Abbey-Roads2

And on the third day… I finally got back on this %*&&# blog.  From time to time, I get locked out - so if I haven’t posted on any given day, check out the other Abbey - I’ll be posting there.

Singin’ in the reign…

You know how those middle-school music teachers,  Marty Culp and Bobbi Moughan-Culp on Saturday Night Live, entertained us by singing their pop-rock songs straight?  How they slowed down the tempo, Bobbi singing classically, enunciating each word clearly?  Well, anyway - it occured to me that sometimes dissident Catholics may put on a similar act.

They can sound sweet, well-meaning, even ‘orthodox’ - but their lyrics are still twisted.  They may look straight and conservative - but they are still pushing the envelope for change.  Other great examples of this marketing of evil technique are the hypocrites running for the 2008 presidential nomination, competing in the Iowa caucus, saying whatever they need to say to come out on top.

I suppose we ought to be well acquianted with this type of duplicity by now, having endured so many bishops and priests in sheep’s clothing over the last several years.  Yet maybe we’ve become too accustomed to this sort of manipulation, to the extent we are taken in more easily by the Stepford clone act when it is continually rerun for us.

Conspiracy and cover-up? 

The Third Secret is a  conspiracy theory  that just  will not go away.  And Cardinal Bertone is the obvious villain in the case.  Opie should make a movie out of Antonio Socci’s book, The Fourth Secret of Fatima, which claims there is a fourth dimension to the secret.  The opening of the film can show Socci being roughed  up by Vatican secret police as the press conference begins with Cardinal Bertone promoting his own book on the cover-up.   Supposedly, that kind of  happened, here is the story - although the report here  is based upon a  ”press release”  by the National Pilgrim Virgin of Canada - do I smell a  Gruner  here?:

As Dr. Socci is a well-known journalist and television personality, his book caused quite a stir in Italy and around the world. Cardinal Bertone’s The Last Seer of Fatima was an attempt, albeit an unsuccessful one, to disprove the main thesis of Socci’s book. Apart from many indicators that the entire Third Secret was not revealed, Socci’s book contains the testimony of Archbishop Capovilla, the personal secretary of Pope John XXIII who admitted to Dr. Solideo Paolini that there were indeed two texts of the Third Secret.

Shortly before the event started, inside the auditorium, Socci had asked Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Vatican Press Office, for permission to speak with Cardinal Bertone. Father Lombardi refused, insisting that the Cardinal will take no questions. Socci and Paolini then went to the entrance of the “Aula Magna” (the “large auditorium” of the University) in the hope of speaking with the Cardinal when he arrived. Upon seeing Dr. Socci, Cardinal Bertone darted to a side entrance to avoid Socci’s questions.

Vatican bodyguards immediately descended upon Dr. Socci demanding that he stop speaking to reporters and ordering him to leave. When Socci responded, explaining that he was simply a journalist who had a right to be there, they began pushing and shoving him. - YahooNews

The seer, Sr. Lucia declared there is no 4th secret. 

Despite the rumors and theories that there is another part of the secret, Mother Prioress from Sr. Lucia’s Carmel quotes the late seer in saying there is nothing more to the secret than what has been revealed.  In fact, Sr. Lucia points to the essential message of Fatima as being what is most important.  From Zenit:

The superior said that Sister Lucia always denied any talk of a “fourth secret of Fatima.” Sister Lucia would say of people who spread rumors of the alleged secret that “they are never satisfied; that they should do what Our Lady asked, that this is the most important thing.When someone would say: ‘Sister Lucia, they say there is another secret’ […] she would look at them ironically. ‘If there is one,’ she would say, ‘I wish they would tell it to me: I know of no other secrets.’” - Zenit

Conspiracy theories do not promote the message of Fatima. 

Liberals and progressivists have pretty much always regarded Fatima people with suspicion, which may be one reason the message has been ignored in later years.  However, these unending conspiracy theories and speculations about a Vatican cover-up only serves to make the Fatima message and adherents seem even more weird.  In addition, these idle speculations and insinuations do untold harm to the confidence simple people have in the the Vatican and the teaching authority of the Church.

What the faithful need to know has been revealed, and the authentic message of Fatima  should be what is promulgated and lived.  Leave the rest to Our Lady.

