E-bay seller takes shot at PNCC
Adam, a frequent reader and commenter here, notes that an eBay seller placed a copy of the PNCC Missal for sale on eBay. In the sales write-up the seller takes a shot at the PNCC.
At first I wondered if it was a copy of the brand new Missal. If it is, it is stolen.
Regardless, I wondered, who is this person and why are they taking a shot? Are they ex-PNCC members or even clergy? So I did a little Googling and look what I found:
The seller appears to be an ‘Old Catholic’, probably upset with the PNCC for dumping Utrecht. As you know ‘Old Catholic’ can mean anything in the United States, and there are no official ‘Old Catholics’ in union with Utrecht in the United States.
The seller, known as Mustard Tree Gifts also has a stand alone website called Mustard Tree Books. The website has the following description tag:
Mustard Tree Books is a non-profit Old Catholic missionary apostolate specializing in the publishing and distribution of Old Catholic, Traditional Catholic and Western Rite Orthodox books designed to aid the faithful in their efforts to study and preserve traditional liturgical publications.
The seller seems to put a lot of R.C. religious ephemera up for sale (holy cards, etc.) as well.
I looked further and it appears that the business address is shared with a Brianna Martin who runs a firm called Web Architect. It notes that she designed the Mustard Tree Books website.
The Boston Globe has an article from 2003 about Ms. Martin and her husband Dominic Martin (AKA Dominic or Tod Biltcliffe), an alleged —Old Catholic— bishop!!! You’ve got to read it to believe it: Couple facing extortion charges
Springfield couple were arrested and charged yesterday with extorting money from a Catholic priest whom they had allegedly blackmailed with ”embarrassing” sexual information, Lowell police said.
Dominic Martin, 32, and Brianna Martin, 39, were arraigned in Lowell District Court on one count each of extortion and larceny.
The Rev. Joseph A. Ruggeri, pastor of St. Margaret’s Church in Lowell, had been communicating for three weeks with a person through e-mail, instant messaging, and the phone, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said. On Jan. 11, Ruggeri’s correspondent told him he had kept copies of the conversations, which had become sexual, and demanded $3,000 to keep them secret.
Ruggeri paid a ”courier” $1,500 inside the entrance to the 99 Restaurant at the corner of Chelmsford Street and Industrial Avenue in Lowell, authorities said. Last Sunday, Ruggeri, facing a threat that the conversations would be revealed to parishioners at this Sunday’s Mass unless he paid another $1,500, contacted police, Lowell Police Superintendent Edward F. Davis III said. Police then set up a sting on Thursday.
The priest told ”Jim,” the name used by the alleged extortionist, that he would leave $800 in a plain white envelope on top of a newspaper box outside the 99 Restaurant. Instead, police stuffed the envelope with one $100 bill and a wad of paper. When Ruggeri left the rectory on Thursday for the 1-mile drive to the restaurant, he was secretly followed by the couple – who were in turn followed by police. The police also had staked out the restaurant.
”It was like a movie,” said Davis.
Ruggeri dropped off the money and walked away. A minute later, Brianna Martin allegedly walked up, grabbed the envelope, and hopped into a red 2001 Grand Am, driven by her husband, Davis said. They were arrested a short distance away.
The sexual information used to blackmail the priest did not involve children, Davis said. Police, seeking evidence, took computers from Ruggeri and the couple. Ruggeri also turned over telephone messages on his answering machine allegedly left by the Springfield pair.
The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, an archdiocesan spokesman, said the church is investigating where Ruggeri’s $1,500 came from, but he remains pastor of the church where he has served since 1991. Ruggeri, 68, who could not be reached for comment, is taking time off.
The Martins pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $2,500. Dominic Martin was freed after posting the bail. State officials could not determine whether Brianna Martin had made bail last night. A pretrial conference was set for Feb. 21.
Dominic Martin is listed on a website of independent churches as a bishop in the Traditional Western Rite Archdiocese, an independent Christian denomination, and pastor of Holy Family Old Catholic Mission in Springfield. He also lists his birth name as Tod F.X. Biltcliffe, but legally changed it about two years ago, said his attorney, Lynda Dantas. She said the couple are married.
Yep, and check out the ‘church’ website, two archbishops and a bishop, plus all the other vagante weirdness (kind of a cross between the current Episcopal Church, non-canonical Orthodoxy, and vagante Old Catholicism).
By the way, do a search on Mr. Martin’s former name, Dominic or Tod Biltcliffe. You’ll be well… whatever.
So to answer Adam’s original question – nope, not members of the PNCC.
WOW!!!
Before I checked your blog today, I actually emailed Dominic about his comments on the PNCC. He emailed me back, stating he is an Orthodox Priest, seemed to be a nice guy (wish I would have seen this earlier!), but I specifically wanted and understanding of his comments about the PNCC dialogue with the RCC and OC. Here is what he said in the email:
“In the late 80’s I called the closest parish which happened to be the Cathedral in Manchester NH for info. I was promised some mailed material, but it never arrived. So, when the Eastern Diocese had its annual Vespers Service at the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge N.H. I made a point of attending and also of introducing myself to the bishop who all but brushed me aside. In spite of this, I attended several of the Masses at the Cathedral the following months. Mass language alternated between Polish and English, which in addition to the two hour drive each way made it quite difficult for me. Interestingly enough, the primary “dullard” to whom I refer is The Right Revered Thomas Gnat.”
“The Old Catholic movement originally intended to be one of restoration rather than reformation. Western Rite Orthodoxy if you will. A restoration of the Western Church as it existed prior to the Great Schism of 1054.
I agree that the PNCC has the potential to be a bridge between East and West. But as a body that seems to be struggling for its own survival in the midst of re-defining itself, there is a danger of selling out to insure that survival. If Rome were to offer the PNCC something along the lines of “Uniate” status do you think they would take it? Back in the mid 1990’s when the German Old Catholics started to ordain women there was a big push for the PNCC to reunite with Rome. One of the drafts on the table was that the PNCC would be given a uniate status with Rome and allowed to keep their present bishops, but when they reached retirement age they would not be replaced. Eventually there would be one giant PNCC diocese, which upon the death of the last bishop, would be dissolved, with each parish being absorbed by the local Roman diocese. ”
“And they need a non-Polish bishop!”
There is more bashing of Bishop Gnat. Apparently this guy has a friend who is some sorta priest who wanted to affiliate with the PNCC. He is angry Bishop Gnat told him that he was not interested. To me it seems that Bishop Gnat made the right decision!
WOW!
Bishop Gnat was smart enough to run from the vagantes.
Look at their hallmarks:
That’s why real clergy, most especially bishops, receive a spirit of discernment.
You’ve got them sussed.
…He emailed me back, stating he is an Orthodox priest
That seems to be their latest tack – trying to pass themselves off as Orthodox – probably because they know most people in the West’s knowledge of the real Orthodox still largely consists of misrepresentations like on ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’.
I was going to say that marketers of traditionalist stuff on eBay always write like that: trying to sound like an insider when they are not and trying to sound pious and conservative when their only goal is profit.
Do a search on “missal” or “breviary” or even “tridentine” and see what you get!
But you’ve found quite a story! It’s not your normal Vagantes! It all seems rather much more involved than the odd folks we used to deal with in the Ecumenical Office at the Episcopal Church Centre: we’d get a call from some confused (ECUSA) parish secretary saying “Fr So and So is here, he says he’s Old Catholic and in communion with us. Should we rent him our church on Thursdays?” A little research and some letters back and forth and we’d always say the same thing: “Feel free to rent to them if you wish – but not the Church: try the parish hall. And make it clear to them and to *your* parishioners (cuz *they* won’t have any) we’re *not* in communion with them and if you need a letter to that effect, please ring me back.”
Fogey – I had an email from an RC priest here in NC who said he had an Orthodox Priest in his parish. I was stunned. A google on the email and, lo: more vagantes.
There are Orthodox on Friends?
In one episode the minister was late for Chandler and Monica’s wedding but there was a Greek Orthodox priest – properly kitted out in klobuk and vestments – in the reception hall so they asked him to do it (telling him they were Greek), but the minister – Joey, who’d been ordained by the Universal Life Church online to do weddings – showed up at the last minute. (Of course an Orthodox wedding wouldn’t have happened outside a church anyway.)
At least it was better than the demeaning crap on ‘Taxi’ with Latka, Simka and Fr Gorky (aren’t those foreigners funny?).
