The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest - John Gerard

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Truth is stranger than fiction. And nowhere in literature is it so apparent as in this classic work, The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest. This autobiography of a Jesuit priest in Elizabethan England is a most remarkable document and John Gerard, its author, a most remarkable priest in a time when to be a Catholic in England courted imprisonment and torture; to be a priest was treason by act of Parliament.Smuggled into England after his ordination and dumped on a Norfolk beach at night, Fr. Gerard disguised himself as a country gentleman and traveled about the country saying Mass, preaching and ministering to the faithful in secret - always in constant danger. The houses in which he found shelter were frequently raided by priest hunters; priest-holes, hide-outs and hair-breadth escapes were part of his daily life. He was finally caught and imprisoned, and later removed to the infamous Tower of London where he was brutally tortured.The stirring account of his escape, by means of a rope thrown across the moat, is a daring and magnificent climax to a true story which, for sheer narrative power and interest, far exceeds any fiction. Here is an accurate and compelling picture of England when Catholics were denied their freedom to worship and endured vicious persecution and often martyrdom. But more than the story of a single priest, The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest epitomizes the constant struggle of all human beings through the ages to maintain their freedom. It is a book of courage and of conviction whose message is most timely for our age.

Have anyone ever read this book?
I’m thinking to get it but first I would like to know what other readers think of it.
 
I have never heard of this book, but it sounds very good. Those times were definitely dangerous to be Catholic or a priest in England.
Hopefully, someone who has read the book will reply.
 
I own this book and I have read it a couple of times. I do love this book. But, I am also a huge fan of historical books. I have yet to find any similar book such as this that talks about life during this era from someone who actually lived as a Catholic priest ministering to Catholics in Elizabethan England. What impressed me about this book, was not just this priest’s life but also the lives of Catholics who sheltered him in their homes. He belonged to a network of other priests who were also ministering to Catholics in England during this time. In spite of the many difficulties they had, they were able to help convert many who had fallen away, back to the church. Moreover, Father Gerard, was captured at one point and imprisoned in the tower of London. And is one of only a few people in history to have actually escaped. This book is truly interesting, and is most certainly a good read
 
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When I was a kid, there was a copy of this book in our house I think from an elderly aunt of mine. I thought it was a strange name for a book as a child. Recently I read something about it, and it brought back the memory of the book. And i thought OH! I remember that,Ii should get that and read it!
 
I know that, but I wanted to know from other members of CAF.
 
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