This past weekend, I went on a trip to Bardstown, Kentucky with a group of guys to explore the world of Bourbon. Now, one may not think that Bourbon and our Faith have any connection, but let me explain… First we have to start with Pope Clement VII…. Pope Clement VII was elected pope on November 19, 1523, and was pope during a very trying time. During his papacy the population of Rome went from roughly 55,000 to 10,000 – mostly through the brutality of war. You may also know Pope Clement VII as the pope that would not allow King Henry VIII an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. King Henry VIII, once deemed “defender of the faith” by the pope had seemingly given way to secularism and the pressure in popular culture of the time, in that producing an heir to his throne was more important than God’s will. Some of us know what happened… King Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon, separated the English Church from the papacy, and declared himself the head of the church in England. But that’s not all… He brutally persecuted English Catholics! Over the course of the next century, some 600 English Catholics were martyred, some for accusations as trivial as obtaining a papal license to marry.
Then, in 1634 (exactly a year after Pope Clement VII died), the colonial province of Maryland was established as a place for English Catholics to be exiled and free to practice their faith without persecution. I can only imagine how difficult the journey for some of the fleeing Catholics was to endure, just so they could practice their faith. They gave up their homeland and their history and everything they knew for a promise to practice their faith. Just a decade later, in 1644 there were several protestant uprisings until 1650 when Catholicism was banned by the Puritans, who had taken over the government of Maryland. For over a century, there was conflict in Maryland and pressures on Catholics to give up their faith and give in to secular society. So, in 1785, the first English Catholics migrated from Maryland to what is now Bardstown, Kentucky. Once again, a difficult journey for many. In the 18th century migrations to the “west” would’ve been treacherous as the west was very wild and uninhabited. There were no highways or byways… Nonetheless some 300 families packed up everything they knew and loved and were once again in exile.
An interesting fact… in 1808 the diocese of Bardstown was established – along with the dioceses of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia – out of what was the territory of the diocese of Baltimore. It is a key part of our Catholic history in the U.S. Bardstown has since been absorbed by the diocese of Louisville. The, now, proto-Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint Joseph, built in 1816, still stands strong in Bardstown and very much represents 18th century English architecture. In 1791 the federal government passed the Excise Whiskey Tax to offset some of the Revolutionary War debt. The English migrants from Maryland had not forgotten the art of making whiskey they learned from the Irish and Scottish, and the corn from the new surrounding area produced an an outstanding spirit (bourbon).
I ask us to remember those martyrs that died so that they could preserve that which is True. Also, remember the many martyrs of even more recent times. Whether it be under the brutality of ISIS beheadings or other Muslim extremists in the Middle East. We can honor them, and all martyrs that came before us, by being committed to preserve that which is True… by unapologetically living and defending our faith… by understanding it’s history, and that history sometimes repeats itself. Don’t give in to secularism and popular culture because it’s easy and convenient like King Henry VIII. Rather, be brave and defend the faith and that which is True, like Pope Clement VII and all of the Catholic martyrs who came before us… and every time you appreciate a sip of bourbon, remember those strong Catholics that eventually migrated to Bardstown, Kentucky.