St. John Fisher

by Vincent McNabb

"Dear reader! you are about to take part in perhaps the greatest tragedy of an age that wrote Hamlet and Macbeth. Greater even than the writer's part will be yours, the reader's and hearer's part. Only your hearing ear and your seeing eye will bring the tragedy to its own. But your seeing eye and hearing ear must first recognise that a greater than Hamlet or Macbeth is here. They are but splendid fiction. But the tragedy of the first and only Cardinal to receive the martyr's crown is as real as the Yorkshire moors where John Fisher was born, or as Tower Hill where the Cardinal Bishop of Rochester was beheaded. Do not expect anything melodramatic or miraculous in this tragedy of tragedies: all on the hero's side is as sober in colouring as the heather on a Yorkshire moor. All is as normal as the steadiness of the hills or the falling of flakes of snow.

Search as you may in the plain tale of this Yorkshireman who was spokesman of England's faith and chivalry, you will find no gesture, no stir, no noise, but only a humble self-distrusting quest of the best. But, dear reader, in this outwardly emotionless love of God and men to see a tragedy beyond all telling or seeing will call from you the best of your mind and heart."

From the Introduction

Fr. Vincent McNabb, O.P., a prolific Dominican known for his humility and preaching, takes advantage of the historical research of his contemporaries to weave the drama of St. John Fisher's amazing life.

This is a short work, rather than a detailed historical analysis, that is both endlessly enjoyable as literature-even a work of art, yet at the same time pious and inspiring to faith. McNabb's life of Fisher traces the saint's early days from his childhood to his enrollment in Cambridge, his becoming a priest, a chaplain to Lady Margaret Beaufort, and at last, being appointed Bishop of Rochester, in which office he would be cruelly put to death by Henry VIII, the exemplar of tyrants.

Fisher is an important study for us today, not only because he died for the Catholic Faith, but also because he died for not believing as the monarch would have him believe. Henry VIII, in his quest to divorce his wife to marry his mistress, created the model of the Totalitarian state. Fisher is for us, a witness both of solid adherence to faith, as well as the courage to speak out when most others are content to get along.

For more information, visit www.mediatrixpress.com/

Genres: Biography, Catholic

129 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

The Very Reverend Father Vincent McNabb, O.P., S.T.M. was an Irish scholar and priest based in London where he was active in evangelisation and apologetics.

"Nobody who ever met or saw or heard Father McNabb has ever forgotten him" - G.K. Chesterton

Reviews

[Yoshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful English writing and Fisher's letters are presented with love and reverance. However the author's narrative of Fisher's life is difficult to follow and could have been better. If I learned one thing, it's that Fisher celebrated mass with a skull on the altar. I recommend it, but only due to the book being less than 150 pages.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and inspiring. A re-print of an early 10th century book.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m on my phone, so the short of it is that this was excellent. I love reading about men who diligently go about the Lord’s work without looking for attention and yet are willing to take the necessary stand when circumstances call for it. And what a true gentleman. A very inspiring saint, indeed.

[Georgina Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read on the martyrdom of St John Fisher. Found it dry at times but overall it was a great insight into the life of this saint.