessness and immorality seemed to triumph in Our Lady's Dowry, which had been Merrie England.

On the last day, I hope to stand, all unworthy, yet penitent, by the side of such stedfast men - and not with Henry, Elizabeth, and all damned heretics and craven followers of worldly expediency.

Here is the inscription:

D.O.M.
ROBERT PECHAMO ANGLO
EQVITI AVRATO
PHILIPPO ET MARIAE
ANGLIAE ET HISPAN. REGIBVS
OLIM CONCILIIS
GENERE RELIGIONE VIRTVTE
PRAECLARO
QVI CVM PATRIAM SVAM
A FIDE CATHOLICA DEFICIENTEM ADSPICERE
SINE SVMMO DOLORE NON POSSET
RELICTIS OMNIBVS QVAE IN HAC VITA
CARISSIMA ESSE SOLENT
IN VOLVNTARIVM PROFECTVS EXILIVM
POST SEX ANNOS
PAVPERIBVS CHRISTI HAEREDIBVS
TESTAMENTO INSTITVTIS
SANCTISSIME E VITA MIGRAVIT
IDIB. SEPT. ANN. MDLXIX AETATIS SVAE LIV
THOMAS GOLDOVELLVS EPISCOP. ASAPHENSIS
ET THOMAS KIRTONVS ANGLI
TESTAMENTI PROCVRATORES POS.