Iudaes

Manfried Cardinal St. Julia would be informed a few days after Minerva's death. He would pray for a friend that night, that she would ascend to the Seven Skies and proceeded to prepare things for a funeral the next day. "May she find peace, absolved of sin and cleansed of error in the Seven Skies."

The Archbishop of Godvinus would descend from his office in the upper levels of the Basilica, finding himself on the ground floor among his brothers. His finger tips stained with ink and eyes marked with dark circles after many sleepless nights, he would genuflect before the High Pontiff, refraining from kissing his ring and therefore marking the Holy Father's hand too with the ink. Nevertheless, he soon found a seat where one was left before his tired gaze drew over the papers before him, marked with the Pontifical seal. After an hour or two passed of reading and analyzing the document along with discussion with the fellows of Priesthood nearby, Cardinal St. Julia made his comment, "I would have to agree with Cardinal Reimar on the matter. However, I lean more so in favor of the age of majority remaining sixteen. I believe it best to retain the precedent set by the authors High Pontiff Daniel VI and High Pontiff Pontian III of the last iteration of Canon Law. Otherwise, I have no other qualms and approve of the document in it's current state with the hope that the age of majority be edited to reflect such. It has my vote in favor."

THE CURRICULUM OF CANONIST THEOLOGY
For the Better Education of the Laymen

In Cooperation between the Imperial University and Archdiocesan Administration of Godvinus.

INTRODUCTION

“Let us be reminded that the eternal wisdom of GOD is the core of the nations, the culmination of all thought, the Law of men, and the ark of deliverance from all ignorance and heresy.”
BL. HIGH PONTIFF EVERARD IV
Encyclical: Aeterna Sapientia

It is through God that all nations should be founded, for it is only through God that a virtuous and righteous nation may rise and it is in the absence of God that one of ignorance and heresy may prosper. It is through God that the wisdom of the one truth graces us and it is in the absence of that wisdom that division and selfishness, chaos and deceit may reign supreme.

It is this idea of God’s wisdom that is uncovered and developed in the late High Pontiff’s encyclical, Aeterna Sapientia, writing on the fact that where God is absent is where sin and vice fester like an open wound. Now, God cannot be absent until the reaches of the Void where even His light does not touch the damned souls of the Denier’s realm, however, the beatified Everard speaks on something different. Not on the absence of God Himself by His own volition but the absence of His word by the free will of mankind. 

It is this choice made by man that means their downfall and so, it is through this class of the Imperial University that I hope God’s wisdom, of which has been bestowed unto us through His Prophets, shall remain ever strong and surmounted in the life of the common Orenian. Forever to be the foundation of the nation deriving it’s crown from the very Exalted who were endowed with the authority by God to safeguard that divine wisdom.

INSTRUCTION

Instructors
His Eminence, Archbishop Manfried Cardinal St. Julia

Teacher’s Assistants
To be decided

THE CONTENT OF THE COARSE

Learning Objectives

• Identify each of the four Scrolls and the teachings therein.
• Understand a wealth of interpretations used by the Church on the Holy Scrolls.
• Understand the stations of the Exalted, Saints, Blessed, and Venerated.
• Understand the station of the Church and its importance.
• Observe the usage and elaboration of interpretations through the Theses of the Priesthood.
• Understand the intricacies of heresy and heathenism and so on and so forth.

Coursework
The coursework of a student in my class will be little and homework assignments will rarely be given. The main objective of a student should be to attend lectures on the Scrolls, participate during these lectures, and use the teachings therein to identify a topic for a mock Thesis they shall write at the end of this course. This mock Thesis will emulate the Theses written by Acolytes in preparation for ordination and will require a certain level of theological thought and a clear understanding of the topic chosen by the student. 

Participation will count for the majority of your grade, being 60%. This consists of the attendance of lectures and their activeness in the class at hand (asking questions, being involved, etc), as well as any homework assignments I may give. The remainder of that will be towards your final assessment, your mock Thesis which will consist of 40% of your grade.

Class Content

Class I: Studying the Holy Scrolls

• Consists of thorough study of Scripture and identifying key subjects within the Holy texts as well as elaborating on interpretations of certain lines of verses therein.

Class II: Legenda Sanctorum or the Lives of the Saints

• Consists of study of the Legenda Sanctorum, the codified lives of the canonized, beatified and venerable of the Church as written by Bl. High Pontiff Daniel VI (identifying what makes a Saint, study of the lives of Saints, and instruction on the process of canonization, beatification, and veneration).

Class III: The Church of Canon

• Consists of study on the Church’s history, the High Pontiffs of the past, the station of High Pontiff, the College of Cardinals and Diocesan Administration, etc. To instruct on the importance of the Church and the Prophetic Authority of the Laurel and perhaps delve into the intricacies of dogma and doctrine and so on and so forth.

Class IV: Heretics and Heathens

• Consists of study on what the Church combats and why the integrity of virtue and godliness is so important in this day and age. Looking back at heretics of the past, the allowance of the gentile races to worship other Gods and why Humans are always and must be Canonists.

Final Assessment
The final assessment for the major of Canonism is the mock Thesis which students will write after proper instruction in theological thought and Canonism. They will have to select a topic of their choosing to write on and this final assessment will then be graded on it’s accuracy, as well as the observance of proper understanding of the curriculum as well as a good elaboration on interpretations taught in class. To prepare students for this, they will receive various examples of Acolyte’s Theses throughout and at the end of the course so that they can formulate their own Thesis with guidance from the budding Priests of the Church. We too however remind the laymen and the students here that this is and remains a mock Thesis and interpretation of Scripture should not occur outside of class nor outside the purview of a Priest. It is the interpretation of Scripture that is reserved solely for the Priesthood and it is this mock Thesis which simply allows the students to learn through work and experience. Therefore, it should be written on existing interpretations.

The final assessment will be graded out of 40 points and will count in your average as those 40 points.

Grading
To restate, participation and attendance make up 60% of your grade and the final assessment makes up 40% of your grade. Your average will consist of 100 points and 70 points out of that 100 will count as passing the course. So, in essence, even if you only get 10 points on your final assessment, as long as you participated and attended lectures and received 60/60 in participation, you will pass (barely).

WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE IMPERIAL UNIVERSITY

AND THE IMPRIMATUR OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF GODVINUS

IN NOMINE PATRIS

PRIMA MINOR BULLA, DE GODVINUS
THE FIRST MINOR BULL OF GODVINUS
11th of Harren’s Folly, 1798

From the desk of His Eminence Manfried, Cardinal St. Julia,
Archbishop of Godvinus, Archbishop Metropolitan of Providence,
Prelate for the Canonist Priesthood, and Legate to the Holy Orenian Empire.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
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SECTION I - Greetings and Benediction
SECTION II - Organization of Providence
SECTION III -  Organization of Dobrov 
SECTION IV - Organization of Esbec
SECTION V - Plans for Sutica
SECTION VI - The Recruitment Drive
SECTION VII - The Placement of the Wigbrechtians
SECTION VIII - Message of Goodwill and Conclusion
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I

Oh Lord, God on high. We, Your humble servants vow to remain eternally loyal to You, eternally devout in our worship and eternally steadfast in our service. We, Your faithful, accepted into the loving bosom of Your light through Your mercy, shall be molded by Your scripture, the Holy Scrolls, forever to hear it as the one truth, the only truth, the eternal and unchanging truth. We shall serve as the pillars of this great path we tread, readied by the wombs of our mothers, carried into this terra by the blessings You have imparted upon those who follow in the footsteps of Saint Julia, Lord Godani. We, the pious, the devout, the faithful shall mold this world in the image of virtue, just as we are molded by the Scrolls You had imparted upon the Exalted, ever to be cherished and adhered to as the servants of You, Our Lord. We make this solemn vow in communion with the blessed Church of Canon. May we be made worthy of the Seven Skies through the scripture and holy teachings gifted to us by You, God. In Nomine Patris, Amen!
 
Greetings and Benediction, brothers and sisters. May the utmost of God’s blessings eternally reach you and may the Saints intercede on the behalf of you and your’s as we walk the path of virtue and righteousness in the name of our Lord, the Almighty and Eternal, God.

