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Interesting story about St. Anthony's Brief -

A lady (I think she was in Portugal, where St. Anthony was born, although Padua claims him now) was much troubled with evil spiritual forces that tormented her and kept her awake at night. Exhausted as she walked along the road, she fell asleep by a shrine to St. Anthony. The saint himself appeared to her in a dream or vision, and gave her a piece of paper which he told her to keep with her. When she woke, she found a piece of paper with these words written on it at her feet. She did as instructed and was no more troubled -- although some versions of the story say that her Bishop asked to borrow it, and her troubles started up again, so she went and got it back . . .

Well, that’s a very literal translation - doesn’t rhyme or scan like the original. I’ll use it for awhile myself instead of my recess appointment, which was like 5 years ago and has probably expired by operation of law :-)

It’s just such a shameful thing. Desecration of a corpse used to be a very serious felony offense.

Did a few death investigations back in the day - I think the blue is past low-oxygen and into lividity. And his eyes are "set".

My opinion fwiw is that he is not only dead, he has been dead for some time and had been lying on his face so that the blood has pooled at his head.

It is a damned shame (I use that word advisedly) that such a horrific photo should be bandied about. We only used to see them in the police and coroner reports.

"I was only following orders."

Didn't work then. Shouldn't work now either.

These little windows used to be called “squinches” - I guess because they are so small.

A ton of us have already left.

When TEC consecrated as bishop a fellow whose parents wished he had been a girl, and who abandoned his wife and two daughters to live in sin with a man, we leaped fully clothed into the Tiber and swam full-tilt freestyle all the way across.

They are celebrating homosexual sin and calling it not-sin. As my husband observed at the time, if Bishop Vicky (that is his name - told you his parents wanted a girl) had run off with the lady Sunday School teacher, they would have defrocked him.

They are all stark, staring mad, and Schori has hit a new low by failing to see the difference between demon possession and the Holy Spirit. I guess once you lose your mind it just keeps getting worse.

Actually, the Anointing of the Sick (f/k/a Extreme Unction) is a different rite. You can spot it by the anointing of the hands with holy oils.

This obviously wasn't the full-fledged major exorcism, but could have been an exorcism prayer. There are several that are part of the ritual - one that is very ancient, called "St. Anthony's Brief":

Ecce Crucem Domini
Fugite, partes adversae
Vicit Leo de Tribu Juda
Radix Jesse, Alleluia

Behold the Cross of the Lord!
Flee, hostile powers!
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah,
The Root of Jesse, has conquered, Alleluia.

(you can use that one yourself in times of need)

How is this a "scandal"?

I guess if you don't believe in the Devil, or evil spirits, or Exorcism (an authorized rite of the Church), it might be.

But the Holy Father clearly believes (he preaches about it regularly) and as a bishop he is authorized to perform exorcisms.

The Sun is being even more idiotic than usual here.

They'd have to find some local resident to spearhead the lawsuit (that person's name will be mud in Nelson).

It's the same as the whining atheist who objects to the singing of Christmas carols . . . they do the damage and then they're run out of town, but the damage is still done.

Actually, the decent ones do.

You never hear about them because they're not in the news, they just are down at the courthouse doing their job for ordinary folks, not the celebrities who dominate the media.

They prize their reputations highly - not with the media (who by and large don't know where the courthouse is and wouldn't know where to go when they got there) but other reputable lawyers, honest judges, and ethical legislators.

They exist, I know a lot of them. But most folks don't.

SAB used to be a reputable, old-line Atlanta law firm.

They've always trended Democrat . . . but I would have thought they would have had more sense than to get involved with this criminal enterprise.

Somebody on the Managing Committee has got to be feeling pretty sick right now . . .

I see Rule 11 bad faith penalties in the Brady Bunch's immediate future.

There is already a ruling in federal court in the NDGA from the Kennesaw gun law. I know that the district court upheld it (G.Ernest Tidwell wrote the decision), don't know if they appealed it to the 5th Cir. as it then was. But the law is clear.

Notice that it both cases, it was . . .

DEMOCRATS!

While that prison is built on a similar, circular design, it is not the same as it has hallways and the cells are at 90 degrees to the center.

The horror of the true Panopticon is that the cells have no doors, just metal fences, and they all face into the center where the guard tower is located. The prisoners are under direct observation at all times, and never know when they are being observed.

The closest to a "true" Panopticon may be the old Joliet prison in Illinois:

It still had doors, though, so you could sit down with your back against the door and not be visible.

"There are only two kinds of pilots: those who have made a wheels-up landing, and those who will."

The good old Mail is overdramatizing a bit, but three cheers for the pilot and copilot who kept their cool and safely delivered passengers and cargo.

As always, Mr. Steyn is extremely clever.

The "Panopticon" was a prison so hideous that it has never actually been built in all its "glory".

It was the brainchild of Jeremy Bentham, that heartless Utilitarian philosopher. The Panopticon

"Hence the major effect of the Panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power. So to arrange things that the surveillance is permanent in its effects, even if it is discontinuous in its action; that the perfection of power should tend to render its actual exercise unnecessary; that this architectural apparatus should be a machine for creating and sustaining a power relation independent of the person who exercises it; in short, that the inmates should be caught up in a power situation of which they are themselves the bearers. "

Stuff happens.

Some poor Guardsman wound up holding the Queen's handbag:

Guess the second one belonged to Princess Margaret or the Queen Mum.

"Robert P. George, a Princeton law professor . . ."

- one little problem: Princeton has no law school and hasn't ever had one, except for a brief period in the 1850s.

He's probably a political science prof in the Woodrow Wilson School.

Me too.

In fact, the last time I was in the joint was for an appearance by professional hunter Peter Capstick. He signed our books and then we all went out for a beer.

"How are the mighty fallen."

Just to try to give you an inkling of just how bad this man is, when he ran against John Lewis in the 5th District, there were a bunch of us giving money to Lewis.

It was St. Thomas Aquinas, the "Angelic Doctor":

Another "champion of abortion" becomes a defender of life

In describing his conversion, Adasevic dreamed about a beautiful field full of children and young people who were playing and laughing, from 4 to 24 years of age, but who ran away from him in fear. A man dressed in a black and white habit stared at him in silence. The dream was repeated each night and he would wake up in a cold sweat. One night he asked the man in black and white who he was. "My name is Thomas Aquinas," the man in his dream responded. Adasevic, educated in communist schools, had never heard of the Dominican genius saint. He didn’t recognize the name.

“Why don’t you ask me who these children are?” St. Thomas asked Adasevic in his dream.“They are the ones you killed with your abortions," St. Thomas told him.

Adasevic awoke in amazement and decided not to perform any more abortions,the article stated.

St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for Kermit Gosnell . . . because I'm finding it fairly hard to manage.

I remembered it too!

My problem was, my dad used to mess me up by reciting parodies of most of the stuff I had to memorize.

I don't think he ever parodied "Barbara Frietchie", but here's one I do remember:

The boy stood on the burning deck,
Eating peanuts by the peck.
His father called; he would not go,
Because he loved those peanuts so.

- w/ apologies to "Casabianca" by Mrs. Felicia Hemans

Yes, we are commanded to pray for our enemies.

You may pray if you like that he repents, confesses, receives absolution, and pays the temporal penalty due his crimes.

Or for speedy justice. Whatever suits you.

Barbara Frietchie, by Whittier:

Up from the meadows rich with corn,
Clear in the cool September morn,

The clustered spires of Frederick stand
Green-walled by the hills of Maryland.

Round about them orchards sweep,
Apple and peach tree fruited deep,

Fair as the garden of the Lord
To the eyes of the famished rebel horde,

On that pleasant morn of the early fall
When Lee marched over the mountain-wall;

Over the mountains winding down,
Horse and foot, into Frederick town.

Forty flags with their silver stars,
Forty flags with their crimson bars,

Flapped in the morning wind: the sun
Of noon looked down, and saw not one.

Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then,
Bowed with her fourscore years and ten;

Bravest of all in Frederick town,
She took up the flag the men hauled down;

In her attic window the staff she set,
To show that one heart was loyal yet,

Up the street came the rebel tread,
Stonewall Jackson riding ahead.

Under his slouched hat left and right
He glanced; the old flag met his sight.

'Halt!' - the dust-brown ranks stood fast.
'Fire!' - out blazed the rifle-blast.

It shivered the window, pane and sash;
It rent the banner with seam and gash.

Quick, as it fell, from the broken staff
Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf.

She leaned far out on the window-sill,
And shook it forth with a royal will.

'Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country's flag,' she said.

A shade of sadness, a blush of shame,
Over the face of the leader came;

The nobler nature within him stirred
To life at that woman's deed and word;

'Who touches a hair of yon gray head
Dies like a dog! March on! he said.

All day long through Frederick street
Sounded the tread of marching feet:

All day long that free flag tost
Over the heads of the rebel host.

Ever its torn folds rose and fell
On the loyal winds that loved it well;

And through the hill-gaps sunset light
Shone over it with a warm good-night.

Barbara Frietchie's work is o'er,
And the Rebel rides on his raids nor more.

Honor to her! and let a tear
Fall, for her sake, on Stonewalls' bier.

Over Barbara Frietchie's grave,
Flag of Freedom and Union, wave!

Peace and order and beauty draw
Round they symbol of light and law;

And ever the stars above look down
On thy stars below in Frederick town!

It's possible, but if that were the case I would have expected them to be like the O.J. jury and come back in a hurry.

The rule of thumb is that acquittals come relatively quickly but convictions take time. There are of course exceptions. I've seen an insanity jury (on a defense in a murder case) come back with a verdict of sane/competent to stand trial in twenty minutes.

Quite normal when a conscientious jury has hundreds of counts in an indictment.

I'm surprised they were unable to reach a verdict on only two counts.

The "dynamite" charge is standard, to ensure that the jury is really at an impasse and truly cannot agree.

I think you're imagining problems where there are none.

1. There were plenty of elderly, disabled persons back when there were communion rails everywhere.

2. Episcopalians still receive kneeling at the rail and always have (albeit in the hand rather than on the tongue). And the Episcopalians are definitely a "graying" denomination, as most of the young families have left for churches that actually believe something.

My husband was head usher for the 11:15 service at our pre-conversion ECUSA parish. The rail itself provides support for those who merely have difficulty getting up and down. The first step makes the distance shorter, and cushions are provided. For those on crutches, walkers, or in wheelchairs, they come to the open altar gates and stand, or the priest goes to them.

Jeffrey Tucker’s outfit has published a “Parish Book of Chant” which you could present to your music minister. It’s very inexpensive and very informative.

Actually, there are 7 verses to AG. The 5th and 6th are usually omitted.

Which verse did he have in mind? The 7th verse was not written by John Newton, but it is old - 19th century.

Thank the Lord and St. Barbara it was never “wreckovated!”

Downside is that our cathedral (which was built in 1937 when there were maybe 20,000 Catholics in the whole state) can't even begin to handle a typical Sunday crowd. We were down there for a concert, and I think the capacity is around 500. Our parish church is 850.

It's a gorgeous building (if a bit more Art Deco than your average church), but they're going to have to do something.

I disagree. We did not forget our history and patriotism during the Great Depression.

People better teach their kids, because the schools are worse than useless. They don't just fail to teach history -- they teach false history.

Not in our diocese, they moved it to Sunday.

God is gone up with a merry noise - William Croft (1678-1727).

Excellent!

I have met Jeffrey Tucker, and he is a straight-up musician and all round good guy.

He gave a seminar at the archdiocesan music conference a couple of years ago. He knows his business and he's a good teacher and coach.

ANYBODY can sing chant. If a bunch of illiterate monks in monasteries all over Europe can learn it by heart, we can learn it with the aid of the notation and good will.

Incidentally, while I have a good music background I had never seen Gregorian notation until I converted. It is NOT hard to learn, and once you get the idea of the modes straight, it actually is a more informative notation wrt performance practice than traditional staff notation.

Everybody, get your "music minister" to give it a shot. It is most certainly better than hearing "Gather Us In" for the 100th time.

That’s right. Like the “show” Labs, they had the retrieving bred right out of them. It’s taken some careful breeding but they’ve got it back. . . . for a pretty penny, cause a poodle that will put a dead duck in his mouth or spoil his perm and pedicure by jumping in a muddy pond is scarcer than hen’s teeth . . .

Hey - you know the episode where Uncle Si goes looking for a hunting dog, and comes back with a . . . poodle?

I personally know and have trained with and scritched the ears of said poodle. Said poodle is UH HRCH MHR Southern Standards Red Creole MH, first poodle to hold the top hunting retriever title in all four associations. His owner/trainer, Rich Louter, is the most patient dog trainer I know. All the dogs in that episode are his or his client dogs. When he started this gig, everybody laughed at the hunting poodles. They're not laughing now.

Same thing happened in Atlanta. The musicians were sure they were worth a whole lot more than they actually were.

My favorite is a guy at the 14th St exit with a sign: “Why lie? I need a beer.”

People who try to make a buck off mourning families are absolutely as low as it gets.

I wouldn't want to be standing in his shoes at his Particular Judgment.

The sister WANTS this to be her brother so badly she is ignoring the facts.

The filmmakers, intent on shaming the US and shocking Americans (and incidentally making a whole bunch of money) ignored the facts too.

This guy has run this scam repeatedly and a previous USG investigation exposed him.

This has already been exploded. Apparently this fellow is a French national who has run this scam before. He has simply conned two credulous filmmakers who wanted very badly to believe him because they want Americans to "lose their minds" over the idea that an MIA was left behind.

U.S.report on "Robertson" claimants

The dead are a long-held (D) constituency.

Ain't that the truth!

Mayor Hague ("I Am The Law") of Jersey City.

Terribly sad. But the Lord wasn't kidding when he said "shake the dust of the place from your sandals, and don't look back."

They will have to answer to a higher Judge for their deeds.

Pretty slick jo dori, controlling the muzzle and using leverage against the goblin. Guy probably has aikido training.

This is really shameful.

You are not going to win any souls to Christ (or, more accurately, to your point of view) by cracking nasty jokes and berating people you don't know, anonymously, on line. The only effective way is by personal, face to face testimony and by living your life in a holy and faithful manner. Your conduct here ain't it, whatever you may believe because you have asked God to justify what you were going to do anyhow.

And relying on the testimony of an angry ex-priest is like taking as gospel everything a disgruntled ex-employee says about how bad his employer was. It's called "conflict of interest".

I don't rant and rave at Christian FReepers about how they are deluded and pagan and going straight to hell. Why don't you give us the same courtesy? (I reserve the right to snark at my former denomination, which has basically lost its Christianity somewhere between Bishop Pike, Bishop Spong, and P.B. Schori. But I haven't met an actual TEC member anywhere on this site, FR is probably like garlic to a vampire for them.)

I'm truly sorry to hear that. I was hoping that Truro, at least, with its long history pre-ECUSA, would prevail.

After we left TEC I quit following the issues as closely as I used to, I was only too glad to shake the dust of the place from my sandals.

Do you know, they STILL have us on the rolls of the diocese? I tried and tried to get us taken off, but they refused. The only way it could be done would have been to transfer out-of-diocese to a parish with a sympathetic rector, then have him quietly drop us from the rolls. Which seemed like acting a lie, so we never did.

But that leads me to believe that the "membership" figures TEC posts are rotten to the core. If you look at "ASA/Average Sunday Attendance" that sure seems to bear out the notion that there are a lot of phantom phannies in the pews (or not).

TEC is going to have quite a time trying to sell that property, I imagine. Talk about 30 pieces of silver! I hope it chokes them.

Speaking as a sixth-generation Episcopalian who swam the Tiber years ago, you're just as wrong as you can be.

I don't tell you what you believe -- please don't presume to tell me what I believe.

We were received into the Catholic Church after much prayerful study and conversation with various Anglican groups and Catholic parishes. Your idea that there is any "goddess worship" going on is unfounded and really borders on silliness.

I know a couple of REAL goddess worshippers (i.e. Wiccans, poor deluded souls) and the Blessed Mother is no doubt shocked at their goings-on. She rejects worship (although we give her great honor as God's mother) and in every way points us towards her Son. "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

TEC no longer uses the "traditional" BCP, by and large.

The old (1928) BCP was revised in the 70s and "brought up to date". The new language was essentially indistinguishable from what Fr. Z calls "the Lame Duck Translation", the execrable mis-translation of the Catholic Mass that was also introduced in the 70s.

The Catholics learned from their mistake and have instituted a new re-translation that is not as impressive from a language standpoint as the '28 BCP, but is a marked improvement on the Lame Duck and is theologically sound. TEC has refused to learn - it did keep much of the old language as a "separate but equal" "Rite I" but it is not much used and was basically a sop for the old-line Piskies. Of course, even the '28 BCP had some theological problems, which those of us who were "High Churchers" resolutely ignored for years.

That cognitive dissonance has enhanced the appeal of the Ordinariate to the High Church wing of TEC. Unless, of course, they're completely in the tank on the political issues (see "Smoky Mary's" in NYC).

Depends on the jurisdiction.

In VA, they get to keep their property (at least last I heard). Here (GA), they do not.

But the idea of grabbing the property may not be such a good one in the long run. With the exception of churches that happen to sit on extremely valuable real estate (as in downtown Savannah and Atlanta), what that means in reality is that the diocese is taking on responsibility for buildings that are usually old, high-maintenance (those slate roofs and stonework), and not easily liquidated to cash. With declining membership and declining income, that's a herd of white elephants many bishops may come to wish they had never stolen.