Prayer for 2012

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O triune God, Thus have we again by Thy grace brought a year of our wretched life and weary pilgrimage upon earth to a close, and today in Thy name begin another. Lord! how unspeakably great is Thy goodness, how innumerable are Thy benefits which Thou hast shown unto me and mine in the past, though on account of our sins we have deserved nothing at Thy hands but wrath and punishment! Thou hast graciously preserved Thy precious Word and holy sacraments in Thy holy congregation, peace and unity in the government, prosperity and blessing in material comforts, and didst richly bestow for our enjoyment all manner of blessings for body and soul. Thou with paternal care didst protect Thy church from false doctrine and persecution on account of the true faith, our land from hostile invasion and evil contagion, our houses and property from fire and water, and didst by Thy care faithfully avert from us all dire calamities. How shall I find words to express the inestimable value of these blessings? How can I according to my obligations be sufficiently thankful? Behold, Lord, I offer to Thee, at the close of the old year, the fruits of my lips, and glorify Thy grace and mercy with all my strength and powers. My soul must honor Thee, my spirit must praise Thee, my mouth shall thank Thee, and all that is within me must proclaim Thy glory. I prostrate myself in heartfelt sorrow before Thy feet and confess unto Thee with a penitent heart all my sins in which I was conceived and born, and with which I have offended Thee during the past year, as well as during the whole of my past life.

Most beloved Father! do not now reckon such past sins to my condemnation, and do not remember in Thy wrath my past transgressions, but graciously forgive and forget the same for the sake of the sufferings of Thy dearly beloved Son. Jesus, my beloved Saviour, be merciful to me, a poor sinner, blot out like a cloud and mist all my transgressions by Thy merit, cast them into the sea of Thy innocent blood, that they may never more come to light or before the judgment of God. O God, Holy Spirit! create within me the new man, that I may not bring into the new year old sins and impurities, but to-day begin a new life and partake anew of Thy grace. Withhold from me, O Triune God! all long and well deserved punishment, and continue to bless me and mine with all manner of bodily and spiritual, temporal and eternal gifts. Let Thy grace rest upon us anew every morning, and renew Thy good will to all who in this new year seek their refuge with Thee and wait upon Thy goodness. Grant unto us still further Thy precious Word, which is a joy and comfort to our hearts. Enlighten our teachers and pastors, and grant unto their holy work the blessing of heaven; strengthen our faithful rulers and prosper all their good undertakings, which are pleasing to Thee. Bless our parents, and prosper Thou the work of their hands. Fill our souls with true fear of God, and our hearts with joy in the Holy Ghost. Bestow unto our bodies health, and grant peace within our borders. Crown this year with Thy goodness and grant unto us that which is necessary to the support of life. Protect Thy church from error in the faith and from scandalous living, our land from war, famine and pestilence, our homes from consuming flames and all damage and danger, the products of the field from hail and tempest. Curb the wrath and fury of satan, and send Thy heavenly hosts that they may guard and protect us in all our ways.

Convert our enemies and check all our persecutors, help the oppressed, provide for the poor, feed the hungry, give drink unto the thirsty, clothe the naked, free the innocent captives, comfort the distressed, gladden the sorrowing, strengthen the weak, care for the sick, be merciful to the widows and orphans, deliver the oppressed, guide the traveler and accompany the dying through death unto life.

 

Lord! teach us to act according to Thy good pleasure, and Thy good Spirit direct our footsteps, that we may walk before Thee in faith, patience and hope, in godliness and honesty, in meekness, humility and chastity, and all Christian virtues. But when we sin, then chastise us gently; when our sins trouble us, comfort us with Thy grace, and Thy joyful Spirit uphold us. When satan assails us, do Thou support us, when the world persecutes us, then protect us; when our flesh and blood would overpower us, then strengthen our spirit; when we err, set us aright again. When we fall, lift us up by Thy hand. When we become weak and weary in our calling, refresh us. When we are in necessity and danger, relieve us. When we are sick and weak, then be our physician. Should we according to Thy will during this year depart from hence, grant that our spirits be commended into Thy hands. O Lord! hear; Lord! be merciful; Lord! take heed and grant it for Jesus' sake. Amen.  

