Saint Barbara

[poliphilo]

In 1969 the Vatican suppressed the cult of a number of legendary saints, including St Barbara (whom my character May Visconti has adopted as her patron.) This was high-handed of them. They argued that Barbara and all the others had never been real people. Well, yes, but it is a well established principle of magic that anything that is the recipient of worship or prayer becomes real. Vatican II moved the Catholic Church away from magic and paganism- and weakened it in the process. I have some sympathy (tempered with disgust) for those (like Mel Gibson's dad) who rebelled against this.

 

Here is a list of Barbara's responsibilities (borrowed from The Catholic Community Forum) against death by artillery, against explosions, against fire, against impenitence, against lightning, against mine collapse, against storms, ammunition magazines, ammunition workers, architects, armourers, artillery, artillerymen, boatmen, bomb technicians, brass workers, brewers, builders, carpenters, construction workers, dying people, explosives workers, fire, fire prevention, firefighters, fireworks, fireworks manufacturers, fortifications, founders, geologists, gravediggers, gunners, hatmakers, hatters, lightning, mariners, martyrs, masons, mathematicians, military engineers, milliners, miners, ordnance workers, prisoners, safety from storms, sailors, saltpetre workers, smelters, stone masons, stonecutters, storms, sudden death, Syria, tilers, warehouses, watermen.

Comments

[ajoyfulgirl.livejournal.com]

It also occurs to me-- back in the fall, Southern California was ravaged by out-of-control wildfires...the worst in the history of the state. Santa Ana dry air and winds pushed the flames through not only all the backcountry, but also wiped out whole communities in L.A., San Diego (my hometown), and most places in-between. Four enormous blazes, several of which combined in stretching walls of flame.

But none of the fires reached so far north as Santa Barbara.

I am not one for superstition, but if I meet the Pope in my next life, I'll pass on the word that while the City of Angels burned, Santa Barbara was untroubled.

*b.

ps--

Have you ever read "Sister Mary Ignatious Explains it All" by Christopher Durang? It's a play-- there was a television version of it with Diane Keaton made some time ago, as well-- which is worth watching, if one can find it-- but it is strange and clever and very worth the read, in my estimation.