Humpty Dumpty and the English Reformation

What does Humpty Dumpty, Hey Diddle Diddle, Jack and Jill and Little Jack Horner all have in common? Did you know that these and many other Mother Goose rhymes are really commentaries on the characters of the English Reformation?

We learned about this and many other fascinating things during our week of lectures with our brother, Fr. John Vidmar, history professor at Providence college and Archvist of the Province of St. Joseph. He is the author of several books and working on several more! His Catholic Church Through the Ages has become a classic one volume Church History book and Praying with Dominicans is a little treasure trove of little known Dominican prayers. He is also the author of English Catholic Historians and the English Reformation: 1585-1954 so he comes to us well-qualified to talk on the English Refomation!

Fr. John illustrated his talks with photos of some of the ruined abbeys and churches in England and Scotland interspersing historical facts with his own experiences at some of these places! One of the ruined abbey churches became the place to sing the Salve Regina. " No roof and it still sounded great!"

Remember Little Jack Horner? That rhyme is about Glastonbury Abbey and the Horner family still owns it! With Fr. John, you will never be bored in history class!