Update: Catholic World News  now has the story on the Socci ‘harrassment’ - adding fuel to the fire.  The people who promote the theory that there is a cover-up concerning the Third Secret of Fatima are essentially  suggesting  that John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Bertone, and Sr. Lucia of Fatima are liars.   I think they’ve been reading too much Anna Katherine Emmerich. 

That’s not very PC.

It is said the Nazi’s did it in WWII, and the North Vietnamese did it in the war for control over South Vietnam, and some believe it is happening in the West today.  In the past, such beliefs led to internment camps for foreign nationals in various countries, an action which would be thought of as a violation of human rights today.

The following piece from Rod Dreher focuses on a Muslim Brotherhood document confiscated from the Virginia home of a suspected terrorist by the FBI in 1991.  It reads rather like a Fifth Column movement to me.

This “explanatory memorandum,” as it’s titled, outlines the “strategic goal” for the North American operation of the extremist Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan). Here’s the key paragraph:

The process of settlement [of Islam in the United States] is a “Civilization-Jihadist” process with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that all their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and “sabotaging” their miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all religions. Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim’s destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who choose to slack. - Dallas News

Of course, terrorist “sleeper cells” are believed to be in this country as well - maybe that is a more politically correct term to use.

Who’s sailing this ship? 

Conspiracy theorists love to speculate on all sorts of stories on how various enemies of the Church have infiltrated the Vatican - but what about the Catholic Bishop’s Conference in the United States?  Why no stories there?   As Catholics we  know all of our Bishops are above reproach and faithful to the Holy Father - we’ve witnessed this in their enthusiastic reception of the Summorum Pontificum liberalizing the use of the Extraordinary Latin rite for Mass.  Therefore, I can only conclude that the USCCB may employ non-clerical personnel who (inadvertently of course) could pose a threat to Roman Catholic teaching and discipline - unbeknown to the Bishops.  It is a huge bureaucracy and therefore hard to keep tabs on everyone who is hired.

The USCCB’s new Domestic Policy Director is a case in point - wherein someone slipped up - or not.  The woman they just hired is Kathy Saile,  a former Associate Public Policy Director for Lutheran Services in America.  Well, I’ll let you read about her:

Sep. 14, 2007 -

Kathy Saile named USCCB domestic policy director; ‘since August 2004, Saile has been Associate Director of Public Policy for Lutheran Services in America (USA), in Washington’ (USCCB)

WIN (‘Pro-choice. Democrat. Women. Network.’) 2006 WODW dinner party no. 14: Kathy Saile, Associate Director of Public Policy, Lutheran Services was 1 of 2 speakers at ‘Did the Left Cede Heaven? The Intersection of Faith and Politics.’ ‘Throughout American history religion has shaped US politics. Recent history has focused on the efforts and effects of Conservative Christians in the Republican Party, but the Left continues to be a party of people of faith. This dinner will highlight the way liberal people of faith organize to further progressive causes.’ (WIN)

About WIN: ‘WIN is Washington’s premier professional, political, and social network dedicated to empowering young, Democratic, pro-choice women.’ (WIN) - Catholic World News

 .

The following is an excerpt from the USCCB’s press release:

Msgr. David Malloy, USCCB General Secretary announced the appointment September 13.“Kathy Saile brings to this important position strong commitment to the Catholic Church and its social teaching, impressive knowledge of key domestic issues and extensive policy and advocacy experience. Her service in diocesan social ministry and here in the nation’s capital will be great assets in helping the bishops articulate and advance the Church’s principles and policies seeking economic and social justice in our nation.” - USCCB .

Who knows?  Kathy Saile could be another Mother Teresa - I’m just speculating from her record here. 

(Thanks to my friend Paula for the tip - sorry I was late in posting this.)

That Third Secret of Fatima Thing.

Conspiracy theorists contend that the entire Third Secret has not been revealed, mainly because they are looking for words from Our Lady explicitly indicating that the Great Apostasy began with the II Vatican Council.  They will not be satisfied until they find a document quoting Our Lady in the Third Secret foretelling all the turmoil in the Church and the Liturgy since the Council.  They are certain the powers that be in the Vatican are involved in a huge cover-up.  Whatever.

A clarification from the last surviving witness:

Archbishop Loris Capovilla, 91, who witnessed Pope John XXIII open the envelope of the third secret, said there was no truth in the rumor that the Vatican was suppressing a vision of the end of the world.

