March 18, 2009

Man’s conversion came through sacred poetry

By John Gleason

This month, Regis University will host its 13th Gerard Manley Hopkins Conference, a weekend full of lectures, Mass, readings and panel discussions.

The conference is named for Gerard Manley Hopkins, English poet, Catholic convert and Jesuit priest whose 20th-century fame established him posthumously among the leading Victorian poets.  Conference organizer Victoria McCabe, director of the Freshman Commitment Program at Regis University, said she’s anticipating a good turnout.

“The conference usually attracts about a hundred people,” she said.  “From the inception, it started big and has stayed that way.  We always seem to have the best people come together for this event.”

Some of the participating scholars and writers attending the 2009 conference include: Paul Mariani, who recently published “Gerard Manley Hopkins: A Life”; author Ron Hansen, who holds the Gerard Manley Hopkins Chair at Santa Clara University; Joaquin Kuhn, editor of The Hopkins Quarterly; Father Peter Milward, S.J., author of “A Lifetime with Hopkins” and “Shakespeare the Papist” and Jesuit Father Joseph J. Feeney, author of “The Playfulness of Gerard Manley Hopkins.”

“The line-up is unbelievable and we’re fortunate to have such a lovely mix to our participants,” McCabe said.  “People are in for a great time.”

Another person who will be attending the conference this year is Denverite John Wren, just as he has every year for the past decade. Wren won’t be lecturing or promoting a book of his own.  In his words, he’ll be refreshing his spirit.  For him, the conference has special meaning as it was through the event that he became a Catholic. 

A seemingly happenstance event—the Hopkins conference—a decade ago, now seems Providential.

“I saw an item in the paper announcing the conference,” Wren recalled.  “I went to a Friday night reading with a friend of mine who had an interest in poetry.  I returned the next day to hear a second reading and it changed my life.”

Wren said that the combination of the words of Manley, balmy spring weather and the beautiful outdoor setting at Regis University came together to lead him to a place where God wanted him to be.

“At the time I was attending the Episcopalian Church,” Wren said. “But for some time I’d been thinking about the Catholic Church.  I was at the crossroads as to what to do.  Now I wasn’t that interested in poetry, but on that afternoon in that setting I was overcome with a feeling that this is where I needed to be.”

Saying that everyone who attends the conference will come away with something different, Wren encourages anyone, even those who don’t read poetry to attend and discover what the conference is all about.

“For me, I had a naive accidental appreciation for the poetry,” he said.  “Today, it’s a touchstone for my faith.  I’ve read Hopkins a lot and each time I hear his words it’s fresh and seems to renew my faith.  My best advice is just show up and find out what it’s all about.”

The Gerard Manley Hopkins Conference will be held March 27-29 at Regis University, 3333 Regis Blvd. in northwest Denver.  Cost of the three-day event is $50 but individual sessions are free.  For a complete schedule of events, contact Gina Leyba at gleyba@regis.edu.