II
 

It is with great pride that we of the Archdiocese of Godvinus hold the capital of the Holy Orenian Empire as the episcopal seat of our Archbishopric. With this said, the administration of the Archdiocese will be operated within the walls of Providence and such meetings in regards to the workings of the Archdiocese thereof will be held within the Basilica of the Ascent of Exalted Godfrey. Too shall the majority of the recruitment for the Archdiocese be performed here, such Acolytes of the Church then assigned to Providence or the various other settlements which find themselves under our purview.

PROVIDENCE ROSTER:

• His Eminence, Manfried Cardinal St. Julia
• His Grace, Coadjutor Bishop Bram
• Father Pelagius

III

With the expansion of the once Metropolitanate of Helena into the Archdiocese of Godvinus, it is the necessary duty of our office as endowed unto us by the Apostolic Seal of His Holiness to organize the newly added settlements under our care. Therefore, with our seal placed upon this document, we hereby do affirm Father Dima as a Father of Dobrov and currently the sole Priest there due to his relations to the ruling family and therefore his familiarity with the lands under their control. He is charged with administering mass and the Sacraments in Dobrov and caring for his flock with the tender care of a father. He is too charged to reach out to prospective candidates for the Priesthood and encourage them to travel to Providence for further recruitment and training or train them in Dobrov itself if his schedule permits. He shall be where the seed of the church within Dobrov sprouts from and we congratulate him on his ordination and appointment.

DOBROV ROSTER:

• Father Dima

IV
 

The organization of the province of Esbec is currently underway and we stress the further importance for the recruitment of new Acolytes in the Archdiocese so as to fill our provinces with Priests capable of administering to our most beloved flock. Once roads are constructed for safe travel between the seat of the Archdiocese and Esbec, a trip to the settlement of Esbec by I, the Archbishop, will be made so as to acquaint myself with the good people of the province and perform any necessary Sacraments at that time. We hope that soon enough, our Archdiocese’s lands may be filled with the men of the cloth needed to fully function in our mission to spread the word of God throughout our episcopal territories. 

V

With the Vice Chancellor of God’s Church reaffirmed as Bishop of Sutica by His Holiness, it is our goal in the coming years to begin the work of the Church within the walls of Sutica once again. Therefore, it is our hope that in the coming weeks and months, we may meet with those in government and administration of the Kingdom so as to strengthen the episcopal seat of His Eminence, Amadeus Cardinal Sutica and once again see the word of God preached within Sutican borders. In this effort, the Archbishopric of Godvinus will be working closely with the Bishopric of Sutica to see the preferred conclusion to this matter which shall be discussed in detail between relevant parties in time.

SUTICAN ROSTER:

• His Eminence, Amadeus Cardinal Sutica

VI

((Ascension to the Cloth Page))

It is in these first few years of our time in Almaris that the Archdiocese prepares it’s administration for a revitalization of our efforts in service to God. Yet, while it is through the hands of one that much can be achieved, it is only through the hands of the many that God’s vision can be fulfilled. It is through the cooperation of the nations that we defeated the Inferi. Through the cooperation of our peoples that we endured the travels from Arcas to Almaris and it is through the efforts of all the virtuous that Iblees’s defeat will be brought about as foretold in the Scroll of Auspice. So too then is it through the efforts of masses of Priests that service to God through the Church can be fulfilled. That His word can be safeguarded and that the Sacraments may be administered and the flocks of Almaris guided by their shepherds.

With that said, it is the Archdiocese of Godvinus that is in need of budding Priests. Of Acolytes who wish to devote themselves to this life of humble servitude to the Lord Almighty and to the station of most import, being a shepherd over mankind. It is through the Priest that a settlement can be guided but it is through him and his fellow brothers of cloth that the Church can function and the wheels of the many dioceses can turn. 

Therefore, we of the administration of this Archdiocese ask those who wish to join us in this blessed mission to approach one of us or correspond with us through letter. It is through the hands of the many that we may endure and it is through the hands of the many that we may serve.

VII

It is natural with our Coadjutor Bishop being the Abbot of the Wigbrechtians that the Metropolitanate of Providence would be meant to be a great headquarters for their esteemed monastic order. Therefore, it is our pleasure to assist the Wigbrechtian Order in their efforts to find a suitable home for their members stationed in the city of Providence and too look forward to working closely with their members in order to bring about the great charitable efforts which the order has grown famed for. It is our hope that in their devotion to the monastic way of life and the values of humility and altruism that the poor shall be lifted up from their states of poverty and the people of Providence, wealthy or poor will be lifted up in spiritual virtue. We look forward to working alongside you.

VIII
 

This is our Archdiocese’s first Bull here in Almaris and I pray that it shall mark a beginning of great progress and acts of great godliness. That it shall spark a sense of virtue and a movement forward. It has been two years since our move here from Arcas to this new continent of His Creation and even after the span of two years, we are still adapting. It is still necessary to get used to this new way of things and it is the Mother Church, filled to the brim with the spiritual Fathers of our Lord’s children that shall help us adapt through the goodness of God. It is in God that all things move and live and have their being and so, it is through God that we shall endure; just as the first of His Creation endured during the assault of Iblees or the virtuous dead in ages to come during the Denier’s final breaths.

It is through God that we shall move on and I hope that we may deliver the virtue of God; His love and His care to His most good and godly children. May He bless you all with health, wisdom, and strength and may we all move forwards with the spirit of endurance through the Church.

SIGNED WITH THE LOVE OF A FATHER,

YOUR SERVANT

Fr. Manfried

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A reminder would be sent alongside the Bull that this is not the equivalent of a Golden Bull issued by the High Pontiff and is instead a Bull sent by the head of a diocese to report on the progress and occurrences within the diocese thereof.

Theodore Napier
1778

Maela Frostfire
1778

Location of Ceremony - Basilica of the Ascent of Exalted Godfrey

Date of Ceremony (Year) - 1797

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony - Manfried Cardinal St. Julia

Tuvya Carrion-Tuvyic
1781

Josephine Natalya Othaman
1781

Location of Ceremony - Basilica of the Ascent of Exalted Godfrey

Date of Ceremony (Year) - 1797

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony - Manfried Cardinal St. Julia

4 hours ago, Papa Liam said:

[!] The aged Abeyot entered the Basilica, sitting with the Priest.

 

“Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
"Abeyot Okoro, sir."

 

“And your age?”
"Fifty-two."

 

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
"I'm a Southeron, sir."

 

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
"I am an educated man, yes."

 

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
"My father was a devout Canonist man, Father."

 

“You are of course baptized?”
"Of course."

 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
"No, you've got's to have hair and a sense of humor for that, I hear."

 

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
"As a Priest."

 

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”

"I'd like to remain in New Reza, if at all possible."

 

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
"After my career as journalist and political activist fell through, blacksmithing grew tiresome on my old arms, and I began to realize that I've been livin' my entire life agitated and obsessed over earthly possessions and disputes. The life of the cloth is sure to show me the path to bein' content."

 

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”
"I am His loyal adherent."

Accepted and assigned to the Archdiocese of Jorenus, the Bishopric of Petrovic (New Reza). Please contact me at _GoldWolf_#9851 over discord. @Papa Liam

After having written many letters and started a few more Theses he had planned that day, Cardinal St. Julia shook out his sore and cramping hand, his one and only. The Archbishop, deciding not to take up the quill again, looked upon the bookcases filled with theological works above his desk. Manfried mulled over the thought of picking up one before he frowned, knowing he had read them already over his decade in this small residence at the Basilica, "If only the Pontifical Library was closer, mmph." Nevertheless, he turned to the newspaper recently placed upon his desk by an Acolyte, plucking it up and beginning to read over the interview in his spare time. As he usually did with what he was reading, he had found himself at the end of the interview in his bedroom itself, having been lead there by the few chores he had been doing as he read the contents of the paper. He had finished with a smile, "Good, good. A source of media that portrayed an interviewee well. His Holiness does indeed deserve such recognition after such a long and righteous tenure. Mm.. and perhaps this newspaper does too." Manfried would soon seek out a subscription if possible, praying he didn't have to run all the way to Kaedrin to get the next issue.

6 hours ago, Aquila said:

“Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
Martinus Crowley.

 

“And your age?”
23

 

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
Human

 

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
Aye, I was taught by the Priests in the Diocese of Helena.

 

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
Aye.

 

“You are of course baptized?”
Of course...

 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
Nay, I am not married and I do not plan on having children, my life is dedicated to the Lord and those are mere distractions from the Lord's plan for me.

 

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
A Priest.

 

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”

In the Holy Orenian Empire... Preferably Helena or Haense.

 

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
I have chosen this path as the Lord has always guided me through times of strife, the Priesthood has made me who I am and I shall dedicate my life to this cause. I hope to help lost souls and use the Scrolls to guide them to a better life, a holy life.

 

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”
Aye, I am prepared for anything.

 

“Wonderful, then that should be all.” he says as he gestures you out of the office with a smile, “This shall be brought to His Eminence, Manfried. You shall hear word of your acceptance and placement soon enough.” he nods before saying finally, “God bless you.” as you walk out and say so in return.

Accepted and assigned to the Helena Diocese.

59 minutes ago, Nectorist said:

“Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
"Peter Reeves."

 

“And your age?”
"Just turned seventeen."

 

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
"Human, of course. Not a drop of anything else in me."

 

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
"I may not be the best at it, but I can well enough."

 

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
"Wouldn't be here if I wasn't. I'm no expert, but I know more than the average man."

 

“You are of course baptized?”
"Yes."

 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
"I'd hope not! I'm far too young for any of that."

 

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
"I think the priestly path suits me better."

 

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”

"I wouldn't be against going wherever I'd be needed most, but the Imperial heartlands are my home."

 

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
"For years now I've had no idea who I was. I know I'm young, but my life certainly wasn't an easy one, and I had no clue what I would, or even could, do with my life. However, even in my misery, a path, no doubt laid out by God, was illuminated before me. I am resolute now; I now have a purpose in life I know I must fulfill, for it is in service to Him."

 

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”

"Absolutely."

 

“Wonderful, then that should be all.” he says as he gestures you out of the office with a smile, “This shall be brought to His Eminence, Manfried. You shall hear word of your acceptance and placement soon enough.” he nods before saying finally, “God bless you.” as you walk out and say so in return.

Accepted. Friend me over discord at _GoldWolf_#9851 so we can talk please. 

PASTORAL LETTER
 - The Donning of the Cloth -
Addressed to the Laymen of Helena

From the desk of His Eminence Manfried, Cardinal St. Julia,
Archbishop Metropolitan of Helena and Prelate for the Canonist Priesthood.

Blessings be upon you!

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It is through the Prophets in ages past that the Canonist Church was formed, endowed with the ability through His Exalted to preach, teach, and interpret the Scripture of God and too safeguard His word for centuries to come. And so, in this duty divinely granted to us, we have fulfilled. We have, throughout the ages, held up high with great reverence and worship His eternal and holy word, the one and only truth, the Holy Scrolls. It is throughout the ages that we have interpreted His Scripture to better suit the needs of the faithful and therefore instructed the laity in the virtues of God and ensured that they are guided onto the path of salvation. And it is through the many ages of our institution’s existence that we have been a testament to God’s love, caring for the faithful as Fathers and bearing on our shoulders the great burden but too, immense honor of being the caretakers of the laymen and of the Dioceses which have grown most large and profound in the centuries of which our Church and faith have progressed, stretching far and wide throughout His Creation, impeded only by the pagan nations which stand at the outskirts of Canonist territories. 

However, the age old issue rears its head again. The Church needs numbers. Just as the armies of mankind required numbers to strike the final blow against the Inferi mere months ago, the Church has, does, and will always require numbers to dully fulfill our job to preach, teach, and safeguard His word, forever caring for the common layman and raising each and everyone of His servants high in virtue. It is clear in the Scroll of Auspice that God’s work is not done through the hands of one but many faithful, “Lo! The virtuous dead are descending, and at their fore are the sons of spirit, and the sons of the first man and woman. And leading them is Horen renewed, and he ordains the estates of their armies.” (Auspice 2:5-6) The virtuous dead are descending! Millions upon millions of those who have come and gone through the beautiful and eternal cycle of life of which God has instituted marching from the heavens to battle for the fate of the world.

It is clear in this verse of the Holy Scrolls that the many, not the few, are needed to complete God’s work upon this terra and truly fulfill His mission. That is not to demean the individual but instead support them with their fellow brothers. Our faith is about unity and what shall a Church with one individual have? Unity with themselves? Nay, they need brother Priests and sister nuns to assist them in the evangelization of the unknowing and the instruction of the enlightened. It will not be by the hands of one Priest that all the laymen are taken care of but by the hands of many Priests which make up our holy Mother Church. We are not omnipotent like God I assure you, but we can be somewhat alike to His image, (forever imperfect of course, as we are but servants before the Lord) but more capable than before, if we are to preach the word together.

So, I tell you this. The Metropolitanate of Helena is in need of Priests and it is the purpose of this Pastoral to encourage you to join the Priesthood as an Acolyte. While I have of course said throughout this letter that the Priesthood is a burden upon one’s shoulders, it is not a burden without reward. God creates tests and burdens. However, He rewards those who succeed with His love and goodness. For instance, the choice between the mortal temptations and His fruit of virtue. We are inclined to go with the former for the temptations are our natural inclinations, however it is God who created the latter and through that, we are challenged by this choice and yet granted the goodness of God and eternal salvation if we take up this test.

And so, that is the nature of the Priesthood. The salvation of an entire Diocese and flock is a heavy burden on our shoulders. Yet, the rewards of virtue and the goodness of caring for your fellow man is enough to warm the soul and start the flame in your stomach, fueling you to defend them, instruct them, and love them. To admonish them when they are wrong and yet, pick them back up onto their feet in the image of God and His mercy. It is a most kindly and good way of life, molded by God and His ever-eternal word. 

We of the Priesthood are but humble workers in the vineyard of the Lord, tending to the fruits of virtue and forever guiding away the laymen from the vineyard of the Denier. We forever take care to live a peaceful life, a virtuous life, a loving life in the image of Him and serve Him until our final breath in the way of virtue. While this certainly is not a life for everyone, God calls to some to take up the shepherd’s crozier and guide His children towards eternal paradise with Him in the afterlife and later the end of times. God gives us signs, God leads us in certain directions, we are all in God’s hands. And so, it is by the grace of God that the few, but many are lifted and molded in virtue, to become humble servants to Himself and His children. I ask of you, does He call you? Do you feel Him guiding you to the blessed Priesthood? If you decide so, I shall be waiting.

Find me or any Priest at the Basilica of the Final Revelation to be inducted into the Priesthood.
I encourage any heavily to take this offer. It is truly a beautiful way of life.

“UNITATIS IN NOSTRA AETATE”
UNITY IN OUR TIME

SIGNED WITH THE LOVE OF A FATHER,
YOUR SERVANT,

Father Manfried

((Recruitment forum page for the Priesthood if you want to use this. Specifically looking for Acolytes for Helena and Kaedrin there!))

Prelate for the Priesthood, His Eminence Manfried Cardinal St. Julia, puts his stamp of approval on the document. The Acolyte is readied for ordination or any next step which his direct superior sees fit.

((Specifically looking for Acolytes for the Helena Diocese, as well as any interested in Kaedrin. Archdiocese of Jorenus (Haense) is generally full so a limited number of Acolytes will be sent there. Please join!))

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Addressed to His Holiness and the ordained men of the cloth,
Blessings be upon you

It is in these years of our Lord that we come together to discuss and debate on interpretational matters which face the Holy Mother Church, endowed the Prophetic Authority to interpret the Scripture of which we uphold. Not to demean the word of God but to better it’s understanding in the minds of the lay faithful.  It is with this that it is our necessary duty to bring our attention to matters which bring due cause to alter doctrine of our Church and to safeguard the infallible dogma of which was established centuries ago during the Pontificates of St. High Pontiff Sixtus IV and High Pontiff Everard III. 

Therefore, I find myself in the midst of both a joyous occasion and too dogmatic and doctrinal predicaments of which I shall address Aengulic Free Will firstly among them.

