ENGLAND'S FATHER MUMFORD, HERO FOR THE HOLY SOULS

 England's Father James Mumford could be an uncanonized saint. Born in East Anglia in 1606, he was raised in one of the wealthiest and most populous areas of the British Isles. But he came of age in a time of dire anti-Catholic persecution. 

The Faith was illegal, had to be taught illicitly and secretly. If discovered, a seminarian could expect imprisonment, torture and execution. 

This didn't stop James Mumford from entering the Jesuits in 1626 - reading this made me take a sharp intake of breath - at that exact time anxiety about the influence of Roman Catholics was at its height when England's King Charles I married the winsome Henrietta Marie, a French Catholic. There was an energetic move led by Protestants to expunge "Popish" influences, especially concerning Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.

Protestants were winning the theological battle; there was an official ban on teaching about Purgatory, it was denounced as "superstition", and false claims abounded that there was no Sacred Scripture to assert its existence. 

Well, our separated brethren were succeeding in converting hearts and minds to the false notion that there is no intermediate state between Heaven and Hell because they were not punished in the least, but instead knew social advancement. 

People who advocated for the holy souls could expect nasty consequences. Nevertheless, Father James Mumford published as widely as he could on Purgatory, he advocated, "I advise all true Christians to cede with holy disinterestedness to the faithful departed all the fruit of their good works which are at our disposal."

He argued, "they render them more meritorious and more efficacious, as well for obtaining grace from God as for expiating their own sins and shortening the term of their Purgatory, or even of acquiring an entire exemption therefrom."

Had I been alive then, and become a pamphleteer, spreading teachings about Purgatory like I do on this blog, I'd have been subject to crippling fines and I could be jailed for a long time. Sigh. And we think we have it tough these days! 

In Father Mumford's time, his publisher, William Freyssen was richly rewarded with miracles. Freyseen was based in Cologne, Germany, and when he started to read Father Mumford's Mercy Exercised towards the Souls in Purgatory, he received the horrible news that his little boy of 4 years-old had been struck down with illness. 

The doctor told them death hovered and they were preparing to bury the tiny lad. But Freyssen was moved by Father Mumford's advocacy for the holy souls, and made a vow in their favor.

Freyssen promised he'd distribute 100 copies of Father Mumford's book free of charge, and his little boy miraculously recovered before Freyssen had a chance to do the book giveaway. He made good on his promise, and only 3 weeks later, his wife had a violent seizure, became delirious and lost all power of speech, and her confessor said she was going to die. 

Freyssen made a new vow; were his wife to recover, he'd give away 200 copies of Father Mumford's book. The same day, his wife began to recover. 

Were we to pray for the holy souls and pray to Father Mumford, we may know similar miracles in our own lives. 

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The account about the publisher/printer William Freyseen was informed by Schouppe's Purgatory, pages 322 - 325. The royal portrait of Charles I handing a laurel wreath to Henrietta Marie was executed by Daniël Mijtens.