“There are not two truths from Fatima and nor is there any fourth secret. The text which I read in 1959 is the same that was distributed by the Vatican (in 2000),” said Archbishop Capovilla.

“I have had enough of these conspiracy theories. It just isn’t true. I read it, I presented it to the Pope and we resealed the envelope,” he reportedly said. - CNA 

Of course, maybe Cardinal Bertone was holding a gun to his head when  Archbishop Capovilla made this statement.

(Photo:  Archbishop Capovilla - he looks like an evil conspirator, doesn’t he?  LOL!) 

…Or teaching kids how to have sex.

When I was in the 6th grade - just a few years before the “sexual revolution” of the late 1960’s - Sr. Lillian, CSJ took it upon herself to instruct our class about sex.  Her first lessons sent us all to the dictionary to look up copulation, after she became concerned when we all laughed that, “Abraham saddled his ass” and when we read that Lot’s daughters slept with their dad.  (The “progressive”  Sr. Lillian was later ostracized from her community because she refused to give up the old habit and was a huge Fatima and Padre Pio devotee - which tells you something about just how liberal she really was.)

So anyway, when the sex education started, she supplied us with non-illustrated pamphlets on our bodies.  Blossoming pervert that I was, I took copious notes, writing out terms and definitions such as “gonads” and “testicles” and “penis”.  My friends and I would read the definitions to one another from these notes and booklets and the dictionary, laughing nervously, anxiously discussing when we would get our pubic hair.  My parents found my sex notes and accused me of things I didn’t even know the meaning of, which in turn, sent me to Confession, and more confusion about what “complete self-abuse” meant.  The thing is, all I learned about from Sister concerned our bodies, and that mine was different from a girl’s body.  (See - she really just didn’t want us laughing because “Abraham saddled his ass.”)  Yet for me - and my friends - this was too much information too soon - and I never figured out what ’self-abuse’ meant until 9th grade.

Do not awaken sex before its time.

I adapted that verse from the Song of Songs, “Do not awaken love before its time.”  In other words, in 6th, 7th, even 8th grade, I really didn’t have a clue about sexuality.  Sr. Lillian may have been instrumental in piquing our interest, but that was the extent of it.  I know things are different today, kids in 4th grade probably know as much about sex as I do now.  Sex is all over media - kids know it is not just kissing.

Rudimentary sex education in ‘health class’ does not seem inappropriate to me - especially if kids can discus these things with parents.  Nevertheless, I’m convinced that detailed sex education belongs to the parents first and foremost, and what children are taught in schools must  be monitored by parents.  Sr. Lillian never checked with the parents if it was okay to teach us about our bodies - and when I took my homework home, my parents freaked, thinking I was this little sex maniac in the making.

The “new” sex education - or indoctrination?

Today, the New York Times has a piece,  “Lesson on Homosexuality Move Into the Classroom” - here’s a snippet:

“After five years, one legal defeat and a challenge on the way, Montgomery County, Md., is at the frontier of sex education in the United States. This fall, barring last-minute court action, the county will offer lessons on homosexuality in its 8th- and 10th-grade health education courses.

To school officials, the lessons are a natural outgrowth of sex education and of teachings on tolerance and diversity. They consist of two heavily scripted, 45-minute lessons for each grade and a video demonstrating how to put on a condom. The lessons’ central message is respect and acceptance of the many permutations of sexual identity, both in others and in one’s self.” - New York Times 

Needless to say, I can’t think of anything more innapropriate.  No matter how much a kid knows about his/her body and sex, or how much they see it on TV or in the movies, they surely do not have to be trained that homosexuality is an option.  Especially at the age of sexual awakening, that time when there is a lot of confusion, and in many cases, experimentation. 

As sexually sophisticated as we believe contemporary kids are, they are still just kids.  If a kid “thinks” he’s gay because he has an innocent “boy/man crush” on someone - that doesn’t mean he is dyed in the wool gay.  If he isn’t yet interested in girls, or he happens to be fascinated with the adult male physique; again, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the kid is gay.  (My crazy mother thought my athletic brother was gay because he used to buy body-builder magazines - he just wanted to be Mr. Atlas!)  Adolescence is a time of great upheaval, emotionally, physically, psychologically, and to be sure - sexually.  Answer kid’s questions, but it is wrong to do the “TMI” (too much information) thing before they are ready.   