After a most enlightening debate with His Grace, Bishop Benedict of Petrovic, while we may disagree, I have organized my thoughts after months of pondering. While his opinions may differ in this discussion of our Church, I shall write in support of the dogmatic interpretations of which we uphold in present times. Firstly, I shall define free will in relation to our faith. When one has free will, of which we mortals have and too Daemons, it is the choice between good or evil, virtue or sin, God or Iblees. Simply put, the absence of free will is not mindless slavery but simply purity of soul, incapable of sin and cleansed in the waters of the Lord so as to be virtuous and morally just and good. It comes to mind that if Iblees were not to have seeped into the depths of the Void, sin would not exist. We would not be tempted by these mortal fruits and instead be eternally morally good and virtuous. Righteous always in our mission to worship God and serve Him faithfully and dutifully. 

So, it was the Daemons who turned into Demons and too, some remained Daemons, turning their back on the betrayer and instead serving God. This is the embodiment of free will. The choice between good or evil. However, it was not the Aenguls who turned to Iblees, but they who remained with the Lord, serving Him on various occasions to bring about His Divine Will on a terra viciously attacked by the Denier and his servants. It comes to mind the question. Why did God bestow unto the Daemons free will and not the Aenguls? Why is it that the Daemons were given the right to choose but the Aenguls were not?

To this, I surmount an irrefutable truth. God is beyond time, outside of it. He knows all that was, is, and is soon to be. It is in His everlasting wisdom that He knew before Creation was ever rendered, this. Iblees would betray Him and so would many of the Daemons who he reigned over. So, this irrefutable truth answers our question, with some supporting evidence from the Holy Scrolls. “And the Aengul said “Here, I crown you. And you are His prophet.” (Gospel 2:38), “But the Aengul Aeriel descended, and he was preceded by a ringing clarion. Iblees was weakened, and the brothers cast him out, and his army fell into the Void with him.” (Gospel 2:65-66) It is seen in these two verses of Scripture, through the actions of Aenguls Tesion and Aeriel, that they serve God in the face of the Denier. Perhaps Gospel, Book of Horen, Verses 65 and 66 are the most extreme of the pair, casting attention to the service of Aengul Aeriel. When the Aengul descended from the heavens and cast out Iblees, saving His Prophet and the brothers from iniquity.

It becomes clear that with God’s predestination of the past, present, and future, perhaps God created the Aenguls pure of soul so as to serve as instruments of His Divine Will in the face of Iblees. For He surely knew of his betrayal and He surely knew of his actions against the brothers and so He created the Aenguls to intercede for Him on earth and defend the mortal souls from iniquity.

However, such individuals as the Xannic Paladins become an issue in speaking of the veneration of Aenguls. Of course, veneration in the ways we venerate and revere Saints is acceptable, however the Knights of Xan and other such groups are bestowed Aengulic powers. Now, to this, I bring to question some morally questionable actions of the Knights of Xan, specifically bringing the Church’s attention to this document sent along with my letter, An Open Letter to the Paladins of Xan, written by Tanith. It is clear that God bestowed unto Daemons and too, us mortals, free will and it is too clear that no one but God can erase His gifts. The gifts of Aenguls like Xan can simply enhance our capabilities through power unbeknownst to many of us, the majority incapable of producing such things without Aengulic intercession. 

So, it becomes clear that the gifts of Aenguls can make no elf, dwarf, orc, or Human purely virtuous as they are. Therefore, just as Iblees and the Daemons twisted and corrupted the gift of free will bestowed unto them by God, so too can morally reprehensible mortals twist the gifts they were endowed with by Aenguls. With that comes a dangerous predicament, essentially bestowing unto mortals, easily tempted by sin, the capabilities to defeat and harm most others in their path. To corrupt the gifts of Aenguls into tools of malevolence and morally imperfect behavior. 

Such being said, I am not convinced that the groups such as the Xannic Paladins should indeed be endorsed by the Church so easily. It could even be said that such groups themselves are being puppeted by a demon who pretends to be one of virtue, tricking them just as Iblees did the encampment of Horen. The Church cannot be too careful in that matter and so, while I believe it is completely suitable for veneration of Aenguls such as Aeriel and Tesion to be commonplace, they serving as righteous exemplars of virtue, it must be said that other such Aenguls, never even to be mentioned in the Holy Scrolls should be held to the same standard. Even permitting mortals to accept gifts from these Aenguls with no confirmation of their virtue by Scripture.

Secondly, I shall address the apparitions in Haense and the identification of a virtuous, Saintly soul.

To this, I defer much to my brother, Bishop Petrovic for he is certainly much more experienced on the topic then I. Such spectres, by the suggestion of His Grace certainly cannot be permitted to wander Haense. If they truly do seek to continue a life of sin and harm through haunting, they must be vehemently denied the ability to taunt the living. It is in the Scroll of Auspice that the armies of the dead and sinful souls of Iblees’s army return to His Creation in order to corrupt the world and rule without Him. These spectres, unsatisfactory in their mission, must not be permitted to persist among the living. 

On the topic of guidelines for the identification of canonized souls, I too defer much to Bishop Petrovic’s suggestions. Just as the initial process of canonization, we must treat returning souls who claim to be of virtuous and Saintly origin with great scrutiny in order to determine their true purpose for returning to this terra of our’s. We have great texts of the Saint’s actions and lives. We must reference those to how they act now and truly distinguish between a true Saint and a deceiving soul. 

Lastly, I address swiftly the Azdrazi. 

To this, I again too defer to Bishop Petrovic and my brothers in faith. The corruption of these souls and their mortal bodies in return for their submitting to Azdromoth must not be permitted and should surely be condemned by the Mother Church. We should rid our terra of this ruinous power and it begins with the outspoken voice of the Prophetic Wisdom which the bearer of the Laurel holds.

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Signed with a Dutiful Heart and Soul,

Manfried Cardinal St. Julia
Archbishop Metropolitan of Helena
Prelate for the Priesthood

Full Name of Man - Lorenzo d’Amato

Date of Birth of Man - 1761

Name of Woman - Lizaveta Orlov

Date of Birth of Woman – 1764

Location of Ceremony - Basilica of the Final Revelation, Helena

Date of Ceremony (Year) - 1791

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony - Manfried

AN EPISTLE
On Homosexuality and the Concerns Thereof

-AUTHORED BY-

Prelate for the Priesthood
Cardinal St. Julia
 
Horen’s Calling, 1791

 
I

In recent months, two Public Letters to His Holiness, Successor of the High Priesthood, High Pontiff James II have been published in order to ask for a clarification and answer in regards to concerns on homosexual relations. With that, this Epistle is addressed to the anonymous God’s Faithful Daughter and all readers who seek guidance on the matter. It is clear that you, God’s Faithful Daughter, in seeking out this matter’s answer and too speaking so highly of God’s Love, are a dutiful and faithful Canonist. One who regards the Church highly and simply wishes to serve the Lord through Her. And so, it is you, God’s Faithful Daughter who brings forth questions as to the interpretational doctrine of the Church in regards to the homosexuality and to that, I offer you an answer. May God bless you and defend you from sin and may my writings succeed in doing their intention. To guide you as a father so you do not stray from the path of His blessed fruit.

II

I wish to begin this Epistle with the most obvious quotations from the Blessed Scripture, the Holy Scrolls. Both these excerpts from the Holy Scrolls are from the Scroll of Virtue, “And as I made for you the worldly pleasures, so too have I made the pleasures of the spirit, and the love of the husband and wife.” (Virtue 3:5) and, “So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not lie with your kin, nor those of other tribes, and none shall lie together but in holy union.” (Virtue 3:9) Our Mother Church has for thousands of years held in its interpretational doctrine these very verses of Scripture. That the union of matrimony is to only be consecrated by an ordained man when between a man and a woman. There is no inclusion of further relations between a man and a man or a woman and a woman. God has clearly bestowed these words unto Exalted Horen and therefore the world, “the love of husband and wife.”

With that, the argument can be made, “The Lord simply said husband and wife and yet he says nothing against a union between husband and husband or wife and wife.” To this I say, the Lord too did not say, do not murder but He did say, “So I am the Most High, and in pursuit of My Virtue, I bid my faithful this: You shall not raise a hand in wrath, nor in envy, nor in any kind of sin.” (Virtue 5:9) In this, the Church, entrusted with this duty by the hand of God through His Prophet Owyn, contemplated over this verse and made the interpretation that murder is a sin. And so, even though the Scroll of Virtue does not explicitly say that the Sacrament of Matrimony shall not be granted to a homosexual coupling, He did say, “the love of husband and wife.” as He did too say, “You shall not raise a hand in wrath, nor in envy, nor in any kind of sin.” and so it is the Church’s right and duty to interpret such verses. With such, by these rights granted to the Immaculate Throne and the Church as a whole to interpret such things, it was in their righteous duty to deem homosexual relations a sin.

“He entrusted to them the Word of GOD, which were the Virtue and the Spirit, and charged them to instruct their brethren in the path of holiness. At Owyn’s command, the brothers set shepherds over the flock of men, and so created a priesthood for their instruction, in anticipation of the second son of spirit.”
(Gospel 5:4-5)

As I said, it was through Exalted Owyn that the High Priesthood and therefore the Church was formed, granted the Laurel and bestowed the Prophetic Authority to the now High Pontiffs. It is with such that even though the Scroll of Virtue may not directly say, “You shall not murder.” or “Marriage shall not be between a man and a man or a woman and a woman.” it is the Prophetic Authority passed down through Laurel that permits the Church to interpret these verses. An interpretation derived from Scripture and with the best intention to uphold the teachings of God and shepherd His children on the path of virtue. 

It is with this that it becomes very clear. The Scripture, through the most concrete interpretation, clearly disallows homosexual marriage for while God did not say we shall not murder, He did say to not raise a hand against others. And so, as He did say it is the love between a husband and a wife, He too meant husband and wife. Not husband and husband nor wife and wife. Truly, the Lord meant husband and wife.

III

While the word and interpretation of the Church should be enough, it is after recent events that I believe this matter may require more evidence. Therefore, I bring forth the story of Exalted Horen and Saint Julia. A verse from the Scroll of Gospel, “All took concubines, except for Horen, who took only one wife. Her name was Julia, and they kept their union holy.” (Gospel 2:3-4) While we can certainly delve into semantics on how it was natural for God to say only one wife, not one husband or how the bond between man and woman was said to be a holy union, I wish to focus on one thing. The love between Exalted Horen and Saint Julia themselves. 

The first husband and wife, the first coupling, it is indeed quite natural that Exalted Horen and Saint Julia find mention in this Epistle. Perhaps the two most central figures in our modern day unions, it is they who I always tell each married couple to find wisdom from. To use as an example for how their union should be. Their bond was one of love and support. One where they in their matrimonial link served to endeavor to fulfill the mission of God, not alone but together. It was Saint Julia who defended the Encampment of Horen from the Denier in Exalted Horen’s absence and it was Exalted Horen and Saint Julia who died together and ascended to the Sixth Sky as a pair.

It is too Exalted Horen and Saint Julia who birthed three sons in the name of God and so it was Exalted Horen who was prophesied to have three sons of spirit (the next three Exalted) and therefore, Saint Julia was their spiritual mother as Exalted Horen was their spiritual father. The birth of these sons, Harren, Godwin, and Joren as well as the Exalted Owyn, Godfrey, and Sigismund would not be possible without the coupling of man and woman. Without that, much of the Scrolls would be absent without the bond of husband and wife for Harren, Godwin and Joren could not be conceived in a homosexual marriage. Too, the Exalted could not be named the spiritual sons of Prophet Horen without the bond of Exalted Horen and Saint Julia. Clearly, it is intentional in God’s masterpiece, Creation.

I too mention the intrinsic role of the first man and woman. While they were not bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony as it did not exist at the time, they did indeed have the consent of God and so did they birth the first four descendants. It is without the union of man and woman that Malin, Urguan, Krug and Horen would not have been born and it becomes clear how important the cycle of life is to God and our faith. Much of the Scripture is built around sons. The sons of the first man and woman serve very important roles in both the beginning and end of times. Too, one in particular bestows the first Scroll unto the world and becomes our first Prophet. Then his sons serve as Kings of Man after his death and so do his spiritual sons serve as the future Prophets, enlightening the world with the remaining Scrolls. 

It is without the coupling between man and woman that practically none of the Scrolls would be possible as they are and so it is easy to see that the bond of husband and wife, man and woman, is truly of God, a core to the Creation He has made and defended.

IV

It is here that I wish to address your own concerns written in your public letters to His Holiness, God’s Faithful Daughter. I shall begin with this excerpt from your very first letter, 

“Long have I prayed for God to fix me, for I am different you see. The feelings I should have for a man I have for women. But I can no longer believe this to be Iblees’ work. For why is it that when I pray to God to free me of Iblees’ grip nothing changes? Why is it that when I pray to God I remain the same? It must be because God made me this way. He wants for me to love women the way I love men. For if not I would have already been free of evil after my years of praying.”

While I understand your pain and struggle, it is clear the falsities of this statement. I ask you, who created sin? Iblees did, not our Lord God. I too ask you and all readers. Have you ever prayed for God to alleviate you of your sins and temptations? I certainly have. Has He? He has not, at least not for me. We are all gripped by Iblees for He has muddled our world and ourselves with sin. So too have I prayed many a time for God to release me from the chains Iblees has constricted me with. However, He has not answered my prayers. I have not magically been relieved of temptation and so has no one else, and I too have asked why. Why has God not freed me of the mortal temptations which Iblees has inflicted me with? 

After much contemplation, it is clear that He already has. He has bestowed unto us His word and the Fruit of Virtue, the natural combatants to the Fruit of Sin. It is merely our choice, whether virtue or sin. To give into our temptations or to choose God over the Denier. 

In this, I wish for you not to be deceived. Just because you were not freed from evil does not mean it was never evil at all. The entirety of the Scrolls is about the struggle between virtue and sin. God and Iblees. The Prophets sin, the son’s encampments sin, the Scroll of Auspice has prophesied the final battle between virtue and sin. God does not choose to simply rid you of your problems but instead gives you the tools to do so. He shall not free you of your chains but give you the choice to. That is the way of God and in this I admonish you. I pray that you shall take these words to heart and reject the deceitful ways of Iblees. Do not mistake sin to be something perfectly fine for a path of ignorance and a path of intention are the same. The path of sin in ignorance is but a modern day Saul and both of these paths are wrapped in Iblees’s tendrils.

A second excerpt from your first letter,

“What if we have been wrong all these years? Maybe it is not a sin after all to be homosexual. God loves us anyways does he not? Maybe God did not say that it was wrong, but instead that it was not wise? As it would lead to more children. But he never meant that it was a sin. And that it was just we that misunderstood him?”

The question if we have been wrong all years is one that shall receive countless twists and turns unless answered here and now. The answer is as I said before. It is the Church which has been entrusted with the Prophetic Authority and wisdom to interpret the Scrolls of which were given to Her. It is the Church which is the sole interpreter of the Scrolls and bestowed the sole right to safeguard and teach the word of God to the children of the Lord. It is with that that the Church should not be questioned in its interpretations, especially if the answer is so obvious as said prior. There is nothing in the Scrolls to support homosexual couplings and yet there is a wealth of evidence to support heterosexual unions alone (ie: (Virtue 3:5), (Virtue 3:9), (Virtue 5:9), etcetera)

God does indeed love us anyway, however that does not mean that sin is not wrong. Sin is always wrong and it should be our immeasurable goal to not sin. However, whether we sin or not, God does still love us. God’s Love reaches all and yet, like a good father, in His love He still does admonish us for our wrongdoings. For our wrongdoings, our sins lead us astray and in His eternal Love, He wishes to save us from eternal damnation. 

If every interpretation was to be questioned, the Church’s role would be null and void. I assure you madam and all others who may share the same question. The Church’s doctrine on this matter is right.

I shall address this excerpt from the second public letter swiftly for it has already been answered,

“Why would a just God create these feelings if they were not to be acted upon by his creation?. God created me with a love for women, so why can I not act on this due to the will of his own holy likeness on Earth?”

It has been clearly stated that God has not created you with these feelings for sin is not the product of God. Your homosexual temptations are of Iblees and you cannot act on this for it then becomes sin and as I said previously, it should be our immeasurable goal to wholly reject sin. To fight sin, for it is not of God but of the Denier. I tell you this, each one who falls to temptation (not a sinner, who basks in the Denier’s corruption) is another added to his numbers for the final battle.

V

It is here that you say something that I wished to devote a whole section to. An excerpt from your second letter to His Holiness,

“God created many different forms of love like that of platonic love, romantic love and sexual love. So he must have created the love I feel as well. If Iblees only corrupts and destroys, then he cannot create this love that I feel; It is, truly, only God who can create pure love.”

You say here, God’s Faithful Daughter, that the Lord has created many forms of love. You are certainly correct in saying this. He has created the love of husband and wife, of father and son, mother and daughter, brother and sister, friend and friend, and so on. It is in God that love is found, for He has gifted all His Creation with love and so does He love us as a father as we love Him as sons and daughters, “This is the promise of GOD to the World, that it shall belong to the virtuous, who love Him.” (Auspice 3:17) It is through Him that the bond of husband and wife, of parent and child, of friend and friend is found and so, it is through Him that too those of homosexual inclinations can find love. 

While it is perhaps not the love you are searching for, it is something I have told those who have approached me with the same temptations. We do not require romantic love or sexual love to be fulfilled for those are the loves to be shared only in marriage and it can be seen through the majority of the clergy that love can be found in many different ways. I have found love as a shepherd for my flock, guiding them as a father would his children. I would defend them with my life, teach them His holy word, and guide them when the grounds beneath become unstable. It is the love that all Priests have for the laymen which is a wonderful example of this.

It is too the love of friends that I have mentioned. Friends love each other dearly, willing to sacrifice time for the other. Enjoying the periods of most joy and also supporting their friend in melancholic times as well. It is the bond of friendship which can carry us through many times and it is in this bond that a love is formed. Not romantic or sexual but platonic, akin to the love found between siblings.

The loves of matrimony do not need to be had for God created a vast amount of love and so in those too can we find fulfillment. Share them with others and you will no longer want to delve into your homosexual temptations.

VI

Next, an excerpt from your third and latest public letter,

“Horen married Julia and invented the sacrament of Matrimony. But before Horen and Julia could have been married, the first man and woman must have had sex. They couldn’t have been married as they existed before the first sacraments. Even if matrimony is exclusively heterosexual, monogamous relationships between people of the same sex fall under holy union. The sacraments of matrimony have traditionally been confined to men and women but tradition does not mean that there is only one singular type of holy union, evidenced in the marriage of man and woman before the sacraments’ existence.”

This statement once again has many falsities of which I shall endeavor to explain. Horen and Julia were truly the first married couple and yes, the first man and woman who conceived the four descendants were bonded outside of the Sacrament. However, that is because of its non-existence at that time but they did have the blessing of the Lord through natural marriage to bore these four children for it is in His very Scrolls. Now, in our times where we have the Mother Church to watch over us and guide us, the Sacrament of Matrimony serves the same purpose. The blessing of God over holy union. Simply to say that it did not exist then does not mean the teachings and traditions of the Sacrament now are false. 

It should also be said that natural marriages now are the bond of pagans who are united in a pair together through the ceremonies of which they are familiar with. Such bonds are permitted by the Church for the exercising of the Scroll of Virtue in which Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves are held to the moral code defined by God but not required to convert to the one true faith. It is in this that the Church permits pagans to join together in holy union, of which these unions can too, not be homosexual. They are joined together for the express purpose of bearing children, just as the first man and woman were and therefore, just like our Church’s Sacrament, are only between a husband and a wife.

A second excerpt from the third public letter,

“What is holy union exactly? One could argue that holy union can mean more than just a marriage between a man and a woman but also to that of a union between those of the same sex. The absence of recorded marriages between members of the same-sex does not mean that unions between the same-sexes are unholy. I assert that there may have been many unions between members of the same sex which had not officiated explicitly in the sacrament of matrimony as a result of this false interpretation. These unofficiated marriages were nevertheless neither sinful nor contrary to the Scrolls for if God had not wished for same sexes to be joined in holy union he would have clearly stated so as he does with that which he deems as unholy.”

A holy union is the Sacrament of Matrimony (and too, natural marriages seen to be virtuous in the eyes of the Church). It too should be said that it is true. There have likely been many unions performed between homosexual couples. However, without the permission of the Mother Church and Her interpretations of the Blessed Scripture, it cannot be considered a union at all or at the very most, certainly not a holy one. It is indeed certain that marriage can exist without the Church’s Sacraments, as seen through natural marriages, however those unions must still be abiding by the Scroll of Virtue (and too approved of by the Church), of which homosexual unions do not.

It too should be said that these unofficiated marriages were indeed sinful and truly contrary to the Scrolls for even if God intended for homosexual marriages to be virtuous (of which He did not), a marriage unofficiated or unapproved of by the Church is not a union at all. It is not virtuous nor in line with the Scrolls for the Church is the inheritor of the Blessed Sacraments and so, without the Church, this cannot be done.

Lastly, I admonish you, God’s Faithful Daughter, for asserting that the Church’s doctrine is truly false. As I said prior, the Church is also the inheritor of the Prophetic Authority of the Exalted. Do you believe the good and Canonist Godwinites, Jorenites, Harrenites, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Magi questioned the Epistles of Exalted Owyn? That these good faithful among them did not cease their sinful acts of which they were corrected by His Prophet? No, they did not question Owyn for if they did, they would simply not be Canonists. They would not be abiding by His Prophet’s word. Owyn told the Magi for instance, “So to you magicians, I admonish: GOD is unknowable. He cannot be divided nor made again, and His mysteries are the holy mysteries. No art is alike to His boundless ability.” (Auspice 7:16-18) If there were good and faithful Canonists among these Magi, they would surely cease their actions of pride and adhere to the virtues set out by Him and written of by His Prophet. With that, if you say that the Church is wholly false in it’s interpretation, that would be as if a mage said so to Exalted Owyn. It is unacceptable to do so. One can express question or curiosity over an interpretation, but to say to God’s Church that they are wrong, as a layman especially, is to spit upon the Laurel of which the Immaculate Throne was bestowed.

I beseech you, God’s Faithful Daughter and all readers. Be wise with one’s words, for if you say that the Church is completely wrong in it’s interpretations and doctrine, you refuse to recognize the Prophetic Authority of which it holds.

I lastly quote this from God’s Faithful Daughter’s recent public letter,

“I conclude that holy union is a union blessed by God in any way or form. If God meant marriage between a man and a woman, the sacraments would have clearly excluded same-sex relationships from being held through holy union and matrimony.”

A union blessed by God in this modern age is one also blessed by the Church and too, the Sacraments are bestowed upon the Church and it’s authority and therefore abide by Her interpretations. With that, the Sacrament of Matrimony does clearly exclude same sex-relationships and therefore your question is answered. Homosexual unions are not permitted by the Church and therefore not by the Sacraments either.

VII

I conclude with this. It has been restated many times throughout this Epistle that the Church is righteous in it’s interpretations and therefore correct in it’s doctrine on homosexual marriage. It is in the Mother Church’s view that the Scripture clearly supports this of which you have brought no evidence to say otherwise besides the absence of it. There is nothing in the Scrolls to support homosexual marriage however there is a wealth of evidence to support heterosexual unions and so, such is the birth of the Church’s interpretation of which I wholly support.

We hear your pain. We are not blind to your tears and deaf to your cries however this is something that I believe the Church cannot interpret otherwise. However, in the absence of marriage, I implore you, writer and also all readers who may be plagued by the same temptations, to find love in other forms. If you have a sibling, love them. Love your friend, your father, your mother, your shepherd. Love Him, the Lord. In the absence of marriage, there remains much else of God’s Creation of which to love. Many different ways to love. So love your brethren and all those of the Creator as brothers and sisters under His light and you shall find true fulfillment. This is something I infact know all too well. I grew up believing I was to be married, to have children and such. However, I heard God’s calling and so I took up the crozier and began guiding my flock. In that, I found a wealth of love, not sexual or romantic but of a father for his children. I tell you, I could not hear confession and too spend hours in the basilica offering guidance or administering the Sacraments if I did not have love. 

So find love in other forms as I did and I assure you. You shall achieve true fulfillment. 

God bless you.