 

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Have a Blessed Christmas

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Résonet in laúdibus

Cum jucúndis plaúsibus,

Sion cum fidélibus.

Appáruit quem génuit María.

Gaudéte, gaudéte, Christus natus hódie!

Gaudéte, gaudéte, ex María Vírgine. 
 

Sion lauda Dóminum

Salvatórem ómnium;

Virgo parit Fílium.

Appáruit quem génuit María.

Gaudéte, gaudéte, Christus natus hódie!

Gaudéte, gaudéte, ex María Vírgine.

Natus est Emmánuel,

Quem praedíxit Gábriel,

Testis est Ezechiel.

Appáruit quem génuit María.

Gaudéte, gaudéte, Christus natus hódie!

Gaudéte, gaudéte, ex María Vírgine.

Sancta tibi Trínitas

Os ómnium grátias

Résonet altíssimas.

Appáruit quem génuit María.

Gaudéte, gaudéte, Christus natus hódie!

Gaudéte, gaudéte, ex María Vírgine.

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Powers of the Devil's Undead

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Bishop Sean, Does the Vampire as you know it (as you discussed in the last entry, The Demonic Aspect) have any supernatural powers (i.e. strength, agility, speed, shapeshifting, etc.)? If this is the case, especially with regards to strength and shapeshifting, would you please explain? — Kyle Germann

A chapter titled "Antidotes & Exorcisms" in my vampirological guide The Vampire Hunter's Handbook explains: "They cast no reflection, nor shadow and can assume animal shapes. Some have been thought to control elements locally. Metamorphosis into mist is not unknown either. ... They can intrude upon sleeping persons' dreams and sometimes mesmerize their prey ... [and all] have the ability to remain undead indefinitely unless exorcised in a precise manner."

My exorcism attempt at Highgate Cemetery in 1970.

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The Demonic Aspect

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Bishop Sean, Could you, in as much detail as possible, explain your "Demon Vampire" theory? I am writing a book on Vampires, and from what I've read, I find it to be fascinating. With your permission, I would like to include your theory in my book. Could you tell me more? — Kyle Germann

The detail you seek can be found in my concise guide on this topic which book was published by Gothic Press in 1997 and should  serve to cover all you need to know about vampires and vampirism.

The demonic aspect is not my personal "theory," but rather a position held by most clergy specialising in this branch of demonolatry, ie vampirology, down the centuries. In a nutshell, the vampire, like all that is of that ilk, originates from the ranks of fallen angels, and is a corporeal manifestation capable of death and destruction whose agency is exclusively demonic. It is this unearthly combination of the corporeal and the demonic that instils such dread where the vampire is concerned. Blood is the means by which the entity achieves this manifestation and without quaffing warm human blood the vampire would be unable to take corporeal form.

We know these vampires are not living people, but neither are they God's true dead. The Devil's undead is perhaps a term more apt than we might at first imagine. Certainly no other description can come as close to conveying the meaning of this phenomenon. The vampire's partaking of blood into what appears to be a living cadaver offers some level of nourishment. Yet most people if they ingest more than a mouthful of blood will vomit. It is not that there are proteins and iron found in blood which nourish the physical need, but rather the fact that the blood is the life and through it the essence of earthly being is made counterfeit in the demon's guise. Blood is absolutely essential for a demon to achieve materialisation; more so for a corporeal manifestation of the kind pertaining to those revenants recorded down the centuries as blood-sucking vampires.

Biological aspects of vampirism notwithstanding, how do we explain the immediate and rapid deterioration of the corpse once the traditional manner in which folk rid themselves of this hideous pest is applied? For it will fall apart and decay as do other corpses once exorcism takes place! And it will collapse into a pile of dusty bones where centuries have elapsed. As I explained in lengthy interviews lasting hours with the American broadcasters Art Bell and his successor George Noory a few years back, time catches up with the vampiric wraith at the moment of exorcism when the supernatural predator returns back to what it always was and should have remained before contamination occurred. The physical aspect becomes God's true dead while the demonic aspect is cast out.
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Past, Present and Future

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"Do you plan on writing any more books in the near future?" — Ruben H

I am so engaged in the present that to reflect on the past, as writing a book often requires, is a luxury I find myself seldom indulging in. That notwithstanding, one day in the future perhaps another work will emerge, but don't hold your breath in the meantime. 

