Put the saint back into Valentine’s Day
I rather liked the media statement from the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide seeking to “reclaim” Valentine’s Day.
The initiative provides parishes and Catholic school families with practical suggestions for celebrating St Valentine’s Day and encouraging married couples to spend more time together.
The statement claims that St Valentine was executed on February 14, 269AD for going against a decree by Roman ruler Claudius that weddings be suspended because he needed unattached men to serve in his armies.
Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, said the campaign was an opportunity to advocate the sacred bond of marriage.
I admit I never knew the origin of Valentine’s Day and the obvious fact of it being a saint’s feast day had also escaped me.
The media statement appears to have simplified things a little though and possibly stretched the facts. Other sources reveal that like many of the early saints, not much is known about Valentine. (more…)
The 19th wife and Mormon polygamy
I enjoyed reading The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.
The book mixes historical fact with modern fiction to describe the polygamous tradition of “plural marriage”, also known as “celestial marriage” in the early Mormon church, which continues among dissident fundamentalist sects today.
Ebershoff writes well, with humor and irony. He transports the reader back in time and place.
He makes it clear the book is fiction and that he has “filled in some gaps” regarding the true story of Brigham Young’s disgruntled ex-wife Ann Eliza Young.
Brigham was the second prophet of the Latter Day Saints following Joseph Smith’s assassination. He founded Utah, where he led the believers on a remarkable trek.
Brigham is believed to have had 50 wives. Ann Eliza was the 19th, or by some accounts the 27th.
Smith claimed to have received a revelation from God that the “saints” should have plural wives to populate the faith.
Brigham confirmed the revelation and encouraged the practice. It continued until a later “prophet” abolished it, largely for political reasons so Utah could be admitted as a state of the USA.
These facts are described in the novel, along with extracts from Ann Eliza’s own book and reports of her public speeches denouncing polygamy.
Interspersed between historical passages is the parallel modern story of a young man expelled from a Mormon sect who learns that his mother (the 19th wife) has been charged with murdering his father.
I sometimes found the transitions distracting and irritating, at times, but the stories generally weave together nicely.
The booked opened my mind to a part of history I knew little about.
I vaguely recall a friend from Victoria travelling to Utah on a farm exchange and spending some time with a polygamous family, but really I knew little of its origins or practice today.
Polygamy is abhorrent in a modern society, of course.
One is left to assume Joseph Smith and Brigham Young invented a holy message to satisfy their lust.
Given the falsehood they concocted to sanction promiscuity, the credibility of Smith’s earlier revelations must also be questioned.
That’s a point made several times in the novel and one the Mormons will never escape.
Blessed Mary MacKillop
Blessed Mary MacKillop is likely to become Australia’s first Saint. She founded the Josephite order of nuns at Penola in 1867.
Penola is 50km from Mount Gambier and we walked around the town today.
Mary’s birthday is one day before mine, albeit 125 years earlier. She was born at Fitzroy in 1842, the suburb in Melbourne of the football club I used to follow.
In 1866, at the invitation of Father Tenison Woods, Mary established the first school in Australia that catered for all children, irrespective of family income or social status. (more…)
Jesus played cricket: opened the batting
Two interesting reports caught my eye tonight: one that Jesus played cricket and the other that William Shakespeare was a Catholic.
Neither comes as a shock. There have long been rumors that Bill was a Mick, but author Joseph Pearce has apparently found new evidence.
Jesus would have been a great opening batsman and handy spin bowler. Unlike Bradman, who just fell short, he would have certainly achieved the 100 average. (more…)
Traditional Anglicans maintain the faith
I know it’s a sin to click my own Google ads, but sometimes I find them interesting and can’t resist.
Not that there is anything forbidden (I think) about the West Australian Apostolic District of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia.
I’m just surprised it exists because I had never heard of them before.
According to their web site: “The Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) is a worldwide association of Continuing Orthodox Anglican Churches, working to promote the Catholic Faith as the Anglican Church has received it and to resist the secularization of that Church.” (more…)
Ancient language goes modern
It’s rather ironic I learned about The Vatican’s web site from a blog named The Inquisitr 
I’m not surprised The Vatican has a web site; it’s just I had never thought about it before and had never visited.
As The Inquisitr reveals, a Latin section was only recently added.
I’ve never studied Latin and I was born just after the Second Vatican Council, so I never experienced a Latin Mass.
I can appreciate the value of Latin. From Roman times to the Industrial Revolution it was the universal language. (more…)
Good Friday holiday
The Herald Sun reports a Uniting Church cleric who believes Good Friday should be dumped as a public holiday in favor of something to do with reconciliation.
That’s the sort of nonsense you come to expect from the Uniting Church.
I have written before about how Australia’s public holidays need an overhaul, but I never envisaged dropping Easter or Christmas.
Australia’s demographics have changed, but it’s important we respect our Christian origins and observe the major feast days. To do otherwise would be to suggest that our value-system has changed, and I don’t believe that’s the case.
Labor Day is the most obvious holiday to be dumped and made uniform across the country.
