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INITIAL REFLECTIONS ON THE REFORM OF THE LITURGY, Edition II


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Issued by the Archbishop of Jorenus


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INITIAL REFLECTIONS ON THE REFORM OF THE LITURGY:

OWYNISM AND MODERNITY, Edition II.

 

12th of Godfrey's Triumph, 1803 |  Vzmey and Hyff, 356 E.S.


Va ve Edlervik i ve Lendyy, 

 

Pursuant to my role as the premier theological advisor to the High Pontiff, and after receiving commission by His Holiness to inquire on the theological plausibility of liturgical reform throughout our Church, I seek to share my initial reflections in a series of letters. I shall proceed now to the topic of Owynism, a denomination which has taken a distinct life in the history and memory of the Canonist Church’s expressions of faith. It is my hope these reflections will foster a guided commitment to redress the contentious elements of the Church into a renewed harmony of meaningful liturgical forms. 

 

Revisiting the Origins of Owynism

I must admit, as a clergyman of many years, I still find it difficult to discuss Owynism, more less to define it. However, I shall endeavor (perhaps in vain) to do so here, to offer my thoughts on how we may reappropriate its cultural antecedents into liturgical reform. The one misgiving I maintain for Owynism is its vulgar representation of God's justice. Despite the prevalence of Owynist followers in human society, the historical memory of this sect evokes many things: power, fundamentalism, trauma, and even scriptural racism. Today, these topics seem to be vestiges of a bygone era, swept aside by the century of liberal positivism espoused by the Josephinist enlightenment, particularly in the Holy Orenian Empire. It seems odd to think that Owynism had a great following in current terms. 

 

I would be remiss if I did not first introduce the Exalted Owyn from scripture. Owynism is most notably associated with its militaristic elements, drawing from the raw imagery of the prophet. It is revealed in the Holy Scrolls that Exalted Owyn, son of Godwin was raised to be marshal of King Joren. In battle, he experienced an overwhelming feeling where he knelt in prayer. He was called by God who told Owyn that his people “cry out for justice and purity” (Gospel 4:23) and was given a holy blade to rid mankind of sin (Gospel 4:24). It was often practiced by Kaedreni ordermen bound by oath to their nation and faith to take up the same mandate of Exalted Owyn’s calling by God. 

 

The Order of the Hallowed Flame (and its iterations) became the standard bearer of Owynism. Founded by Cantonus Chivay in 1520, the aim of the order was to form “a militant force dedicated to the pursuit of justice.” Let me be clear as well. It is easy for us to relegate Owynism as a kind of fringe element of the Canonist flock. This is certainly not true. The Kingdom of the Westerlands during the Johannian Dynasty and its capital Bastion was a literal "bastion" of Owynism. Their faith in the flaming sword of Owyn inspired their crusade against the undead which eventually toppled their civilization. The Order of Saint Lucien in both iterations were ubiquitous militant groups which waged crusade, and successfully did they do so in tandem with other Canonist kingdoms during the Third Crusade in 1637 by Blessed High Pontiff Everard IV against pagan religions. 

 

Let us take into account the “greater” and “lesser” traditions framework of my previous letter. Taking on the scriptural elements of Exalted Owyn’s purging of Harrenites and the admonition of non-human civilizations in the Scroll of Spirit, Owynists developed a “greater” tradition of intellectually rationalizing their militancy to cleanse the world of sin by fighting against those whom they deemed “unholy”. Unholy, as such, is often a blanket label for those who do not believe in God, apostates, pagans, but also elves, mixed races beings, and many practitioners of magicks. In doing so, they developed “lesser” traditions such as the notable “hallowed flame of Owyn” which symbolizes the fire which burns away all impurities. These are by no means an accident. They are interpretations of the holy texts that took mass appeal often to the disdain of the institutional Church and political regimes. So our charge today is this: How can we reimagine liturgy from such the vulgarity of Owynist ideals in the face of multicultural societies across humanity?

 

Redefining Militancy into Worship

Divorcing such militancy, or rather devoiding Owynism of its militant aims is perhaps an immense task. I do not suggest at all that the Church should return to an era of radical purgation. The time of Owynist fundamentalism is no more, but we can learn key principles that may be appropriated once more in the life, worship, and character of the Church. Rather, for our purposes, a commission for this undertaking should seek out the true historical nature of Owynism and how it has held the religious community in the past. Our job should be to ascertain various saints and other virtuous figures of holiness that were most pertinent to Owynist believers so as to repurpose devotions to them in our contemporary Church. 

 

My key takeaway from a reexamination of Owynism are its underlying precepts—purity and justice. However, unlike historic Owynism, the love of God is not pervasive, passionate, or vulgar. God’s love is in fact tender, rational, and perfect. We as clergy must channel this into our preaching and ministry so that we might convey these charisms unto our flock. May we be reminded of these themes in our ministry and against forces of secularism, disunion, and sacrilege. We can repurpose these themes to imagine a new evangelization, a renewal of piety among the flock in our respective dioceses. A liturgy of Owynist reform should fundamentally compel the congregation to return to a state of grace, inviting the people to unionize against injustices, against human deprivation, and against destruction of natural creation. I believe Owynism should be reimagined as a gospel of justice. No longer should worship orient to a personal purification and otherness, but an invitation for all to recognize society’s collective sin and how we can move past it. Liturgy should be invoked in the patronage of important saints who have dedicated their lives to fight against injuries of the faith. It should recognize the truly Canonist calling of military service, public defense, and those who serve God in our holy places as clergy and holy knights. 




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With fidelity and love,

 

His Eminence, Benedict Cardinal Jorenus, O.W.F.

Archbishop of Jorenus, Titular Bishop of Kalden

Pontifical Secretary


 

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