I am constantly being asked whether I will release an autobiography. I wrote a memoir of sorts some eight years ago which remained unpublished save for select extracts that appeared temporarily on the internet. These were immediately seized upon and infringed by antipathetic elements with a view to misrepresent and defame me. It is not that I especially care whether those who occupy dark places use what I share from the past as ammunition for their own mean-spirited ambitions, but so much happens in the here and now that finding time to devote to writing a book is something of a luxury. That notwithstanding, I hope to have a fresh memoir ready for publication in the not too distant future. Beyond notification of its release and ordering information, extracts will not be appearing on the internet. 

With regard to the past, today is the feast of St Francis of Assisi who is mine and probably many other people's favourite saint. It was on the feast of St Francis, of course, that I was elevated to the episcopate in 1991. Few saints have had greater impact on my life than this humble leader of an Order at first unpopular with the Church authorities until they realised he walked far more closely in Our Lord's footsteps than any of them. His experience and part in supernatural events is also well chronicled; most notably his visions, levitation and stigmata.

Below is my own attempt to portray the little saint — who means so much to so many — on canvas:  

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Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life

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Hello Bishop, I would like to ask you if you think believing in the existance of extraterrestrial life contradicts a belief in the Catholic faith? I know some traditional Catholics don't believe in aliens in outer space, but at the same time I hear people like Dr Michio Kaku and Dr Stephen Hawkings say that there probably is other intelligent life in the universe. — Ruben H

We should retain on open mind on such matters until proof positive one way or the other arrives. I hold the view that the likelihood of intelligent extraterrestrial life is remote at best and most probably non-existent. I emphasise that we are discussing intelligent extraterrestrial life and not low level life forms such as might occur where certain elements are present. This might surprise some people who have come across comments fraudulently attributed to me on the internet and the proliferation of same by someone particularly hostile towards me and my Christian faith. Regarding the latter, I do not regard the two scientists referred to as supporting the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life as being (a) Christian, or (b) believers in God as that belief would be defined and understood by traditional Christians and especially those in the Catholic Church.

Michio Kaku (born 24 January 1947) is an American theoretical physicist, the co-founder of string field theory, and a "communicator" and "populariser" of science. Light-cone string field theories, however, were introduced by Stanley Mandelstam and developed by Mandelstam, Michael Green, John Schwarz and Lars Brink. An explicit description of the second-quantisation of the light-cone string was given by Michio Kaku and Keiji Kikkawa. According to Michio Kaku, about 30% of scientists (polled since WWII) are religious and believe in God, and he says he believes the Bible is scientific. Michio Kaku also says: "I work in something called String Theory which makes the statement that we are reading the mind of God. It’s based on music or little vibrating strings thus giving us particles that we see in nature. The laws of chemistry that we struggled with in high school would be the melodies that you can play on these vibrating strings. The Universe would be a symphony of these vibrating strings and the mind of God that Einstein wrote about at length would be cosmic music resonating through this nirvana … through this eleven dimensional hyperspace — that would be the mind of God. We physicists are the only scientists who can say the word 'God' and not blush." He further explains: "Einstein believed in two types of Gods, for example. He did not believe in a personal God, or a God of intervention. He did not believe that God answered our prayers. But he did believe that there was a God of Spinoza. This is the God of Harmony. He said we are like children entering a huge library for the first time, not knowing how to read the thousands of books that are beyond our understanding."