Side note: on ‘Friends’ one of the names, I think the bride’s family, on the sign for the Greek reception is ‘Anastassakis’, which is Jennifer Aniston’s real name. She is a nominal, born Greek Orthodox. I think Telly Savalas was her godfather.
Fogey – It is also unfortunate that they sully the name of the Western Rite Orthodox (ROCOR or Antiochan).
Just curious, is he reprinting the missal on his own and selling it????? is that not a copyright violation????
OK, what’s the PNCC?
Something in the Philippines, I assume?
Do you know Fr Philemon Castro?
The PNCC is the Polish National Catholic Church. The PNCC homepage is http://www.pncc.org. There you willl find the history, doctrine, parish list, info on our founder Bp. Hodur, etc. This blog is also a great place for info, and you can check out my blog, http://www.padreegan.wordpress.com.
Copyright law is complex. Generally, if you own a published work you can resell it or give it away.
If you own a book you can resell it on eBay, at your garage sale, or donate it to you local library.
Some cultlike groups (Scientologists, NXIVM, etc.) copyright everything and some make people sign non-disclosure agreements. If you distribute their works they sue the heck out of you.
A while back some software manufacturers decided to sue people who tried to resell their old software on places like eBay, stating they had broken the terms of their user agreement (EULA). It didn’t work. However, eBay did implement pretty tough rules to make sure the software you sell is authentic and that it is salable.
The PNCC, being a Church, hopes what we say in church gets disseminated.
The reason I mentioned the new Missal is that it has not been officially distributed yet. Having a copy would mean it is most likely bootleg.
I think, at a minimum, the seller would note the edition and publication date. It could very well be a Missal from the 1930’s and completely in Polish. Caveat emptor…
Also see: The first-sale doctrine and exhaustion of rights at the Copyright article in Wikipedia
The wordpress link thingy didn’t work, but thanks for the reply. Yes, I remember an episcopis vagans, Joseph Rene Vilatte, once has connections with the Polish National Catholic church, as well as several others.
steve hayes, sorry, there was a period after the link, http://www.padreegan.wordpress.com
also, it is listed on this blog as well.
Speaking of vagantes, a friend of mine wants to be ordained in the Liberal Catholic Church, oh my!
Deacon Konicki –
not to keep this old topic going any longer, but what are the changes that were made in the new missal if any? thanks.
Stephen,
Bishop Anthony Kozlowski was consecrated Bishop for Chicago by the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht in 1895. They recognized him as the sole, legitimate representative of the Old Catholic Church in the United States. In Buffalo, New York, the Holy Mother of the Rosary Parish was founded in 1895 by Bp. Stephen Kaminski. He was consecrated by independent Abp. Joseph Rene Villate – a vagante Bishop.
After Bishop Kozlowski’s death (1907), the Chicago Old Catholics of Polish origin joined with the PNCC. The same occurred with the Buffalo independents following Bishop Kaminski’s death (1911).
I believe Utrecht was only willing to allow for one legitimate representative in the United States. That’s why Bishop Kaminski was not consecrated by them and why Fr. Hodur had to wait.
After Bishop Kozlowski died, Bishop Hodur was consecrated Bishop by the Old Catholic Church in Utrecht. This occurred in 1907. Bishop Hodur and the PNCC were recognized as the sole, legitimate representatives of the Old Catholic Church in the United States.
Abp. Joseph Rene Villate has quite a storied history. Most alleged ‘Old Catholics’ in the United States trace their orders to him or Bishops William Francis Brothers and Carmel Henry Cafora.
Adam,
Actually, the ‘Liberal Catholics’ fit better with the modernist secular trends seen among the Western European Old Catholics far better than the PNCC ever did. Perhaps Utrecht will take them under their wing.
As to the Missal I know nothing specific. I think that some Prefaces have been added and additional prayers (Collects etc.) for certain Solemnities and Feasts of the Church. I think there were some technical corrections in the rubrics as well. This is only third hand though.
Yes I know Fr. Philemon Castro. He is a priest who makes business out of religious items like selling holy water, icons etc. in the Philippines.
Fr Philemon Castro is a simoniac priest.
Thanks for the links!
Have gotten many hits and several sales from your blog.
A great blessing to our missions in Zambia.
Personally, I don’t care what people write, say or think about me.
It’s all about ministry and helping those in need.