The Deacon's Bench
As an investigation into the life of Catholic apologist G.K. Chesterton nears a close, admirers of the English writer voiced hope that his sainthood cause could soon be opened.
“Chesterton stands up as that saint who contradicts the world in terms of speaking out against a bad philosophy and bad thinking,” said Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society.
“Chesterton is someone who has really contradicted the age. He is in fact a maker of converts. There are hundreds of people who have come to the Catholic faith as a result of encountering G.K. Chesterton, and I’m certainly one of them.”
May 29 would have been Chesterton’s 144th birthday.
An investigation into the cause for Chesterton, conducted by Canon John Udris, is expected to be completed this summer.
It will then be sent to Bishop Peter Doyle of Northampton, who will consult with the Vatican about whether to open the beatification cause.
Ahlquist said the decision will most likely be announced this fall.
Chesterton was born in 1874 and died in 1936 as a well-known author with many published novels, poems, plays, and philosophical and theological essays. As a result of his marriage to Frances, he developed a strong faith as a devout Anglican. In 1922, he converted to Catholicism.
His writing is known for its wit and dedication to the truth. Among his numerous works, he is the author of the Father Brown mystery series and the Christian apologetic book “Orthodoxy.”
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