The Conference and the Cause

From the Pages of Gilbert!
The Magazine of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton

BY SALLY ZWEBER, CHESTERTON ACADEMY, CLASS OF 2020 AND STAFF MEMBER, SOCIETY OF GK CHESTERTON
From the SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 Issue of Gilbert!

It was not only my first Chesterton Conference, it was my first conference of any kind. I picked a spectacular one. With over twice the attendance of the most recent past conferences, the air was constantly brimming with the excitement of long-time friends reuniting, first-time conference-goers, and the G.K. veterans buying stacks of books to give to friends or family (or just to read up on the man himself). I was struck by the overall contentment of those who were obviously in their element, experiencing the joy of GKC.

As a student intern, I had a unique perspective on everything happening around me. I work for Dale Ahlquist and Emily de Rotstein, helping with the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton and the Chesterton Schools Network. My primary task was to talk to attendees who were interested in learning more about the network of Chesterton Academies across the country. Many people who stopped at the table for the Network asked if there was a school in their area, and my response was almost always, “If you start it, there will be!”

 That was one of the beauties that I was able to experience at the Chesterton Conference: people from all over the country, all over the world, wanting to know more not only about Chesterton the man, but about how to spread the legacy of his wit and wisdom, especially to the upcoming generations. Through supporting Chesterton Academies, they not only promote an education so rarely found these days, but something transforming—for the students and for the world.

The first night of the conference started off with guest speaker Rod Dreher, expressing the importance of pursuing “The Benedict Option,” which was well connected to the conference theme: “The Future of the Family.” Here is a way we, as Christians, can protest the crises of meaning, fragmentation, and identity in today’s world. By recovering prayer, establishing common Christian life, refusing dictatorship of relativism, and sharing the faith and love of Christ with the world, we can advocate for the family in a society that strips it of its function and life. 

Following Rod Dreher was the President of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, the co-founder of the first Chesterton Academy, and the source of countless people’s love for G.K. Chesterton: Dale Ahlquist. He talked about the family as the foundational human institution. He quoted Chesterton (which is what he does best): “The disintegration of rational society started in the drift from the hearth and the family; the solution must be a drift back.”

Although Dale’s talk was very good, what he said was largely forgotten when he announced at the end of the talk that the Bishop of Northampton had informed him that he was not going to pursue the Cause of G.K. Chesterton for Sainthood. The next day this announcement—made in Kansas City—was a headline in the British newspapers. This became one of the main topics of conversation for the rest of the conference.

In one of my first weeks of my summer internship with the Society, I was sitting in a staff meeting, when someone mentioned that a cardinal from Canada signed up to come to the conference. At the time, I had no idea who he was. All I knew was that these co-workers of mine were elated to know that a cardinal was coming, and that we should definitely ask him to speak at the conference. Two months later, at morning Mass on the Friday of the conference, I was sitting and listening to His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins, of Toronto, Canada, give his homily. It was then that I realized why everyone was so delighted for the Cardinal to visit our conference.

Cardinal Collins delivered an eloquent and very inspiring homily on the importance of time. If we do not break up the time we have in our life, we will inevitably miss it. We must be attentive to the time that we are given. This conference is a Sabbath, and we must incorporate more Sabbaths into our lives, through stopping to pray throughout the day and resting in Christ.

On the second day of the conference, as I was coming down the elevator, I had a conversation with a couple who was staying on the same floor as me and going down to the conference as well. Normally I wouldn’t talk with people in an elevator, and frankly, I would guess that most people barely acknowledge others on elevators. This ride was different. Even though the conversation was brief, I was able to gain valuable insight into the minds of those dedicated Chestertonians who had been coming to these conferences for years.

This taught me one of my first lessons from the conference: no matter how old (or young) you are, no matter where you’re from, and no matter what you do, you must always have a cause, an ambition that motivates you to do good in the world. For these people, their cause was G.K. Chesterton. By studying him, they can promote the goodness found in his writings. They can become better Christians, better people.

The morning session of Day 2 featured talks by Carl Olson, editor of the Catholic World Report, and William Fahey, President of Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts. The former reaffirmed the point about the family, not the individual, being the basic unit of society, and also told of his harrowing experience of adopting a child through a state agency. The latter had the most intriguingly titled talk of the Conference: “Chesterton and Grass,” which comes from GKC’s lines: “Grass and children: there seems no end to them …” If there were but one blade of grass, one child—the first child—man would regard him with awe and wonder unlike ever before.

