My friend John Beaumont has just sent me a priceless new anecdote about Chesterton’s conversion. It’s a recently discovered note from Father John O’Connor, the priest who was the real-life inspiration for GKC’s fictional detective Father Brown. Here’s the relevant part of Mr Beaumont’s e-mail:

I was at the two Chesterton conferences at Oxford (Friday on The Ballad of the White horse. Saturday on Chesterton as Prophet) and was chatting with several people there. You would have enjoyed the two days.

I also thought you might be interested in the following story linked to it:

On my return I visited the Talbot library in Preston. This is a wonderful Catholic collection in Preston Lancashire, created by the late bishop John Brewer of Lancaster. He saw books being thrown out by religious orders and on the deaths of priests. To save them he opened the library a few years ago, It has a wonderful collection.

I told the librarian, Michael Dolan, that I had been to a conference on GKC and referred also to the Friday evening conference on The Ballad of the White Horse. He then showed me a book of the poem. Inside the book was a post card. The post card had been written to the owner of the book (a lady referred to simply as Mary). The post card was written in the hand of Fr. John O’Connor, dated 2nd August 1922, from Douai Abbey where he was staying at the time. Here is what the vital section says:

“I wish to tell you that I received G. K. Chesterton into the Church last Sunday at Beaconsfield DG. His wife is well on the way, so pray for them both and ask prayers. All went well—one could feel things were borne along on a steady stream of supplication. I had only to sit tight and try not to do anything foolish. Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, John O’Connor.”

A fascinating memento.