St. Richard Gwyn – New DVD by Mary Dowry’s Productions.

Wales had long been a stronghold of Catholicism but with the Protestant Revolution in the 16th Century heresy was imposed upon the Welsh nation by the English bureaucracy. It was the Welsh Bards that helped to keep the true teachings of the Faith alive through their poems and songs. Welsh Schoolmaster Richard Gwyn fell in love with the history and folklore of his country of Wales and through his reading, writing and studies he converted to the Catholic Faith. His wit, humour, joy and intelligence make his story one of real human experience, easily related to despite a gap of 450 years between his life and ours. He was a family man who was a devoted husband and father. His love for God and his honesty inevitably led him to confront the evils of his time whereupon he cheerfully gave his life for the Catholic Faith at the gallows in the market place of Wrexham, Wales. His wonderful biography is presented in this film for the first time. He is one of the 40 Martyrs.

This new DVD is available worldwide in all region formats from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or through Mary’s Dowry Productions online shop or over the telephone.

Last month the Mary Dowry’s Productions launched the DVD on St. Clare of Assisi.

See also the DVD on Bld Alexandrina.

The day of the Jump

Yesterday I had the curiosity to know the Easter Day of 1918 to identify the day of the Jump. It was with surprise that I found the Easter day was March 31 and hence the day of Jump coincided with the Alexandrina’s anniversary - 30 March. What a birthday gift they gave her! 

The Jump

An occasion, being me, my sister and an older girl than us working in the sewing, we sighted three men:  that who had been my master, other married and one third unmarried.  My sister, perceiving some thing and seeing them to follow our way, ordered me to close the door of the living room. 

Instants later, we feel that they went up the stairs that came to the living room (that then did not have this function, as was seen) and had beaten to the door.  My sister spoke to them.  That who had been my master ordered to open, but, as they did not have workmanship there, we do not open them the door. 

My old master knew the house well and went up by inner stairs of the habitation and the others stayed at the door where they had beaten.  He, not being able to enter to the interior by a trap that was closed and was protected by a sewing machine, caught in a mallet and tried to break the trap, to pass and enter the room. 

My sister, seeing this, opened the living room door and run away, but was imprisoned, and me, seeing everything this, jumped by the window that was opened to the yard.  I suffered a great shake shock, for the window was four meters distant of the soil.  It wanted to raise me soon, but I could not, because I felt a strong pain in the belly.  With the jump, the ring that I used felt, but I didn’t notice it.  Full of courage, I caught in a stick and I entered the yard door leading to the terrace where was my sister discussing with the two married men.  Other girl was in the living room with the bachelor.  I came close to them and called them dogs and said that or they left to come the girl or then I would cry out against them.  They accepted the proposal and left her free.

It was in this moment that I noticed the lack of the ring and said again to them: 

Dogs, for your cause I lost my ring.  One of them, that had the fingers full of rings, said me: 

- Choose here one. 

But, very angry, I answered: 

I won’t. 

We didn’t speak anything; they went away and we continued our work.  About this, we didn’t tell anything to anybody, but my mother came to know everything.  Shortly afterwards, I started to suffer more and all the people said that it was caused by jump.  The doctors had also affirmed that it had much concurred for my illness. 

Bld Alexandrina, Autobiography