Happy Purim

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 03/18/2003 3:40:04 PM Eastern Standard Time,
jdespres at MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM writes:

>  I wish Catholics were allowed to have such a
>  sense of humor about themselves.

I was once drafted as a musician for an Episcopal service, and my Irish
Catholic roommate came along for the show.  The priest announced that the
congregation was to "pass the Peace" which meant that the priest said "Peace
be unto you" to someone who said it to the next person who said it to the
next etc.  When the Peace got to my roommate he promptly said to the next
person "Pax Vobiscum".

He enjoyed this little Catholic jest so much that the next time he was at a
Mass and the person next to him said "Pax Vobiscum", he said "Sholom
Aleichem."

And what's the next one in this series?  Why, when someone says "Sholom
Aleichem" to you, you reply "Bernard Malamud".

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Now for a linguistic question.  Years after Henry VIII, Rome finally got
around to declaring the Church of England was not in Communion with the Roman
Catholic Church.  To the best of my knowledge, Rome never bothered to do the
same about the Episcopal Church of the United States (or whatever its
official name is), and therefore I claim the Episcopal Church remains in
Communion with Rome, the way the Orthodox churches are.

Therefore in the USA an Episcopal priest is, in some sense, an ex officio
Roman Catholic priest, and while one should not expect such an Episcopal
priest to hold a Catholic Mass, it would certainly be proper to address him
as "Father Brown".

As it happens, the Episcopal Church in the US ordains women as priests.
Therefore if Ms. Brown goes through the appropriate seminary training and all
of the other qualifications and is ordained as an Episcopal priest, complete
with Apostolic Succession etc., there is no question but that the proper way
to address her now is as "Father Brown"

               - Jim Landau

      - Jim Landau