In the afternoon of that same day, there was a session with a panel of three converts, all of them distinguished academics: David Fagerberg, Cameron Moore, and Robert Moore-Jumonville. They told their stories of how G.K. Chesterton initiated and accompanied them on their journey of conversion. Each one had a unique perspective on Chesterton; and among their words, these ones stood out: “Becoming Catholic was the only way I could continue to be a practicing Christian.” Perhaps the most moving story was Robert’s. This was his 20th conference in a row: his first as a Catholic! But because he had started reading Chesterton, his nephews, nieces, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, and wife all found their way to the Catholic Church before he finally took the dramatic step. Why did he wait so long? Well, he was an ordained Methodist minister and the head of the theology department at a Methodist university.

Following this panel was Joseph Pearce, who spoke on “Economics as if Families Mattered,” in which he outlined the importance of solidarity, and of loving thy neighbor.

The last afternoon session before dinner Friday night was by Cardinal Collins. He spoke of Chesterton as if he was “healthy air.” He said that Chesterton’s works were “honest uses of the language,” meaning that they were clear and true, writing what he meant and meaning what he wrote. The passion that Cardinal Collins possessed for Chesterton was unexpected for me; I had seen that same passion in others, but that passion communicated through the Cardinal was especially inspiring.

Friday’s evening meal had an exciting twist: there was a dinner discussion about the different perspectives on the controversial Harry Potter series. I walked away with a better perspective of how to treat those types of hot-button topics. Dinner was followed by Chuck Chalberg, impersonating Chesterton (very well), speaking of “the one uncongenial institution”—the family. After this was Brandon Vogt’s turn to speak on the wonderful author. Brandon spoke on Gilbert and Frances’s love story, and their multitude of children, even though those children were not biologically their own. I was very intrigued and drawn in by how Brandon described Gilbert and Frances’s lives, because he spoke about a side of Chesterton you may never think of. Chesterton was a rousing writer, but he was also a faithful father.

The last event of the night was a performance by Kevin O’Brien and the Theater of the Word Incorporated: “Adam and Eve Go to Marriage Counseling.” It was a hilarious play and it highlighted the many unexpected challenges that all married couples and families face.

Saturday was a blur. Morning sessions included Charlotte Ostermann, who spoke on “The Poet as Troublemaker.” Following Charlotte was Andrew Youngblood, the director at Regina Chesterton Academy at Cardinal O’Hara High School, who spoke about the different ways that the Chesterton Schools have impacted him and many communities. In the afternoon, there were two sets of breakout sessions, which provided something for everyone, including a showing of a film adaptation of Chesterton’s poem, “Ballad of the White Horse,” by an ambitious group of Catholic homeschoolers.

Following the afternoon sessions, there was a vigil Mass celebrated by Cardinal Collins. Some Chesterton Academy students and faculty sang and chanted during this Mass, helping transform a hotel ballroom into a holy place.

Then it was time for the closing banquet.

I’m told it is always one of the great highlights of the conference. I can see why. But I will mention only one. Dale was to present the Cup of Inconvenience. I had never heard of said cup before the first day of the conference, and was very intrigued all weekend as to who would receive the great displeasure of being awarded the opportunity to drink from it. Dale explained that throughout the weekend, he had heard many tales from those who believed that they deserved the Cup. He mentioned one whose elevator stopped on every single floor on the way down, and another who had lost his wallet with all of his money and ID, and the guy who brought four shoes to the conference, none of which were from the same pair. I figured that among those sorts of inconveniences would be the one that would win. I was mistaken. The Cup of Inconvenience was awarded to Carmelle Foley. In hospice care, she wanted to come to the Chesterton Conference, and no number of medical ailments would stop her. As Dale made his way through the tables to present the Cup to her personally, tears sprung from many eyes in the room. This again showed the dedication and loyalty that these Chestertonians had to their Cause. Not many people can say that they disregarded their doctor’s wishes so that they could simply attend a conference, but this conference was not a simple one. 

I no longer felt as if I was an observer, but as though I was truly part of this cause, our Cause. G.K. Chesterton, pray for us

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Sally Zweber is a 2020 graduate of Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities and a staff member of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton.