Most certainly that “priest” had better be defrocked at once – if a Romanist, report the blackguard all the way up the chain until one sees him and all his sympathisers go!! If “Episcopal”, then there’s nothing to be done other than make sure his name stinks all over the nation as much as possible!!!!

[In fact, there is such a case in the Catholic Diocese of Brisbane, Australia, where the Archbishop has even been menaced with bomb threats for trying to follow through with the dismissal of a certain "Fr." Kennedy!!! If the congregation there loves that Mister so much, more than their faith, let them ALL be excommunicated and anathematised (preferably with pictures being posted in other churches of the area so that they can be denied Communion if they try elsewhere). They can as well go straight into Mr. Philip Aspinall's arms, complete with the building if and as necessary (which then I consider as profaned - truly, the Russian Orthodox solution for desecrated buildings seems more attractive as time goes on...). Also, if any want to subsequently return to Holy Mother Church, let them prove it by selling all their possessions and paying for the lost building...]

When I saw the words ‘super soaker’ and ‘Mickey Mouse’ ears involved I knew there just had to be a ‘Piskie’ involved. I was not disappointed.

The super soaker/Mickey Mouse guy is Catholic. The Episcopalian guy’s Wiccan.

Speaking of wiccan…Hallmark has produced a two-part movie about ‘good witches’.

I’m boycotting Hallmark for this and because of their line of ‘gay’ cards..

I’m extremely confused here – not about the Jesuit with the Super-Soaker (he just had to be a Jesuit, didn’t he? I actually wouldn’t mind the Super-Soaker too much, as an aspergillum can’t do the job of reaching past the front row, but the Mickey Mouse ears and the tie-dye vestments are right out of order), but the Episcopalian guy.

According to the linked newspaper reports, he’s been in trouble with the diocese back in 1993 for various things described as “vocational immaturity” – is he now a fully-fledged Wiccan or what? And has the bishop of the New York diocese changed, or is it the same man as back in ’93?

I mean, if he was engaging in ‘prophetic activity’ back then such as “allowing a lay person to celebrate Mass in his church” (though the waters are muddied here as further down it says this was an ex-RC priest who had been refused Episcopal ordination, which means that he wasn’t purely a layperson), as well as “using the sanctuary for blessing same-sex unions and in the consecration of bishops from “schismatic churches” (which ones would those be, I wonder?), on top of the allegation last June that he was involved with the Latin Kings gang, then you can’t be too surprised at what happens next.

Though these kinds of thing make me wonder, Christopher: are our denominations engaged in some kind of Stupidity Arms Race?

Fuinseoig, may I dare try a partial answer to your question? I dare say that Satan’s purely-evil activity is getting so intense as his deposition is about to become effective (with the Return of Our Lord) that he’s “pulling out all the stops” to get as much of his job done. In the meantime, those who’re not of the elect are therefore via their master’s activity being incited to display their wretchedness all the more ‘ad absurdum’…

Well, I’ve been trying to track down something about the Rev. Luis because I am wondering did he really, truly, actually say “Our Goddess”?

I can’t find anything apart from the John Jay College website:

“The Rev. Luis Barrios, PhD, is an Associate Professor of psychology and ethnic studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the City University of New York. He has also served as the chair of the Department of Latin American and Latina/o Studies. Since 1988, Dr. Barrio has been a columnist for El Diario La Prensa in New York City, one of the oldest Spanish newspapers in the United States. He is the co-editor with Louis Kontos and David C. Brotherton of Gangs and Society: Alternative Perspective (2003-Columbia University) and co-author with David C. Brotherton of Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation: Street Politics and the Transformation of a New York City Gang (2004-Columbia University). Dr. Barrios is also the author of Josconiando: Dimensiones Sociales y políticas de la espiritualidad (2000-Editorial Aguiar) and Pitirreando: De la desesperanza a la esperanza (2004-Editorial Edil). In addition, Fr. Barrios is a priest in good standing in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. He is also the associate priest at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in West Harlem and the spiritual advisor for the Iglesia San Romero de Las Américas-UCC in the Washington Heights community. He is an active member of Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO)-Pastor for Peace Board of Directors.”

I tried the Episcopal Diocese of New York site – nothing helpful there (though I note youse guys have three bishops for the diocese – huh?). And that answered my question about was there a different bishop back in ’93: yes, there was, and it looks like the Rev. Barrios either got moved from St. Anne’s in the Bronx to St. Mary’s in West Harlem or decided to move on himself.

I then tried the St. Mary’s site and again, nothing. Not even a mention of Luis. It looks fairly moderate Episcopalian from a cursory glance – very big on inclusivity, while at the same time harking back to a kind of Anglophilic nostalgia in its historic roots. No overt mention of goddesses of any description.

So I’m stumped. For all I know, or can find out to the contrary, the man could either have been severely misquoted, or he equally could be conducting full-bore candomble or santeria rites on the altar every Sunday.

Looks like the complete source of Fr. Barrios’s statement is here: http://wcw-nyc.blogspot.com/2009/02/statement-by-luis-barrios-concerning.html

Unfortunately, campus ministry is often a refuge for scoundrels. Possibly in part because real priests are needed in and assigned to parishes.

Though why there would be a need to bless it (with water?) is beyond me, no, I would not so much mind a Super Soaker. I consider it a privilege to have the pages that have my Asperges me and Vidi aquam chants on them completely rippled.

Fuinseoig -

Asperges, at least in my experience, involves the priest processing up and down the aisle(s) with the aspergillum (or, as my priest did one year, a spring of hyssop), which pretty much does reach all spots, except the choir loft, where we pretty much pretend he aimed at us. The sad part is that most people don’t know what to do, and stand there like bumps on a pew.

But surely this is no worse than the infamous Barney Mass

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHi_VZLtcQ8

Or the infamous dancing puppets:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2012552/posts

The really good news is that college kids recognize crap when they see it.

I keep going into moderation. What did I do to offend?

Nothing. It seems to be a little on the arbitrary side sometimes.

Sometimes I slip and let the browser fill in any old electronic address it wants. An unrecognized (“new”) address puts me back into moderation. I think that all of my absentminded variations have now been approved, though.

“The really good news is that college kids recognize crap when they see it.”

As evidenced by the large number of empty seats that are visible in the photographs.

I think including a hyperlink automatically triggers moderation.

In this game, the Amglicans aren’t going to let themselves be beat. They’re always going to have an ace and four face cards up their sleeves, and they’ll all be the same colour.

Oh, boy. Thanks for the letter, Christopher; that clears it up.

Well, I don’t know what to say. Who is “our Goddess”? The feminine-face-of-God? Gaia? Yemanja? If he means “Our Lady” as in the name of St. Mary’s, permit me to get in line to whomp him with my rosary beads.

I think he’s got the Dante quote wrong too; the hottest place in Hell is not reserved for the morally neutral (the hottest in Dante’s “Inferno” is either the Seventh Circle, the river Phlegethon, filled with boiling blood, where the violent, the assassins, the tyrants, and the war-mongers suffer, or the Eigth Circle where one of the divisions is the Malebolge of boiling pitch for the barrators). But that’s a very minor quibble in face of the whole thing.

He namechecks the Venerable Oscar Romero as his spiritual guide. I wish he would indeed by guided by him; working for justice need not involve inventing your own religion and denying Christianity.

Daniel, I’m with you on that. When we’re getting sprinkled, dang it, I want to feel that water hitting me!

FW Ken, I wish every priest would process and do a thorough job. Unfortunately (see above) most of the times I’ve been there, they just dip and sprinkle from the steps of the altar and only the first row gets the benefit.

And since a sprig of hyssop, or a sop of straw will equally do validly for dispensing the water, in principle something along the lines of a Super Soaker is not beyond the pale. Some inventive Catholic could surely work up a mock-Gothic version more appropriate?

As for the rest of it – I hope (and it seems like) the Mass was performed without any stunts (e.g. glass vessels, loaves of bread broken into chunks, inclusive liturgical language avoiding all “He”, “Himself” and “Son” language, lay preaching, lay presiding, and so on and so forth). As long as the rubrics were followed, I could live with tye-dyed vestments (we’ve all seen the bad fashion everywhere).

The Mickey Mouse ears and that, though: highly silly and inappropriate. I won’t push it any further than that, since the priest may have meant well. Foolishness is less blameworthy than malice.

Oh, well: at least he blessed it before he used it! Put it into Latin, and it would sound better: all you scholars, correct me, but doesn’t something along the lines of “Lavatum Magnum” sound more the thing?

Fr. Barrios sounds like the “radical priest” mentioned by Paul Simon in Me and Julio. That being said, I will move on.

He disclaims any narcissistic motives for his actions. I am somewhat skeptical, but I might give him a pass on that. What is very clear to me is that the man is a very radical Marxist who is filled with the idea of his fellow Hispanics as being the Victims of Capitalistic Oppression and Aggression™.

I just wonder how many of the “compañria/os political prisoners” from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the United States that he names in the next to last paragraph are terrorists. I noticed in particular the name of Mumia Abul-Jamal, the famous freedom fighter.

In short, this guy is a dangerous radical, who is far from being a lunatic. He is a calculating Revolutionary and is not to be trusted. That he teaches at a university in the state of New York is not surprising at all. I notice that Fuinseoig has dug up some great literature written by this fruitcake. He seems to be all for Latin-American street gangs.

What a prize. Isn’t it just great that he is also an Episcopal priest?

I’m amazed – AMAZED, I tell you. Why isn’t this super-soaker guy in charge of a major Catholic University?