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Fifth Day of the Octave – For the Gift of Understanding

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

Rend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.

The Gift of Understanding

Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion. By faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but rather inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to “live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:10)

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten the minds of all those attending Holy Synod, that they may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Your light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of You and the Father and the Son. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC

Fourth Day of the Octave – For the Gift of Knowledge

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away.

The Gift of Knowledge

The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth – in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as – instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. “Knowledge is a fountain of life to its possessor.” (Proverbs 16:22)

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that all those attending Holy Synod may perceive the will of the Father; show them the nothingness of earthly things. May they be aware of their own tendencies towards pride and self-importance and reject these in a desire to be used only for Your glory, looking beyond themselves to You, and Your eternal rewards. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC

Third Day of the Octave – For the Gift of Fortitude

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

Where You are not, man has naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.

The Gift of Fortitude

By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy that move it to undertake without hesitancy the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample underfoot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. “The one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold the souls of all those attending Holy Synod. In time of trouble and adversity, sustain their efforts after holiness, strengthen their weakness, give them courage against all the assaults of the enemy, that they may never be overcome and separated from You, our God and our greatest good. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC

Top ten PNCC pick-up lines

Seán Finnegan of Valle Adurni posted a link to the Top Ten Orthodox Catholic Pick-up lines.

As Huw Raphael points out, by ‘Orthodox’ Seán means traditional small ‘o’ orthodox Roman Catholic. Huw then goes on to develop the Top Ten Orthodox catholic pick-up-lines in Pick up lines.

Not to be outdone, I am now posting the Top Ten Polish National Catholic Pick-up Lines (with requisite stealing from both the R.C. and Orthodox):

10. May I escort you to an Adoration Society meeting?

9. Hi. My buddy and I need you to help us settle a dispute: should we say “Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus” or —Praise be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—?

8. You know, you look absolutely great in that Góralska costume.

7. How did a nice [choose one: Irish, Japanese, African American, Hispanic, Italian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Slovak, Lithuanian, Ukrainian] girl like you end up in a PNCC parish?

6. You don’t like the culture of death either? Wow! We have so much in common!

5. You know, the bookstore at my parish sells The Apocalypse by Bishop Hodur.

4. Do you prefer the icon of Ostrabrama or Częstochowa?

3. Your lips remind me of the red binder on my PNU policy.

2. Will you stand next to me during the Asperges?

1. We’re making pierogi and gołąbki on Tuesday night, do you want to wrap or fill?

PNCC

Second Day of the Octave – For the Gift of Piety

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of Yours,
and our inmost being fill!

The Gift of Piety

The gift of Piety instills in our hearts a child-like affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect, for His sake, persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty. but a delightful service. Where there is love, there is no labor.

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Piety, possess the hearts of all those attending Holy Synod. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that all those in attendance may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC,

First Day of the Octave —“ For the Gift of the Fear of the Lord

+ Come Holy Spirit, come!
And from Your celestial home,
shed a ray of light divine!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light,
of Strength, and of Love. With His
sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind,
strengthens the will, and inflames the
heart with the love of God. We should
invoke the Holy Spirit daily, for the Spirit
aids us in our infirmity. We do not know
what we should pray for, nor how we
should pray, but Scripture tells us that
the Spirit Himself asks for us.

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, You have
regenerated us by water and the Holy
Spirit, and have given us forgiveness for
all our sins. From Heaven send forth
upon our Holy Synod Your sevenfold
Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and
Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of the
Fear of the Lord. Amen.

Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine!

The Gift of the Fear of the Lord

The gift of the Fear of the Lord fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises from feelings of reverence and child-like submission to our heavenly Father. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from worldly pleasures that could separate us from God. “Those who fear the Lord seek to please Him, those who love Him are filled with His law. Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts and humble themselves before Him.— (Sirach 2:16-17)

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Fear of the Lord, penetrate our inmost hearts, that we may set You, our Lord and God, before our faces forever. Help all those attending Holy Synod to shun all things that can offend You, and make them worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in Heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God, world without end. Amen.

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be to the Father …

Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit

On my knees, before the great
multitude of heavenly witnesses, I offer
myself, soul and body, to You, Eternal
Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of
Your purity, the unerring keenness of
Your justice, and the might of Your love.
You are the Strength and Light of my
soul. In You I live and move and am. I
desire never to grieve You by
unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with
all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against You. Mercifully guard my
every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light, listen to Your
voice, and follow Your gracious
inspirations. I cling to You and give
myself to You and ask You, by Your
compassion, to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of
Jesus and looking at His five Wounds,
and trusting in His Precious Blood and
adoring His opened Side and Stricken
Heart, I implore You, Adorable Spirit,
Helper of my infirmity, to keep me in
Your grace that I may never sin against
You. Give me grace, O Holy Spirit, to
say to You always and everywhere,
“Speak for Your servant is listening.” (1
Sam. 3:10b)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before
ascending into heaven, did promise to
send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work
in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples,
grant the same Holy Spirit to our Polish
National Catholic Church that it may be
made perfect in the work of Your grace
and Your love. Grant us the Spirit of
Wisdom that we may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire
only after the things that are eternal; the
Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our
minds with the light of Your divine truth;
the Spirit of Counsel that we may ever
choose the surest way of pleasing God
and gaining heaven; the Spirit of Fortitude
that we may bear our crosses with You
and that we may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose our
salvation; the Spirit of Knowledge that
we may know God and know ourselves
and grow perfect in the knowledge of
the Saints; the Spirit of Piety that we
may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, and the Spirit of the Fear of the
Lord, that we may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread
in anyway to displease Him. Dear Lord,
mark our Polish National Catholic
Church with the sign of discipleship and
enliven our Holy Synod in all its dealings
with Your Spirit. Amen. +

PNCC

Modlitwa Dla XXII Generalnego Synodu

Wszechmogący Boże, nasz Ojcze, Ty jesteś Stwórca wszystkiego co istnieje i do Ciebie wszystko należy. Pokornie Cię prosimy dzisiaj, ześlij na nas Twojego Ducha Świętego i napełnij nasze serca i umysły mądrością, zrozumieniem, wiedzą i bojaźnią Bożą, tak abyśmy mogli uczestniczyć w tym Synodzie i podejmować decyzje, które pomogą nam budować nasz Polski Narodowy Katolicki Kościół, który będzie widzialnym znakiem Twojego Królestwa na ziemi. Umocnij nas w Twoim Duchu Świętym abyśmy szukali nie naszej woli ale Twoją wolę i daj nam, prosimy Cię, Boże, odwagę do rezygnacji z własnych ludzkich ambicji ażebyśmy mogli lepiej służyć braciom i siostrom naszym. Prosimy oto przez Twojego Syna, Jezusa Chrystusa, naszego Zbawiciela i Pana, Który żyje i króluje z Tobą i Duchem Świętym, jeden Bóg, na wieki wieków. Amen.

PNCC

An Octave of Prayer and Fasting

In anticipation of the Twenty-Second General Synod of the Polish National Catholic Church, the Church calls on and enjoins all the faithful to undertake an octave of prayer and fasting.

Prayer and fasting are to be offered so that the Church may be one in prayerful spirit before our God, and that the work of the Holy Synod may truly represent the Will of God for the Holy Church.

I will be posting the recommended series of prayers to the Holy Spirit from Sunday, October 1st through Sunday, October 8th.

I ask all my readers and all brothers and sisters in faith to pray with and for us.

Christian Witness, PNCC

Living God

Norman Lee - Praise CD

Norman Lee, a PNCC member and Christian music artist has hit number one on Indieheaven with his song Living God. You can hear his work at Indieheaven as well.

The picture above is from a performance at St. Paul’s PNCC in Belleview, Florida.

Mr. Lee has a great sound and his music has a distinctively Catholic – Christian witness. Living God is about —“ the Eucharist. It is an amazing feat in a realm that is almost exclusively Evangelical.

Both of his albums, Praise, and God is with me are available from iTunes.

The following bio is from Mr. Lee’s website – Pray On:

As a lifelong entertainer, Norman Lee has raised the bar, bringing a faith based presentation to a population striving to find substance in their daily lives. Based out of central Florida, Norman has toured across the country for many years, performing on concert stages, charitable events and churches. He has appeared on numerous local and national television shows and his music has had national radio air play. Norman has opened up for such acts as George Jones, Temptations, Lou Rawls, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee, Travis Tritt, Lori Morgan, Loretta Lynn, Marty Stuart, Ray Price, Juice Newton, LeAnn Rimes. Norman Lee the singer songwriter is a charismatic performer who’s music appeals to all ages. His music combines praise and worship, contemporary Christian and gospel into one spirit filled sound.

Check out his music… it is worth a listen (free at Indieheaven).

PNCC

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.

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