Propalatam Deus, da nobis multa sunt beneficia ut non palpet proximorum expendas.
Quia tu id etiam a misericordissimo et maxima benevolentia atque amantissima.
In nomine Patris, amen.

Cardinal Manfried informs the writer of this Public Letter that he shall write a Thesis on the topic soon to hopefully answer her questions.

Manfried Cardinal St. Julia was present at the execution of Boniface and despite his distaste for the man and the actions he had devolved into in the past months or so, the Cardinal’s gaze still held a notable solemnity as he stared at a venerable Friar he once and in some ways still did admire. The Friar’s numerous Theses had reached Manfried in his early teens and was one of the reasons why the now Cardinal alongside his friend Griffith approached His Eminence Arthur to join the clergy as an Acolyte. Despite the conflict which was caused by Boniface’s writings the months before his death, the feelings of admiration for the past Boniface who he did admire were not dirtied.

And so, as he sat in the cramped tower he called home, Father Manfried contemplated why he would do this. He thought if whether mental illness reached him in the twilight years of his respectable 97 but he quickly threw that thought away. After a few others presented themselves to the Prelate, he came to his conclusion and while it would not affect his final opinion on Boniface, it drew out more mercy from the Cardinal and so he prayed for Boniface that night. Prayed for a man who had dedicated his life to the Church and yet found himself straying from the true path in a great bout of blind fervor which pitted himself against a Church he said he wished to protect. “God have mercy on his soul.” he said for the excommunicant Boniface before going to bed. The snap of Boniface’s neck and the thought of the 41 Theses he so vehemently regarded as false in line with Father Pius’s Apology haunted him that night. But the aging Cardinal, despite his disappointment on how far Boniface had fallen, too contemplated on the good things Boniface had done. The beloved teachings he had spread despite the presence of the controversial and too heretical ones. Besides, if Manfried believed one corrupt Priest could not dirty the entire Church, he would find it hypocritical to allow the Theses of these latter months to dirty the entire batch. “God have mercy on his soul.” he murmured in slumber, “God have mercy on his soul.”

Full Name of Man - Dmitri Orlov

Date of Birth of Man - 1760

Name of Woman - Giada Fiorella d’Amato 

Date of Birth of Woman – 1761

Location of Ceremony - Basilica of the Final Revelation, Helena

Date of Ceremony (Year) - 1790

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony - Manfried

Full Name of Man - Edward Galbraith

Date of Birth of Man - 1746

Name of Woman - Violette Marie Halcourt

Date of Birth of Woman – 1770

Location of Ceremony - Basilica of the Final Revelation, Helena

Date of Ceremony (Year) - 1790

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony - Manfried

Full Name of Man - Alexander d’Arkent

Date of Birth of Man - 1764

Name of Woman - Victoria Adelheid da Balain

Date of Birth of Woman – 1763

Location of Ceremony - Basilica of the Final Revelation, Helena

Date of Ceremony (Year) - 1790

Name of Clergyman who performed ceremony - Manfried

A Priest embracing a man starving in despair.

In Nomine Patris!

A Short Thesis
He Walks Beside You

Scribed by
 Manfried Cardinal St. Julia

Godfrey’s Triumph, 1790

 
┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
Sɛction I - Greetings And Benediction
Sɛction II - Introduction
Sɛction III - The Issue
Sɛction IV - He Illuminates
Sɛction V - In Conclusion
┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
 

Prelate for the Priesthood, Manfried
☨ Cardinal St. Julia ☨
 

I

Oh Lord, God on high. We, Your humble servants vow to remain eternally loyal to You, eternally devout in our worship and eternally steadfast in our service. We, Your faithful, accepted into the loving bosom of Your light through Your mercy, shall be molded by Your scripture, the Holy Scrolls, forever to hear it as the one truth, the only truth, the eternal truth. We shall serve as the pillars of this great path we tread, readied by the wombs of our mothers, carried into this terra by the blessings You have imparted upon those who follow in the footsteps of Saint Julia, Lord Godani. We, the pious, the devout, the faithful shall mold this world in the image of virtue, just as we are molded by the Scrolls You had imparted upon the Exalted, ever to be cherished and adhered to as the servants of You, Our Lord. We make this solemn vow in communion with the blessed Church of Canon. May we be made worthy of the Seven Skies through the scripture and holy teachings gifted to us by You, God. In Nomine Patris, Amen!
 
Greetings and Benediction, brothers and sisters. May the utmost of God’s blessings eternally reach you and may the Saints intercede on the behalf of you and your’s as we walk the path of virtue and righteousness in the name of our Lord, the Almighty and Eternal, Godani.
 

Signed with the Love of a Father,
Manfried,
Cardinal St. Julia,
Prelate of the Canonist Priesthood,
Cardinal Judge of Helena,
Vicar in the Metropolitanate of Helena

II

It is with God that we, His Creation, tread this path of life. He stands by our side through both times of peace and prosperity and the times where hope seems non existent, when despair has taken hold of our hearts. Whether that be during world wide crises such as the Inferni Incursion or personal matters like loss, divorce, and sin, it is through the hardships of which we endure that we are supported by God for just as we love Him, He loves us. We are His Creation, His favored Creation, all descendants of the first man and woman, “And they were virtuous, and GOD called them the first man and woman, who spoke no language and took no name. And these were GOD’s favored creations, for they did satisfy His plan.” (Gospel 1:29-30) And so, as the first man and woman satisfied His plan, it is too us that shall satisfy His plan as prophesied in the Scroll of Auspice and so He sees that we are good. With that, He stands beside us as His beloved Creation and God looks after us with the care of a thousand fathers.

However, we cannot see God. We cannot see Him supporting us. We cannot hear him either. We can simply feel the light and virtue coursing through our veins and even that is difficult to sense at times. But even with that sense of warmth in the face of anguish, we are creatures that cannot interpret that feeling easily. We as mortals prefer to see God before us and this leads us down a harrowing path, one that I shall elaborate upon in my Thesis today.

III

It was recently that I was approached by a layman. Someone close to him had committed a grave sin which hurt him in a personal manner and in this face of despair, he felt his grip on his faith losing strength. He felt his once devout disposition slipping away as he struggled with the pain and anguish of the wound inflicted by this individual and so he feared losing faith in God Himself. In this matter, I did not judge the man for it is something that I believe to be a common issue. The abandonment of the Creation by the Creator. Most obviously, God has not abandoned him and to say otherwise is completely false. Even the abandonment of the damned is not the choice of the Creator but the choice of the damned themselves. Nay, instead it boils down to this.

Any individual plagued by such sadness says, “How could such a merciful and benevolent God do this to me?”. They wonder how the Almighty, said to be so virtuous and righteous, could have left His faithful in such a place of suffering, of emotional malady. It is easy to ask this question and in our very nature. God, by our standards, is unexplainable. A Lord of great power and eternity, He is in all ways unlike us. Ever virtuous, ever good, ever loving. He is a being of perfection of which we are not. So, therefore the question of how is a simple product of our standards of the explainable and the unexplainable. For in His way of being, the answers of how and why cannot be determined. They cannot be given a very direct answer and while we know such things are a test of some sort, we too do not know why for in His nature, He and His actions remain unexplained. He is not bound by our way of things and is instead a higher, nay, the highest being.

Yet, I assure you in all certainty that He does not allow this in order to harm His Creation. If you believe such, you must surely be corrected for you are wholly false. He is a loving God. It is cried to the hill tops, to the mountain ranges and reaches across His Creation the truth of Him, “Deus Caritas Est!” God is Love! Indeed, He is and so He would not abandon you. 

IV

“Deus Caritas Est!” we say it for it is truth and in this truth, God would indeed not abandon you. Nay, the Lord Almighty walks the arduous path of hardship alongside you. The idea of His abandonment is a false concept, derived from the fact that He is not seen nor heard in our conventional ways. We believe He has abandoned us because it is all we can see. We narrow our vision to our eyes and instead do not view the world from our soul. With God, we cannot see Him through our physical being which is impermanent but through our soul which is permanent, to be destined a life of His virtue both in the Seven Skies and at the end of times, “This is the promise of GOD to the World, that it shall belong to the virtuous, who love Him.” (Auspice 3:17) 

It is with this that God supports His faithful through all, through times of hope and through times where it is lacking. I offered this to the man and I too shall offer it to you. I am forty-three now and therefore by many, especially the more youthful generations to be considered old. And so, with that age, I have found myself waking up at ungodly hours of the night with absolutely no reason. So therefore, I walk about my home and the grounds of the Basilica. Now, I live in quite a modest space, a small tower in the basilica to which the venerable Abbot Bram can attest to it’s cramped space and I must say, I have stubbed my toe once or twice. This was in my cockiness as I went without a candle about my small home. However, soon I decided to light a match and set aflame the wick and so in these dark times of twilight, I found my path illuminated and I was no longer lost nor did I stub my toe. 

