the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess
© Kadija de Paula & Chico Togni, Ebeltoft, Denmark, 2020.
The Power of Imposing Hands on Energumens
This is a work of fiction based on a given hierarchy, any similarity to organizations of real or imagined order are mere coincidence.
Motivated by the Holy Spirit and the gospel of
the Servant Messiah, we are the ones supposed to say welcome to tomorrow, and devote ourselves to minimize the impact of our mortal sins today. We are a large group of fidèles: the Living Orders of lay brothers and sisters, nuns, monks, lay priests, missionaries, and novices; assisted by the four Minor Orders of porters, lectors, exorcists and acolytes; lead by the three Major Holy Order of deacons, priests, and bishops; connected by our faith and managed by a moderator of the curia. We meet in holy places from Wednesdays to Saturdays, usually in the late afternoons and evenings. Thursday night is the Holy Day of Obligation, more fully known as the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is our central liturgical ritual where wine and bread are consecrated to become the blood and body of work. At the end of the service, the exit from the holy place must happen through the indulgence shop. The Holy Mass is the source and summit of our life, only baptised members in state of grace, who have recently confessed their mortal sins, are permitted in for a bite and a sip of the Holy Soul.
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Our parish is a territorial entity, under the pastoral care and jurisdiction of the priest, managed by a moderator of the curia, who is assisted by people like me, servants invested in the care or cure (cura) of souls of our parish. The congregation is formally organized under a charitable non-profit corporate status, with a constitution and by-laws. It relates with, affiliates with, and is a constitutive part of its larger denomination. Our parish connects local and universal traditions, ordains and defrocks clergy, defines terms of membership and organizes: kermesses, raffles, bingos, auctions, conferences and other fundraising activities for cooperative ministry such as educational institutions and missions abroad. WE ARE THE LIVING ORDERS of women and men who dedicate our lives to serving all other living beings. Ascetic nuns, monks, and novices who voluntarily chose to leave mainstream society to live in prayer and monastic contemplation; or counselors consecrated by baptism: lay brothers and sisters, lay priests, and missionaries, who live in the wider community serving as unpaid congregational leaders. I am a missionary, one among numerous stranger wanderer pilgrim lay brothers and sisters, sent 2
abroad to preach and promote our faith. We speak several languages and travel wide to perform ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, and economic development. We work for food and lodging. We live in community inside old monasteries, refurbished stables, factories, and empty warehouses. Our condition is devotion and our living is a benefice. The beneficium, also called precaria or stipend, is bestowed to us by ordered officials, as a reward received in exchange for services rendered, or as a retainer for future services. When we serve outside of the order, we receive a fief. Those of us who still hold property can also earn some kind of allod, but in general our mobility is driven by a necessity to survive disguised as an interest to promote peace. Those of us coming from the South are often fleeing conflict, the ones coming from the North are normally seeking redemption in paradise. Amongst us there are large numbers of novices who intend to take ordination. Before taking vows for becoming an official part of the Orders they must first adopt part of the monastic code and study in preparation for full ordination as a probation. Many novices serve in the Minor Orders as acolytes in an intermediate stage between lay life and the Major Holy Orders. 3
THE MINOR ORDERS are the ranks lower than the major orders, so as to make a very clear distinction between the three Major Holy Orders of: bishop, priest and deacon; and the four Minor Orders of: acolyte, exorcist, lector and porter. The porter is the doorman, Waldemar, a servant guard who travels from afar to secure our treasures. Always tired of commuting, he can often be found snoozing at the reception of the ostiary building. The lector is that shy novice who stutters when proclaiming the Scripture readings of the official book during the Liturgy of the Word. The exorcist is that cranky old person with a special charism. She has mastered the art of casting out the devil and ridding of demons who have possessed a person, a building or an object. The exorcist can be a specially prepared or instructed person including: lay priests, nuns and monks, who never bothered becoming a part of the sacrament of the Major Holy Orders. The acolytes are not only the most numerous, but also the most energized and enthusiastic servants of the Minor Orders. The acolytes assist, or follow the ones who assist, the celebrant in services and processions, especially in the celebration of Holy Mass. They perform an enormous spectrum of duties that can range from lighting altar candles, making photocopies or coffee, to designing indulgences or assisting missionaries 4
with international visa bureaucracies. The acolytes are usually highly educated novices who have difficulty entering the Orders right after completing their studies. Thus they are willing to serve on a votary or voluntary basis, consecrated by a vow of devotion, in exchange for a promise of ascension: of one day, becoming a moderator of the curia. Due to their ambition they have a hard time performing basic duties such as taking notes of resolving cotidian practical issues. The acolyte is a ministry proper to men, but women may be accepted to welcome, although they could never really be instituted. Instituted acolytes may, in specific circumstances, be charged with exposing and replacing the Holy Eucharist for the public worship of the faithful. THE MAJOR HOLY ORDERS are that of the bishop, priest, and deacon. Management is performed by the moderator of the curia wile authority rests chiefly with the bishops. Priests and deacons serve as their assistants, co-workers or helpers so as to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity. The deacon who holds a nine to five office generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. They are often responsible for receiving missionary lay priests together with the moderators of curia. 5
The priest is the leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They have the authority and power to administer rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. The moderator of the curia is a priest who coordinates the administrative duties and oversees the Living and Minor Orders who hold offices and minister in the diocese. They work hand in hand with lay brothers and sisters, and acolytes, in the organization of services and the celebration of Holy Mass. Described as the chief operating officer (COO), the ideal moderator of the curia is one with a full time commitment to networking at all levels, and talent to lobby on behalf of his brothers and sisters. The moderator of the curia is the only office where lay men are permitted to ascend directly from lay life to the Major Holy Orders. As the sole connector between lay life and the major orders, this “infiltrated representative� can quickly turn into an ordained servant of the holy. Although the office became more popular in the 80’s, the concept and the privilege of direct accession dates back to the origins of our faith. When promoted, the moderator of the curia becomes a diocesan bishop, an ordained minister entrusted with the pastoral care of a specific 6
diocese, over which he holds ordinary jurisdiction. He is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing his jurisdiction, sanctifying the faithful of his diocese, sharing these duties with the priest, moderator of the curia, and deacon, who serve under him, and one day will become him. The bishop is the cherry on top of the Holy Orders. He is at least thirty-five years old and has good reputation despite the rumors of sexual involvement with young acolytes, two spirited exorcists, and other members of the Living and Minor Orders. The bishop has outstanding solid faith, good morals, piety, zeal for souls, wisdom, prudence, and human virtues. He either holds a doctorate or licentiate in sacred scripture, theology, or canon law from an institute of higher studies, or just proves to be a truly expert in the same disciplines. However what really makes him suitable to fulfill his office, is that special charism he has been endowed by the Holy Spirit, a charism that was transmitted through an unbroken succession of bishops by the laying on of hands in the sacrament of Holy Orders. With diligence he has been blessed. Some people call him monster, some people call him saint.
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Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens. Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens.