RAISON
D’ETRE
I first ran
across the writings of Ronald Knox as a very young, and extremely ignorant,
convert to Roman Catholicism. Always an avid reader, I was hungry for the truth
in written, intellectually stimulating and satisfying form. Providentially, I didn't have to wade through muddy waters alone but had a tremendous guide in my
father-in-law, Neil McCaffrey Jr., who took me by the hand and led me directly
to the very best English-language, Catholic writing. One of many books he gave me
was a small, paperback volume of Catholic Digest, in which I found an
abbreviated version of Knox’s ‘Trials of a Translator’. What struck me
immediately was that here was a formidable intellect at work. I felt an
immediate attraction. The fact that I, uninstructed as I was, could not only
read, but understand what he had to say, only proves the marvelous talent which
Knox exhibited throughout his life: that of being able to address any level of
reader, any type of audience. He seemed extremely approachable.
I was
hooked. For readers, there are few things more exciting in this life than
finding an author one has never read and, further, that he has written
prolifically. It’s like opening the door to Aladdin’s Cave. Over the years I
read all the books I could find by Knox. Most of them came from my
father-in-law’s enormous, personal library. And garage sales. In the early 80s
almost none of Knox’s books were in print. Roman Catholic Books published ‘A
Retreat For Lay People’, which is one of Knox’s best. Then Ignatius Press came
to the rescue and began, slowly, to publish Knox’s sermons and apologetics. A
generation later, there are now quite a few of Knox’s works in print. Enough to
be going on with.
Somewhere
in that time period, with the advent of the internet and Google, I founded the
Ronald Knox Society, purely by chance, and without forethought. One night I was
googling Knox in search of something-or-other and noticed that there was really
very little information about him online. The only information which kept
resurfacing with alarming regularity was an article by Fr. Leonard Feeney,
S.J., taking Knox to task for his “liberal” views of extra Ecclesiam nulla salus. Without commenting further on Fr.
Feeney I will say that, at the very least, it was extremely one-sided. So I
looked up domain names and found that, unsurprisingly,
www.ronaldknoxsociety.com was available. I made a little do-it-yourself website
and started adding content. My purpose was, quite simply, to insure that when
someone did a Google search for Ronald Knox he would get solid information
about the man and his work.
Nothing
much has changed since then. The greatest benefit that I have personally
received from the Society has been the friendship of Fr. Milton Walsh, expert on
the writings of Ronald Knox and terrific tour-guide to San Francisco. His
advice has been to let the Society grow organically and not hustle about trying
to make it other than what it currently is: a very small, and rather odd assortment of people who greatly admire, and are indebted to, the writings of
Msgr. Ronald Knox.
So if our
members are waiting for newsletters and conventions, membership drives and
cruises, they are destined to be disappointed. People often ask whether I have begun
a cause for Knox’s canonization. No, nor do I have any intention of doing so.
Aside from the fact that I have neither the energy nor the patience for such an
undertaking, I rather think that modesty would prevent Knox from wanting himself
put forward in that way. His life’s work was to clear the grime from our
intellects that we might see the object of his own gaze: Our Lord Jesus Christ,
the “window in the wall”. That is more than enough to be going on with.
Vicki McCaffrey
President, Ronald Knox Society
