So that just leaves taxes…

No pension, no healthcare…. But it is a job for life.

Mr. Death from Andreas J. Riiser on Vimeo.

View from a Rhino House: the church militant

In Russia this week, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, was presented with the sort of gift that will have the Pope green with envy – a single-seater SU-35 jet fighter (for a Pope eager to deal with the issue of paedophile priests en-Mass, as it were, surely a simple remedy).

Kirill was presented with the jet after giving icons (blessed by himself) to workers at the aircraft factory, the Church said yesterday.

The Patriarch, revered by all for his unwavering support of the Blessed President, Vladimir Putin, made a speech to the workers on patriotism & the importance of protecting Russia. “In order for us to be able to live a sovereign (interesting use of the word) & Holy life, we must, if necessary, be able to defend our Homeland,” he told them.

The Russian Orthodox Church, under the inspired leadership of Patriach Kirill, is a steadfast supporter of Vlad’s drive to reunite the former Soviet Union; with the Church exerting considerable influence through its 165 million members in Russia & other slavic countries. It’s unwavering support of the drive to bring back the Ukraine into the fold is a clear example of this policy at work, although one is reminded of the famous quote from the Abbot of Citeaux at Béziers, “Kill them all, God will know his own.”

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate seceded from Moscow after Ukraine gained independence in 1991.

I wonder what ever happened to all that “peace & love” stuff that the carpenter’s boy used to bang-on about?

Nearer my God, to Thee..... — Nearer my God, to Thee…..

No blueprints?

"Are you sure this is how God described the Ark to you? Because I don't think we're going to have enough room." — “Are you sure this is how God described the Ark to you? Because I don’t think we’re going to have enough room.”

Religion: the reboot

Policy

Bloody Noah! Will nobody think of the children?..... — Bloody Noah!

Telling it like it is

Sister Mary was the first of a new breed of nuns who were not ashamed to show their true feelings when it came to discussing the Holy Father's reluctance to sanction the ordination of women to the priesthood. — Sister Mary was the first of a new breed of nuns who were not ashamed to show their true feelings when it came to discussing the Holy Father’s reluctance to sanction the ordination of women to the priesthood.

You’ll never walk alone…

Sometimes the evidence just creeps-up on you.... — Sometimes the evidence just creeps-up on you….

Solace & comfort

Priests can often be a source of comfort in times of trouble; but not always.

Harder than it looks

That walking on water thing, probably easier in a hard Winter..... — That walking on water thing, probably easier in a hard Winter…..

View from a Rhino House: “Nearer my God to Thee.”

In the (very small) village go Stone Park, Cook County (near Chicago) a group of nuns is suing a strip club which opened close to their convent, complaining of noise, neon lights, fights & excessive litter that includes whiskey bottles & condoms.

The Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo said Illinois law requires a 1,000-foot (300-metre) “buffer zone” between adult entertainment venues & places of worship & schools.

The dubiously located Club Allure opened last September behind the the Convent’s land, which has three chapels, a home for retired sisters & a house for young women thinking about becoming novices. “The Sisters have every right to pray & work peacefully without disruption from a strip club in their backyard,” Peter Breen, the lawyer for the nuns, said in a statement.

Stone Park attorney Dean Krone said yesterday that the 1,000-foot limit applies to most of the state, but a one-mile (1.6 km) restriction applies to suburban Cook County, which includes Stone Park. He added that the Cook County limit is unconstitutional because it would prohibit any kind of strip club or adult entertainment in any of the small towns in the County, which would violate the “Constitutional right to free speech.”

Well you know how the Church hates competition but it seems a shame that the would-be novices don’t get to see an alternative career path that also offers unusual outfits & a chance to serve. Maybe some sort of joint-venture between the Convent & Club Allure could be worked-out?