Obituary - Fr Anselm Wilson 1930

The year 1930 has taken a heavy toll of the older members of the familia of St Laurence's. Father Anselm Wilson, who died on Saturday, November 8th, is our fourth priest this year who has been called to his reward. All the four have died in the fulness of years, but, coming so close together, their deaths have left us with a keen sense of irreparable loss.

Joseph Wilson came of a convert stock. His father had been a clergyman of the Church of England, but the Tractarian Movement had shown him how untenable was the Anglican position, and, along with his family, he made the sacrifice of his career and embraced the faith of his forefathers. During a short residence of his parents in Ireland, Joseph was born at Bandon, Cork, in 1855. He had no claim to Celtic ancestry, but he conceived a deep and abiding affection for the country of his birth, was a keen admirer of her literary heritage, and a strong advocate of her national aspirations - hibernior Hibernis ipsis. At the age of ten he joined his brother Neville (later Father Vincent) at Ampleforth. He was an all-round boy of good literary tastes, a prominent actor on the school stage - his impersonation of 'Lady Macbeth' was talked of for years - and he shone on the playing fields. His sunny disposition, with his boundless activity, made him a general favourite with boys and masters. When the time came to choose his career he unhesitatingly gave himself to the service of God, went, in 1873, to the novitiate at Belmont as Brother Anselm, and after four years there, returned to Ampleforth to pursue his studies. He was ordained priest in the year 1881. For a short period he filled the post of second prefect in the School, but his superiors recognized his tastes and ability, and, by degrees, his chief interest centred in the ecclesiastical studies of the younger members of the community. To fit him for this work Prior Burge sent him to study in Rome, and in the short course of a year he obtained the Doctorate in Theology. Returning to Ampleforth he was made Professor of Theology and at the same time filled the arduous post of Subprior.

His love for souls was always a marked trait in his character and, it is interesting to note, he was the last chaplain of Gilling Castle until Mrs Barnes's death in 1885. The people of Ampleforth village still recall his untiring devotion to and his keen sympathies with them when he was in charge of the mission. It will be seen that he was living a very full life. As Subprior, the claustral life of the monastery radiated round him - he was never absent from a conventual duty - , the ecclesiastical studies of the house rested on his shoulders, he took his share in the literary side of the School's activities - regularly he wrote an original Prologue or Epilogue for the Annual Exhibition, - and, at the same time, he scoured the country-side in his pastoral zeal. His edifying life, the depth of his religious principles, his personal charm won the affection and devotion of the community, and when, suddenly, rumour reached them that he was to be transferred to the mission, it is no exaggeration to say that they were filled with consternation. He had a genius for friendship. In one of his poems he writes: -

'While still you pass along with hurrying feet,
Drink in the unconscious beauty of the way,
With joyous laugh the fragrant breezes meet,
And if one grasp your hand, a moment stay,
And friendship's grasp with answering pressure greet.

This 'pressure' he gave and received abundantly. However the rumour proved true, the call had come and he obeyed it like the good monk that he was. He went to Seel Street, Liverpool in 1893, and with the exception of a brief interval when Prior Smith recalled him to be his first Subprior in 1898, he remained at St Peter's till 1917, first as assistant priest, then as Rector of the parish. To his new work he gave himself with the unresting ardour of his spirit. He had a deeply sympathetic nature - the 'underdog' had always a friend in him; the beggar never asked in vain for an alms, - though Fr Anselm was well aware of the 'economic' objection to indiscriminate charity; a sick-call found him always ready and willing, he attended the confessional in and out of hours, sometimes, it must be confessed, to the annoyance of his more law-abiding fellow-workers. He loved the liturgy of the Church, he preached eloquently and earnestly - it was almost a passion with him to deliver the spoken word of God, and he had little consideration for those who complained of the length of sermons; he directed and advised penitents, who came to him from all parts of the town; in short he spent himself to the full in the many good works that fall to an energetic priest in a busy town parish. At the time he did not altogether abandon his literary interests. He would compose a sonnet on his hero, St Francis of Assisi, deliver a lecture on Dante or Francis Thompson, write long letters to his friends on points of theology or economics - all in spare moments snatched from his more professional occupations. This literary work proved the chief relaxation of his life. Sport, the daily paper, hobbies found no place in his round of duties. The following lines on St Francis were written by him and published in the Autumn Journal of 1925. They afford an accurate illustration of his cast of thought, which was inclined to sadness - the lacrimae rerum of Virgil - and sometimes passed into indignation, when some instance of glaring injustice or ugly materialism pressed upon him.

I think there is not anyone, but craves
For perfect beauty. But like purblind men
We seek, and find not. Once beside the waves
Of Galilee 'twas seen: and once again,
A thousand years gone by, when Francis trod
The Umbrian vales, with poverty his Bride,
In tattered garments clad, with feet unshod;
With stigmata in feet and hands and side,
Joyous he went; the sunlight in his hair;
The birds' song in his heart; and deep within
His glowing eyes, the love of all things fair,
The lilies kissed his feet, as Magdalen
Kissed Christ's; for beautiful the feet of those
Who preach God's peace, wrought by our Saviour's woes.

This work at full pressure told on his strength, and he found himself obliged to take a prolonged rest in warmer climes. His Superiors finally decided that he should make a break with the ties that bound him to Liverpool, and he went to the more bracing air of Dowlais in South Wales in 1917. The change benefited his constitution; the work amongst the miners of Wales was sufficiently exacting, but there were fewer and less varied extraneous calls on his time and energy than in Liverpool. In the nine years he spent there he rebuilt the nave of the church and erected a new Boys' School. At the end of that time, he had reached his 70th year and he felt that the responsibility of a large parish was proving beyond his powers. An exchange was arranged for him and he replaced Fr Joseph Dawson in the charge of the parish at St Mary's, Leyland, in Lancashire, in 1926. There he settled down to spend the evening of his life; but his untiring energy found scope for good priestly work among his new flock, and he endeared himself to one and all during his stay with them. He bought land for the development of the school and he erected a beautiful marble altar in the church. The comparative peace of Leyland afforded him an opportunity for a new literary task, accepted with the spirit of obedience which ever marked him. Fr Cuthbert Almond had begun to write the Life of Bishop Hedley, but failing health ending in his death had put a stop to his labours and, at the request of his Abbot, Fr Anselm undertook to bring out the Life. It was the greatest continuous literary effort that he had made. The materials for the biography were scanty, the personality of the Bishop was enshrouded in a veil of reserve that was characteristic of him, Fr Anselm's own strength was ebbing, and he had lost some of the freshness and originality of his mature years. Still he attacked the undertaking with zest. He had a profound admiration for the Bishop's character and for the work that he had done for the spread of God's kingdom. There was one marked feature in the Bishop's life that attracted the biographer. Both were men of deeply religious spirit. (It is generally known that Fr Anselm's name was included by the Canons of Newport in the terna ensuing upon Bishop Hedley's death.)

They were thoroughly monastic in their outlook. No one could have loved a purely claustral life more than they, and yet the Apostolate to the English nation, to which Pope St Gregory had sent St Augustine and his companions, made a strong appeal to their nature, and under obedience they threw themselves wholeheartedly into this sphere of work - ars artium, regimen animarum, to use St Gregory's own words. The 'Life' gives a pleasing portrait of the great monk-Bishop, one of the most devoted sons of Ampleforth; and if, as he suspected, the labour of the composition seriously strained the physical resources of Fr Anselm, he willingly made the sacrifice, in order that the Catholic public might become better acquainted with the striking personality and valuable work of the Bishop.

He gave several retreats, one in the last years of his active life to his own brethren, in which he revealed the deep spirituality and disciplined character of his own monasticism.

For many years he was chosen by his brethren to represent them in the Council of his monastery, and he was a leading figure in our conventual chapters. His attitude to modern developments in school life was discriminating; not that he stood by 'old ways' as such - he was at heart a radical - but he was anxious that the spirit of simplicity that he had known and loved in the Ampleforth of his day should not be endangered in the larger growth and wider publicity Of modern school life. As a fact he was always proud of any success that the school won, and generous in his appreciation of the efforts made to keep Ampleforth in the forefront of Catholic education. In the Chapter of the English Benedictine Congregation he held the offices of Magister Scholarum and of Assessor in rebus judiciariis, and his forceful personality and balanced judgment played a considerable part in the deliberations of that body.

Towards the end of 1929 Fr Anselm's powers began to fail. His heart was affected and he had to withdraw from active work. For over eighteen months this condition remained. At times he seemed to be gaining strength, but the least exertion sent him back to bed. At midnight of Christmas 1929 he said Mass and spoke a few words of greeting to his flock. Their hopes, and his also, were raised that he might resume his work amongst them, but it was not to be. He had worn himself out and though he struggled manfully he came gradually to realize that his days were numbered. For some weeks before the end his body was at intervals racked with pain, which he bore with unflinching courage. The devoted attention of nurses and doctor helped to alleviate some of his sufferings. He prayed continuously and insisted on his friends praying with him. On the Tuesday before his death, he lost interest in the world around him and lay motionless till the Saturday morning, November 8th, when before the break of dawn his soul passed to its reward.

The funeral took place at Brownedge on Tuesday, November 11th, St Martin's feast. There was a large gathering of priests and laity. Fr Abbot sang the Requiem and Fr Hilary Willson, in a brief address, paid a loving tribute of appreciation to the character and work of his life-long friend. May he rest in Peace!

ANSELM WILSON

Details from the Abbey Necrology