The Agenda

Sr. Lillian, God rest her soul, also told us that Communism would infiltrate our schools and universities, convents and rectories, every institution, sacred or civil.  She said that the aim would be to gradually, covertly indoctrinate people with socialist principles.  She said the first assault would occur in the breakdown of morality, that moral principles would be altered and confused, permitting the decline of good order.  (I thought she was nuts and wasn’t sure what the heck she was talking about.)

I’m not saying this is one big Communist plot, like Hilary Clinton does when she insists there is a massive ‘right wing conspiracy’ against she and her husband - but there are earmarks of an agenda perpetrated by some one or some organization.   It seems more than obvious to me that this type of sex education in our schools is not only an attempt to normalize the homosexual lifestyle, but also can become (intentionally or unitentionally)  a form of indoctrination into the lifestyle for the undecided.   Even when it is veiled under the title of Creating Safe Environments for LGBT students - A Catholic School Perspective, and in the establishment of LGBT clubs in our Catholic high schools, such as Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota has done.

I know - I’m going to get nailed for this one, but it seems to me it is just common sense.  To those who object to my views, I hope you can step away from your passions, your personal experiences, and your political agenda, and just look at this objectively.

That’s all. 

[Cartoon stolen from: Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex blog.] 

Mitt Romney.

Yesterday I posted a piece concerning Mitt Romney’s Mormonism, asking why this should make any difference as regards his suitability for the White House.  I took it down after I received an informative email from a concerned Catholic, who happens to be a well educated, Catholic professional - not a conspiracy theorist by any means - who once lived under “Mormon rule” in Utah.  (I’m known to take posts down all the time, for a variety of reasons.  For a time, I used to do it deliberately, just to drive my previous employer nuts - one day the post would be there, the next day it was gone - only to return a week later.  It was fun.  But I digress.)

Mormonism: A cult?

I do believe many Catholics and Evangelical protestants already know that the Mormon religion is a cult - maybe even sharing a few similarities with Scientology.  For instance, my friend wrote;  “Men can become gods, and God started off as some guy living on another planet.  You may not get a straight answer from a Mormon about this.”  Doesn’t Scientology claim that we are all from another planet as well?  (Of course, everyone knows Tom Cruise is a god - LOL!)

Proselytizing on bikes.

Indeed, it is hard to get a straight answer from Mormons.  Once, shortly after my conversion in 1972, two young Mormon evangelists came to my apartment.  In those days I was a rare commodity in the local Church; that is, very few young people were interested in the the Catholic Church and Jesus.  I was friendless.  So when two young guys came to my door to talk about Jesus, I was thrilled to be able to talk to them about the Eucharist, the Trinity, etc.  When they seemed to agree - but with reservations, I tried to question them about the tenets of Mormonism, yet they were evasive and kept trying to present the Christian perspective - though skewed.

Gradually I realized what the Church of Jesus Christ Later-day Saints was about - hence,  I urged them to leave it immediately for their own salvation.  I then took out my Bible to cite passages defending the Catholic Church, and read passages from the letter of St. Peter about the last days. etc..  They were totally freaked out and left me as soon as they could.  (You know how intense we are soon after our conversion.)  I was sad when they left, feeling like the blind hermit when Frankenstein had left him - I was all alone again.

Flip-flops - they aren’t just footwear!

Having said that, as time went on, (and we’ve had Presidents who say they are Christian, although a few haven’t acted like it - Hi, Bill!) I began to believe a candidate’s religion doesn’t really matter - because they tend to compartmentalize, twist it, or not practice it anyway.   In Romney’s case, he’s pro-life now - a flip-flop from being pro-choice at one time.  Just so, George Bush is pro-life - to a point.  But politicians flip-flop for the sound-bites and photo-ops all the time.  Cynic that I have become, I think many politicians simply use the God thing and pro-life thing to get elected - depending from which side the money comes from.  (Again, I digress!)

Pretending to be Christian.

Most Mormon’s probably really do not pretend to be Christian - they really think they are - but they aren’t the garden variety type of Christian most WASP’s know and love.  They are a hybrid of false teachings and prophets, believing in an ongoing revelation.  True Christians know that Divine Revelation stopped with the Apostles, the fullness of Truth has been completely revealed - there can be no new doctrine.  Read the Catholic Church’s stance on Mormon Baptism- it will clear up any question a Catholic may have regarding the Later-day Saints.

No real Baptism - no real Christianity.

Which means Mormonism is closer to a cult, not so much a sect, but a cult that has worked itself up to a “Christian denomination” - yet with some marked differences.  “Difference of views: Mormons hold that there is no real Trinity, no original sin, that Christ did not institute baptism.”  - The document on Mormon Baptism.  Other oddities they accept include :  Jesus and Lucifer were brothers.  The Bible is corrupted and subject to the Book of Mormon and the interpretation of the “prophet” Joseph Smith and the Elders.  And as I mentioned earlier, public revelation is ongoing and therefore, flip-flops on the polygamy issue can certainly reoccur.  (Remember Romney’s pro-choice/pro-choice flipping around?  That was convenient, huh?)  If current marriage legislation is changed in the United States, regarding gay marriage, it’s not such a leap to believe polygamy can make a comeback.

Fraternal email correction - it’s a good thing!

In the email, my friend presented some valid considerations as to why the American people should be concerned about a Mormon President - not just Catholics, but all citizens:

“My friend, I can tell you have never lived in Utah or southern Idaho.  Please believe me when I tell you we do notwant Mormons in the White House.  I say “Mormons” because it would not stop with Mitt Romney, either during or after his administration.  The problem is not individual Mormons but the Mormon “church,” what it’s all about and how it operates.  Mormonism is a cult (nowhere is this more obvious than at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, whose most striking feature is that it is utterly devoid of crosses or any other Christian symbols — no doubt a Providential warning) and a religion of darkness.  It would be a disaster if Mormonism gained the prestige that it would acquire if a Mormon became president.

The problem is not merely what Mormons believe (about which, by the way, they are trained not to be entirely candid) but how they operate.  They basically view the world as being made up of two kinds of people: Mormons and potential Mormons.  They are out to convert as many people as they possibly can, and they are pretty aggressive.  They also treat non-Mormons like second-class citizens, particularly when said non-Mormons do not appear readily amenable to proselytizing.” - From an email.

Aside from the fact my friend once lived in Utah and experienced the “Mormon state” first hand - one only has to read the Book of Mormon, or the more concise and very interesting  Thirteen Articles of Faith  to recognize something is off with their religion - from a traditional Christian perspective.  Again, adherents may not even be fully aware of the distortion from traditional Christianity, simply because they do not know the difference - as my friend charitably explained.

Game Show host good looks and anchor-man delivery.

Mitt Romney has it going on in the image department; media refers to his Hollywood good looks - which is really more Game Show host savvy and good looks in my estimation.  He speaks well and is a charmer - he’d be great on the nightly news.  He says the right things to the right Republicans as well.  In a secularized, so-called “Christian country” a well-groomed, polished, debonair gentleman - with a lot of money, speaking against gay marriage and abortion is going to get a lot of attention from neoconservatives.

Hopefully we will all study the candidates thoroughly before we cast our vote in the next presidential election.  Their public record and personal beliefs really do matter.

(Thanks to my friend for the informative email, offering an interesting perspective on this issue.)   

Masons!

I found an interesting interview on Zenit with a Spanish priest’s investigation into Masonry.  (I’ll link to it and post a snippet or two after a few quick anecdotes of my own.)

Certainly, the Masonic influence upon society and politics since the French Revolution must be realized as certain by many knowledgeable Catholics, so I don’t really want to deal with all of that here.  Of course Masons are the bane of conspiracy theorists throughout the world, sede-vacantists, SSPX-ers, as well as neo-Nazis and white supremacists.  (Although, you rarely hear that liberals call people Masons - kidding.)

The cult effect.

Locally, there is a rather charismatic priest who genuinely believes most of the ills in society and the Church are due to the international Masonic conspiracy.  A good deal of his followers seem to agree.  Within those ranks are one or two who claim there are Masons even in the local Church.

One fellow, a PI (private investigator) now retired, suggested that even at one of the most conservative local Catholic parishes, Masons were stalking the sanctuary.  Alas - I quit my job before I could get details.  Intriguing huh?  Of course, people have accused Marcel Lefebvre of being a Mason as well, so it slices both ways.  (Although everyone knows Anibale Bugnini was a Mason.)  I think the nuns who taught me were Masons too, because we used to get tickets for the Shrine Circus.  No wonder Sr. Vivian was such a… 

Years ago I stopped in Chicago with a friend, on our way home after we drove to see JPII in Detroit.  My friend wanted to visit a weeping statue of Our Lady.  It was one of the weirdest experiences of my life.  An old Felician sister was there selling books and religious articles, spouting off about the infamous Cardinal Bernardin.  “He was a Mason!” she said, insisting he was in cahoots with the grand International Conspiracy of Masonic Jewish Bankers.  She was a nasty little woman indeed.  (Although I like the word cahoots.) 

This is really a serious post despite the labels.

(I just don’t want to come off as a conspiracy theorist.) 

Anyway, that’s all I have today on the subject, but here are a couple snips from the article with a link to read the entire thing.  Enjoy!

New Age connection.

Q: Does Masonry substitute itself for religion?

Father Guerra: Masonry, in line with one of its products, the New Age, prefers to use the term “spirituality,” which has a more subjective resonance than the term “religion.”

Some Masons say that they are Christians and deny that Masonry is a religion. They should rather recognize that they belong to two religions: the Catholic one and the Masonic one.

But in fact, at least for many, above all for the Masons who are agnostics and deists, Masonry is a substitute for religion. Indeed, Masonry is called a “religion” and sometimes “the religion” in Masonic writings and those of Masons.

They are everywhere.

Q: Is the famous Masonic conspiracy a myth?

Father Guerra: It is necessary to distinguish between Masonry and the Masons. Masonry, as such, does not aspire to power or at least to having it serve its own principles and interests.

Nevertheless, Masons are in fact present in every international organization in which decisions are made and in the multinational corporations that have an influence on economic and political power.

It is logical to think that they try to pass on their ideological principles — relativism, atheism, gnosticism — wherever they are and to irradiate them beyond their own context. - Zenit

“You can’t handle the truth!” - Jack Nicholson

So what if all of these Protestant converts coming into the Church - well some of them - are really Masons?  Or the Trads - yes the Trads - what if they…Or Fr. Richard McBrien- yeah, he has to be.  (Look for that little Fez thing they wear.)

Photo:  Wiccan prayer beads. 

More on the Cosmic rosary thing…again? 

Michael Brown of Spirit Daily has another post on the Cosmic Rosary - gosh - he just won’t let this go will he?  Why do people think this is such a big deal?  Catholics don’t have a copyright on prayer beads.

Religions predating Christianity have used stones or beads to count their prayers, as have later non-Christian religions, such as Islam.  In Persia, a string of prayer beads is called a Tasbih.  Prayer beads are far more ancient than Christianity; Hindus, Buddhists, and other pagan religions have all used prayer beads, some with amulets attached.  (In China the beads are called, Shu Zhu; in Japan, Juzu; in India, Japa Malas.)  The Marian rosary, as we know it, began as Pater Noster beads, 150 count, for people who did not know the psalter by heart.  (The Eastern Orthodox retain the use of so-called Jesus beads, developed by early hesychasts.) 

Catholics believe Our Lady instructed St. Dominic to promote the rosary amongst the faithful to defeat heresy and evangelize the people.  The rosary given by Our Lady at that time, was pretty much the same format as we pray it today.  Although in medieval art, the rosary is often depicted without a crucifix or even a centerpiece.  In fact, the Dominican method of praying the rosary does not include the first five beads of prayer between the crucifix and centerpiece.  (1 Pater bead, 3 Ave beads, 1 Gloria bead, etc.)

Today, non-Catholics, such as Lutherans and Anglicans, sometimes pray the traditional Roman Catholic rosary.  In fact, Anglicans have developed a variant on the rosary, but I am unfamiliar with it.  Today neo-pagans and New Agers have come up with they’re own style of prayer beads.  The “new” beads are obviously not the rosary of Our Lady.

But so what?

***

Interestingly enough, the Lutheran rosary uses what they call the pre-Trent Hail Mary on the Ave beads, or an invocation of Martin Luther’s in honor of the Madonna:

Pre-Trent Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Evangelical praise of the Mother of God (Attributed to Martin Luther)

O Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, what great comfort God has shown us in you, by so graciously regarding your unworthiness and low estate. This encourages us to believe that henceforth He will not despise us poor and lowly ones, but graciously regard us also, according to your example.