Lepanto: The Battle & The Poem

8/28/2012 - 8:04 AM PST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

FORT WORTH, TX (August 28, 2012) - On October 7, 1571, in the Gulf of Lepanto the war galleys of the Holy League squared off against those of the Ottoman Turks, rowed by tens of thousands of Christian slaves. The battle decided the future of Europe, yet few Europeans (and fewer European Americans) know the story, much less how close Western Europe came to suffering an Islamic conquest.

On October 7, 1911, English poet G.K. Chesterton honored the greatest sea-battle in history with the greatest ballad of the 20th Century. Four years later, John Buchan wrote to Chesterton from the trenches in France, �We shouted your Lepanto to one another today!� Little wonder that the poem�s stirring images would be an inspiration to soldiers locked in another struggle for the soul of Europe. The ballad is no less inspiring today and is more timely than ever, as the West faces again the terrible threat of Islam.

Christopher Check, Director of Development for Catholic Answers, believes that �Chesterton�s celebration of this signal moment in history is a reminder that Europe without Christ is emptied of meaning and that Islam is an age-old enemy of the West. As the political and religious conflicts of the 16th-Century tore Europe asunder, the Turk threatened to devour Christendom. She was saved only by the daring of Don John of Austria, the faith of Pope Saint Pius V, and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin.� Check holds a degree in English from Rice University. He served for seven years as a field artillery officer in the Marine Corps. He has lectured on Church history throughout North America and Europe. His lecture concludes with a recitation from memory of Lepanto.

Date:
Sunday, 7 October 2012 A.D., 7:00 P.M.
The Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Location:
Our Lady of Victory Hall at the Victory Arts Center
801 West Shaw, Fort Worth, Texas 76110
The lecture is free and open to the public. Wine and hors d�oeuvres to follow. For more information call Marilyn at 817-923-8459 ext. 0.

Contact

Fisher More College
http://www.fishermore.edu/lepanto/ TX, 76109 US
Fisher More College - , 817-372-5449

Keywords

lepanto, lecture, fort worth, texas, fisher more

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

0 Comments

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment