Posted on 03/25/2009 7:12:35 AM PDT by A.A. Cunningham
New York Palace Hotel boss Niklaus Leuenberger gets the door after Ash Wednesday slur
BY Kerry Burke And Oren Yaniv
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, March 25th 2009, 4:00 AM
Niklaus Leuenberger no longer runs the New York Palace Hotel.
The manager of one of the city's most luxurious hotels was given the boot after ordering a Catholic employee to clean up his forehead on Ash Wednesday.
"Wipe that f-----g s--t off your face," managing director Niklaus Leuenberger told a bell captain at the New York Palace Hotel on Feb. 25, sources said.
The unholy ultimatum ended up costing Leuenberger his job at the Palace, a swanky 55-story tower on Madison Ave. across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral.
"As of Monday, March 23, Leuenberger is no longer employed by the New York Palace," hotel spokeswoman Teresa Delaney told the Daily News Tuesday.
The incident was deemed so severe, Christopher Cowdray, head of the London-based Dorchester Collection, which owns the Palace, flew here to hand Leuenberger the pink slip.
"We take the well-being of our employees extremely seriously and that is why our CEO, Mr. Cowdray, went to New York in person to deal with this matter," the company said.
The object of the manager's insult, bell captain Mike Murray, said the cross of dark ashes was liberally applied to his forehead at his Long Island church.
"My priest did a real number on me," he said with a chuckle.
Catholics receive the ashes as a reminder of their own mortality on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of penance that ends on Easter.
"The [general manager] wanted it off, and he knows he was wrong," added the observant Irish Catholic employee. "I've never been approached on a religious issue [before]."
The 893-room five-star hotel, where a posh suite with city views fetches well over $1,000 a night, combines Renaissance-style architecture with modern design and amenities.
The hotel leases its land from the Catholic Church.
It was the place where Leona Helmsley earned the title "Queen of Mean" in the 1980s when the hotel was called the Helmsley Palace.
Leuenberger was tapped as director in May 2007 after many years at the Peninsula Hotel.
When his appointment was announced, he was touted as "a 35-year veteran of the luxury hospitality industry" who was inducted into the "Hotelier's Hall of Achievement" by Leaders Magazine in 2005.
Reached at his Warren, N.J., home, Leuenberger declined to comment, saying, "I don't know what it's about."
Murray said he does not plan to sue.
"I've been working here for 25 years and I wouldn't want to endanger that," he said.
Of course I do, because that is the culmination of Jesus's Life here on Earth. He came to bring us redemption, if we choose to accept it.
With the readings in the Liturgy, leading up to Easter, we Catholics hear of the Passover celebration of our older brothers in the Lord, because Jesus celebrated it the night before He died.
Any Catholic who attends a Passover Seder with Jewish friends will recognize it in the Scriptures of Holy Thursday. And the prayers the priest says during the Offertory in the Mass, come straight from the Seder.
Folks not familiar with Catholicism seem to think the Church Fathers made up the prayers and celebrations out of whole cloth, and that could not be further from the truth. We knew about these celebrations, because they were brought down to us from the Apostles, who were, after all, faithful Jews, before they were chosen by Christ to lead His Church.
Dominus vobiscum, dear sister.
“what is it about that hotel that attracts the monsters of the hotel industry?”
snobbery ... I would venture this manager, like Leona Helmsley, came from a modest background. In assuming a sort of royalty in their minds, they become arrogant. Generally, I’ve found people born to great wealth are a whole lot nicer than people who achieve or marry into it, or whose careers surround themselves with it.
I do not find any commandment to apply ashes to one's body by YHvH or Yah'shua.
That is one point of view. And you can of course show me where the Lord commanded you to read and comment on message boards.
I do not celebrate the event commanded by Constantine.
Really? And which "commandment" of Constantine did you have in mind? Which event is it you think he commanded? Have you perhaps been reading a lot of Dan Brown lately?
!
Constantine and the folks at Nicea tried very hard for that to never happen. As they introduced anti-semitism into the Roman church. The Ru'ach HaKodesh however will breath the truth. You are very lucky, as this year Passover begins April 8th at sundown.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai
I’m sure there were always some folks in the Catholic Church who were anti-Semitic. That’s not the way I was raised, nor did I ever meet anyone, in all the Parishes I’ve lived in, in five States, who was anti-Semitic, so I guess they weren’t raised that way, either.
Later all Roman Emperors held the title Pontifex Maximus. Emperor Constantine held the title from 306 to 337 AD Constantine convened the Nicene Council in 325 AD and issued this edict: ON THE KEEPING OF EASTER. From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council.
from DOCUMENTS FROM THE FIRST COUNCIL OF NICEA [THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL] A.D. 325 Emperor Constantine, Emperor of the Roman Empire He had issued an Edict making Sunday the day of rest In 321 CE, while a Pagan sun-worshiper, the Emperor Constantine
They ruled: "Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday, but shall work on that day."
The Roman Office of the Pontifex Maximus began in 712 BC
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai
(Found in Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20.) When the question relative to the sacred festival of Easter arose, it was
universally thought that it would be convenient that all should keep the
feast on one day; for what could be more beautiful and more desirable,
than to see this festival, through which we receive the hope of
immortality, celebrated by all with one accord, and in the same
manner? It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the
holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom [the calculation] of the
Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and
whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom,(1) we may
transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter,
which we have observed from the time of the Saviour's Passion to the
present day[according to the day of the week]. We ought not,
therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Saviour
has shown us another way; our worship follows a more legitimate and
more convenient course(the order of the days of the week); and
consequently, in unanimously adopting this mode, we desire, dearest
brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the
Jews, for it is truly shameful for us to hear them boast that without
their direction we could not keep this feast. How can they be in the
right, they who, after the death of the Saviour, have no longer been led
by reason but by wild violence, as their delusion may urge them? They
do not possess the truth in this Easter question; for, in their blindness
and repugnance to all improvements, they frequently celebrate two
passovers in the same year. We could not imitate those who are openly
in error. How, then, could we follow these Jews, who are most
certainly blinded by error? for to celebrate the passover twice in one
year is totally inadmissible. But even if this were not so, it would still
be your duty not to tarnish your soul by communications with such
wicked people[the Jews]. Besides, consider well, that in such an
important matter, and on a subject of such great solemnity, there ought
not to be any division. Our Saviour has left us only one festal day of
our redemption, that is to say, of his holy passion, and he desired[to
establish] only one Catholic Church. Think, then, how unseemly it is,
that on the same day some should be fasting whilst others are seated
at a banquet; and that after Easter, some should be rejoicing at feasts,
whilst others are still observing a strict fast. For this reason, a Divine
Providence wills that this custom should be rectified and regulated in a
uniform way; and everyone, I hope, will agree upon this point. As, on
the one hand, it is our duty not to have anything in common with the
murderers of our Lord; and as, on the other, the custom now followed
by the Churches of the West, of the South, and of
the North, and by some of those of the East, is the most acceptable, it
has appeared good to all; and I have been guarantee for your consent,
that you would accept it with joy, as it is followed at Rome, in Africa,
in all Italy, Egypt, Spain, Gaul, Britain, Libya, in all Achaia, and in the
dioceses of Asia, of Pontus, and Cilicia. You should consider not only
that the number of churches in these provinces make a majority, but
also that it is right to demand what our reason approves, and that we
should have nothing in common with the Jews. To sum up in few
words: By the unanimous judgment of all, it has been decided that the
most holy festival of Easter should be everywhere celebrated on one
and the same day, and it is not seemly that in so holy a thing there
should be any division. As this is the state of the case, accept joyfully
the divine favour, and this truly divine command; for all which takes
place in assemblies of the bishops ought to be regarded as proceeding
from the will of God. Make known to your brethren what has been
decreed, keep this most holy day according to the prescribed mode; we
can thus celebrate this holy Easter day at the same time, if it is granted
me, as I desire, to unite myself with you; we can rejoice together,
seeing that the divine power has made use of our instrumentality for
destroying the evil designs of the devil, and thus causing faith, peace,
and unity to flourish amongst us. May God graciously protect you, my
beloved brethren.
This is the Decree from the first Pontiff of the Roman church to all the world.
declared that Sunday was to be a day of rest throughout the Roman Empire: "On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest,
Council of Laodicea circa 364 CE ordered that religious observances were
and let all workshops be closed. In the country however persons engaged in agriculture
may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day
is not suitable for gain-sowing or vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment
for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost."
to be conducted on Sunday, not Saturday. Sunday became the new Sabbath.
St. Constantine converted to Christianity in 313 AD.
Perhaps so. But St. Constantine was never Pontiff of the Catholic Church.
Later Niklaus you freaking snobby scumbag
Don’t bother.
To sum up in few words: By the unanimous judgment of all...
Without approaching this point by point, which would be tedious, you have already shown your failure to both understand Councils and how they operate. Sunday was already the day of rest in the Church, and had been from apostolic times. Councils do not propound new teaching. They establish traditional teaching against new and novel ideas. It was the development within the Church of disparate methods of setting dates for Easter, known generally as the Easter Controversy, which caused the Council to establish the most accepted as the norm for all.
Also, as can be seen above, this judgment was not from Constantine but from the Church Council. That was a council of bishops and it was they who decided how things would operate. The fact that this council ruled against arianism, a position which it would seem Constantine was amenable to, supports that fact.
But, none of that matters. If you think you are saved by a date, then fine. Have a wonderful journey on the wide road.
But that purpose can be twisted to portray it as such, presenting the opposite of truth as truth.
Devious (in the classical sense of the word) only begins to describe it.
Councils do not propound new teaching. They establish traditional teaching against new and novel ideas.
That's better.
Your own post proves that Pascha (Πάσχα) was celebrated by Christians before Constantine. Your Catholic education that you've touted on FR should have taught you that.
Please stop posting falsehoods about the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church. Instead, you should spend the time studying the Scripture, brought to you by the Church, in an effort to cure your ignorance of Church teaching. One example is the association of ashes with penance, as clearly demonstrated in Scripture. If you had truly studied Scripture you would have known about this,and saved yourself the embarassment of your rant against the Christian practice.
OMG. My sympathies. That's the kind of stuff that happens to me...
"When are you due?" is another polite question that should never be asked... :-)
Yeah, but Easter sounds like Ishtar and that proves....[splat]
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