Tuesday, December 3, 2019

IN the NEWS - Shame of Franciscans

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Genesis 13:13

"A Franciscan church in New York is trying to attract people by serving alcohol and hosting performances that have included an occult poet who has performed for the Satanic Temple

Occult poet Janaka Stucky launched his Atlas Obscura tour for his book Ascend Ascend on May 11 in the Franciscan Church of San Damiano Mission in Brooklyn.
Amazon describes Ascend Ascend as being "written over the course of twenty days, coming in and out of trance states brought on by intermittent fasting and somatic rituals while secluded in the tower of a 100-year-old church." 
The Boston Globe has described the work as "steeped in soil, rot, stardust, moonlight, the dissolution of the self, and 'heartblood pouring from a ram horn / On the pubic shadow of the earth.' Part prayer, part yowl, part spell, it's grounded in the ancient and the occult."

In a promotion for Ascend Ascend on Instagram, Stucky smears white make-up over his face and head and closes his eyes while wiping red paint from his upper lip to his chin while a poem is recited. Stucky then stares into the camera with a deadpan expression, and the camera snaps to a close-up of his mouth.
"We are committed to simply meeting the people of Williamsburg/Greenpoint 'where they're at' and serving them in both religious and spiritual formation," reads the church's entry on RA.
In their attempts to attract people, the Franciscans have hosted bands and served alcohol. "It just takes a little bit different angle, a little bit different of an approach, and a little bit more of an openness to what we're going to do and how we're going to adapt what we're doing," he added. Commenting on a 2018 San Damiano event on Instagram, one attendee wrote, "A holy communion ― Last night's incredible experience of food wine and souls," noting that the picture had been "taken before the endless flow of vino had started!"
ChurchMilitant