James Kelly
English Converts in Catholic Europe c.1600-1800
Cambridge University Press
225 pp, $99.99
Publication date: 2020.
English Converts in Catholic Europe by James Kelly was published in 2020. Dr. James Kelly is a Sweeting Associate Professor in the History of Catholicism at Durham University. Dr. Kelly is a joint general editor of five-volumes of The Oxford History of British and Irish Catholicism (OUP, forthcoming 2022). In addition,he is one of the co-editors of the book series, ‘Catholicisms, c.1450-c.1800’, published by Durham University IMEMS Press. His focus and interests are in post-reformation Catholic history in Europe, with a focus on Britain and Ireland, the focus of his research is on British and Irish catholic communities at home and in exile. Thus, his book on English converts in Catholic Europe is an area in which he specializes in.
Chapter 1 of Kelly’s book focuses on the recruitment process of the postulant’s choice of a covenant. This would lead to what he states is a main argument of the chapter; which was “on what basis did a postulant choose which convent they wanted to join?” What we would find out in that chapter and further on in the book is that many things went into deciding what convent they wanted to join, one of the factors that played a role in this was their nationality. Where they were from played a role in where they decided to go but the overarching theme that became clear the deeper that you go through the book was that your nationality could be different but, all converts still strongly believed that they were a part of the bigger umbrella that is the catholic church. This was despite the strife and conflicts that were ever present in the Catholic Church and within European politics. Chapter 2 focuses on the English exile converts and their commitment to the Council of Trent and its teaching on female religious life. The Council of Trent, in December 1563, at their 25th session made their rulings on male and female orders. In their ruling, they decided that female religious groups were to be enclosed (they removed themselves from the main religious body). Kelly ties in Chapter 1 in this chapter by pointing out that once a postulant chose their convent, it was the enclosed environment that the Council of Trent decided that they were to live by. In Chapter 3 we get to see how materials were incorporated into religious life. The Council of Trent shaped the way that Catholicism was run and viewed by others, their decrees made Catholic Europe shape into a more visual religion, paintings were being commissioned and the arts were present within monasteries and churches. The focus was on bringing people into worship, they wanted the world to see how great Catholicism was. This, as Kelly notes, was tied to previous and future chapters of his book, these decisions by the Council of Trent forced those in exile to adapt the way that they operated, these decrees “had a huge impact on the financial management of convents across Europe and was felt keenly by the exile English institutions. However, like their continental equivalents, the English convents found ways to negotiate these new systems and at the same time augment their spiritual experience: architecture might have enforced enclosure and shaped spiritual behaviour but could in turn be used to increase the level of esteem in which the nuns were held.” As I noted earlier, churches were now built with side chapels, which were not present in medieval churches. (Chapter 3). Chapter 4, Kelly discusses the financial aspect of English covenants in Catholic Europe, the decrees made by the Council affected the finances of these covenants, they were unable to raise funds in ways that were previously used such as quire nuns begging for alms, were no longer possible. So, other ways of raising funds became a necessity. Although nuns took vows not to hold any personal finances, depending on the covenant, some took it more seriously than others. An example that Kelly gives is the Poor Clares, who believed that nothing went to waste, even food that had started to smell. But, in order for a covenant to run properly, money needed to be brought in. So, the nuns who were responsible for the money had to balance their vows to not hold money and keep the covenant alive. Chapter 5 details the daily lives of those within the enclosure. The daily lives and rituals of those in the enclosure are commonly found in covenant archives, so Kelly had a wealth of information at his fingers. Typically, “The convent day was dictated by the rhythm of the Divine Office, a series of prayers made up of seven Hours: Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline. Praying these was each nun’s primary task and numerous advice books were written with the aim of guiding nuns through each Hour, offering them advice on how best to prepare for the contemplative day.” It was this rhythm that they were accustomed to. Kelly notes that not all covenants followed this exactly and that many changed it to fit the mission of their own covenant but that the core values still remained, the lives of the nuns were to be structured around prayer. That even though these enclosures were to be enclosed, covenants found a way to stay connected to the world around them. Chapter 6 is the wider picture of English converts and the mission of Catholicism. As Kelly has noted in previous chapters, these enclosures weren’t completely enclosed, they still had a finger on the pulse of the world. Covenants were still connected to the world in one way or another, one example that Dr. Kelly gives is “the Liège Sepulchrines had a very close relationship with several eighteenth-century rectors of the English College, Rome, particularly Christopher Maire, SJ, the Rome-based Jesuits seeking advice on feasts and indulgences on behalf of the convent’s inhabitants.” Of course, not all interactions were positive and there was some disagreement such as the incident in Lisbon. “. . . an angry exchange ensued over students from the college visiting the Bridgettine convent and allegedly compromising its observance of enclosure. The nuns’ chaplain, John Marks, wrote caustically in 1669 to the college vice-president Mathias Watkinson, ‘Had you considered the words of my letter as a considerate man would have done you might have saved yourself the labour of writing a reply and me the trouble of answering it.’” The relationships that existed between English exile institutions all shared the same goal that was mentioned earlier, the betterment of the Catholic Church. Although these religious institutions started to take a less religious approach as time went along fulfilling various social, educational and political functions.
In conclusion, I felt that Kelly did a great job at explaining English converts and covenants. He had a clear thesis and he stuck to that thesis throughout the book, he tells the audience what they’re going to be learning about and provides a number of examples. He references previous chapters and how they tie into the current chapter. English Converts in Catholic Europe reinforces and adds to a growing historiography that has become a topic of interest among historians, with its clear structure and flow. James Kelly has written an academic book that was enjoyable to read and will aid future research on the topic of Catholicism in Europe.
Book Review done by Vincent Cervone, Graduate Student at George Mason University