While the stubbing my toe part of the story is too told for more comical flavor, I bring your attention to the last few words, “dark times of twilight, I found my path illuminated and I was no longer lost…” These literal dark times of night can be compared to the times of despair and anguish. We usually equate darkness and light to virtue and sin or God and Iblees, however dark times can also be the times where we feel lost. Where we feel pained and lonely. The candle can then be said to be God’s light. 

Then, let us put those together. On your path, you tread through dark times, however I assure you brothers and sisters, God walks right beside you and He illuminates your path. He makes the unclear, clear. He makes the unseen, seen. And so, you are no longer stubbing toes. You are walking in strides, in virtue, in His Love, for you are no longer lost. In this, He does not abandon you. No, He stands beside you for He loves you as you love Him. 

V

So there is your answer, brothers and sisters. Even in times of despair, God stands beside you. It is merely not so obvious for the means in which we see are not conventional. In times of prosperity, we can indeed feel His presence for He is one of Love, of Goodness, of Holiness and when the times are ones of love, when the times are good, when the times feel blessed, we believe He is present for that is what we associate Him with. However, when the times are ones of pain, of darkness, of sadness, we do not believe He is present. We believe our lives are void of Him in these times, however the moments of anguish are the most important to see that He is indeed there beside you for it will make all the difference. 

Remember, brothers and sisters, that faith is a savior just as God is. Just as the Exalted were. Just as Saint Julia was. In that station, while it is important to hold devout faith close to one’s heart at all times, faith is even more important in times spoken of in this Thesis. Faith is a savior and so, when one has lost all hope, God’s faith shall restore hope in your heart. When one has lost all happiness, God’s faith shall return joy to your soul. And when goodness has been lost, God’s faith shall impart it’s blessing of virtuous good unto your body. It is faith which is the answer to the problems which we face like the man who struggles with keeping faith in God while facing great hardship. I assure you...

He Walks Beside You.

Propalatam Deus, da nobis multa sunt beneficia ut non palpet proximorum expendas.
Quia tu id etiam a misericordissimo et maxima benevolentia atque amantissima.
In nomine Patris, amen.
 

15 hours ago, ItsMrCannibal said:

“Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
Ivan Barrow

 

“And your age?”
21

 

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
Highlander

 

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
Yes I can.

 

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
No.

 

“You are of course baptized?”
Yes.

 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
No.

 

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
As a Priest.

 

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”
The Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska

 

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
I have not been as good a canonist as I had wanted to be growing up, I wish to make amends for that.

 

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”
Yes I am prepared.

“Wonderful, then that should be all.” he says as he gestures you out of the office with a smile, “This shall be brought to His Eminence, Manfried. You shall hear word of your acceptance and placement soon enough.” he nods before saying finally, “God bless you.” as you walk out and say so in return.

Accepted. I’ll be in contact with you over discord in a bit.

1 hour ago, Drew2_dude said:

 

“Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
Valdemar Boritsky

 

“And your age?”
40

 

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
Human

 

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
Yes

 

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
Yes

 

“You are of course baptized?”
Yes

 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
No

 

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
As a Priest

 

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”
The Kingdom of Haense

 

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
I feel that Godani has called me to serve the Church and the people around me.

 

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”
Yes

You are accepted.

5 minutes ago, Scourge said:

“Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
Edwin Baruch

 

“And your age?”
20

 

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
Human

 

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
Yes

 

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
I am

 

“You are of course baptized?”
Yes, I am 

 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
No, to both.

 

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
Priest

 

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”
The Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska

 

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
As I pondered my place in this world, a mere cousin to Lord Baruch, I found myself praying in the city of Reza. As the sounds of the streets faded away I heard Him call to me, to follow his path and bring back the way of GOD in our great nations.

 

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”
I am prepared

 

“Wonderful, then that should be all.” he says as he gestures you out of the office with a smile, “This shall be brought to His Eminence, Manfried. You shall hear word of your acceptance and placement soon enough.” he nods before saying finally, “God bless you.” as you walk out and say so in return.

You are accepted.

Both of you, please contact me over discord at _GoldWolf_#9851

4 hours ago, yopplwasupxxx said:

Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
J. Joachim d’Arkent

 

“And your age?”
Around twenty-five

 

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
Human

 

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
Yes

 

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
Yes

 

“You are of course baptized?”
Yes

 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
No and No

 

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
Priest

 

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”
Helena

 

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
I have felt His presence since my youth, and now I have found it fit to follow this vocation.

 

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”
Yes

 

“Wonderful, then that should be all.” he says as he gestures you out of the office with a smile, “This shall be brought to His Eminence, Manfried. You shall hear word of your acceptance and placement soon enough.” he nods before saying finally, “God bless you.” as you walk out and say so in return.

Accepted. I’ll contact you through discord.

This is an old thread and will no longer be checked for recruitment. If you’d like to apply through the forums, this is the newest thread. 

THE ASCENSION TO THE CLOTH
Recruitment of a New Generation of Priests

With the Permit of the High Pontiff
His Holiness James II

Overseen by
Prelate Manfried
Cardinal St. Julia

You find yourself enveloped in serene silence as you enter the Basilica of the Final Revelation, the home of the Prelate for the Priesthood. To your surprise, despite the silence, a few parishioners dot the rows of pews, their knees upon the ground and their elbows raised high above the back of the pew before them in prayer. And too, at the altar kneels an aging Priest, joining in prayer along with the laymen behind him. The silence is broken as your footsteps echo throughout the pristine halls of the Basilica, to which the parishioners do not bat an eye, besides the small child who kneels next to his mother, looking to you in some desperate search to end his boredom.

As you approach the Father at the altar, he turns at your footsteps, a small smile befalling his once solemn visage as he looks you up and down before rising and moving to receive you. With open arms, a  “Brother.” escapes his lips before his hands fall to his sides and a nod is offered. You soon explain to him your wish to join the Priesthood, to which his smile merely brightens with each word. He dips his head once more and with a gesture, he leads you quietly up to the higher levels of the Basilica, to which the distracted child’s gaze merely follows as you depart.

Once you sit, you entertain a small conversation with the Priest, one of which great enthusiasm on the part of the ordained man is spoken of in regards to the clergy before he takes up pen and paper and begins to ask you a few questions.

“Very well, brother. We shall begin quite simply. What is your name?”
{Answer}

“And your age?”
{Answer}

“I know it may be clear, heh, but it is for the sake of records. What race of the descendants are you of?”
{Answer}

“You are able to read and write, yes?”
{Answer}

“And with that, are you at all familiar with the Holy Scrolls and Catechism of our Church?”
{Answer}

“You are of course baptized?”
{Answer} 

“Good, good. Are you married? Do you have children?”
{Answer}

“In what way of the clergy do you wish to serve? As a Priest, a Monastic?”
{Answer}

“While this may not be accepted by the Prelate, depending on the needs of the Church, in what Diocese would you prefer to serve in? You can simply name a city or Kingdom.”

{Answer}

“A rather personal question, why have you chosen to walk this path in God?”
{Answer}

“And at last, are you truly devoted to this way of life? Prepared to take any vows involved with ordination and commit oneself to this lifetime bond with the Lord Almighty?”
{Answer}

“Wonderful, then that should be all.” he says as he gestures you out of the office with a smile, “This shall be brought to His Eminence, Manfried. You shall hear word of your acceptance and placement soon enough.” he nods before saying finally, “God bless you.” as you walk out and say so in return.

And with that, you depart from the Basilica, awaiting the letter from the Prelate which states your acceptance and diocean assignment. A letter that shall change your life for what you believe will be the  better.

Credit to @Froschli for the format.