The Cambridge research biologist Stephen Hawking (born 8 January 1942) was originally more in line with the direction of traditional thinking on God with his famous book A Brief History of Time in which he said: “If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we should know the mind of God.” Unfortunately, in his new book The Grand Design and in a companion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Hawking now says God is unnecessary after all. Stephen Hawking's interests have been in thermodynamics, relativity, and quantum mechanics. Hawking's key scientific works to date have included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding gravitational singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation (or sometimes as Bekenstein–Hawking radiation).

Any confusion which may have arisen over my position on intelligent extraterrestrial life is probably due to the online version of the Dorset Echo receiving comments falsely attributed to my name in the summer of 2007 that were widely disseminated to the effect that "mysterious lights" seen in the sky over that county, thought by some to be UFOs, were the "supernatural powers" conjured by a man who has made a career out of harassment and stalking; a man, moreover, who was sentenced to almost five years' imprisonment in the 1970s for vandalism, desecration and threatening police witnesses with black magic. This sad individual, noticing reports on television and in newspapers about strange lights over a coastal county, obviously felt there was potential mileage in this unusual phenomenon for his agenda, namely self-publicity and furthering his personal vendetta against a Christian bishop. The online comments in the Dorset Echo were unmoderated. One of his coterie, posting fraudulently in my name, claimed that the eerie lights over Dorset had nothing to do with UFOs but were the remarkable supernatural powers of the offender who in the past has unconvincingly claimed to be a "high priest of witchcraft." With stage one accomplished (publicity in a newspaper for the offender) it was time to post abuse against me; stage two having already been set in place because the original comment had been fraudulently attributed to me, which left the way open for a tirade of abuse in subsequent comments. However, the IP behind the fraudulent "Bishop Seán Manchester" comment proved to be identical to that of a member of the offender's cabal. The comments were immediately removed by the editor after his newspaper was alerted by my secretary who requested a record be kept for the police should the problem keep recurring. Needless to say, I do not believe (and have never believed) that the offender in question has any supernatural powers, or that he is anything other than an incorrigible hoaxer and a charlatan.

The same offender attempted to repeat the exercise last month when equally fraudulent comments appeared in the same newspaper under the name of a religious order (Ordo Sancti Graal) which I happen to oversee and am Superior General. The following false attribution was posted in the Dorset Echo:

"We recall a spate of UFOs sent to disturb our fair coastal region in 2007 and suspect that the current unpleasantness originates from the same demonically infested individual.”

Within a matter of a few hours of the bogus comments made on August 19th, the offender posted in the early hours of the next day what follows:

"Oh dear! I was just sent this report by somebody who spotted this in the '[Dorset] Echo' yesterday. I wouldn’t mind, except that ‘I’ am the ‘demonically infested’ person who was supposed to have sent a ‘biblical flood’ upon the quiet town ... yesterday. That newspaper reported that [the town] had suffered the worst rainfall for 30 years, and it was possibly related to a similar UFO invasion upon this fair tourist town (previously reported by the reliable '[Dorset] Echo') in the latter part of 2007. Needless to say, I was the ‘black magician’ held for being responsible for these alien disturbances, and , not least, for causing one particular resident to take refuge in his loo outside his bungalow [sic] on a cliff-top in [the town]. What can I say!? It is true that I am in personal contact with the Commander of the alien invasion force who plan to return to the planet Earth very soon, to ‘escort’ certain earthlings to their distant planet of Bonkinite for the purpose analysing, and eradicating certain forms of evil human behaviour."

Once again, the newspaper in question was contacted and informed of what was going on. They confirmed the geographical location of the IP behind the comments to be many miles removed from Ordo Sancti Graal, and immediately deleted the falsely attributed foolishness, promising to monitor the situation in future now they know for a fact that neither I nor my religious order (Ordo Sancti Graal) have ever posted comments on their newspaper website.

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Grail Church Belief

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Your Excellency, I am interested to learn what the British Grail Church, restored in 1973, believes and how this might differ from other churches? — Maggie

"Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments

and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;

but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the

kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness

exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter."

(Matthew 5: 19-20)

The Grail Church adheres to the revealed truth in Holy Scripture and the tradition and Faith of the early Church as formulated in the Ecumenical Symbols and specified precisely by the unanimously accepted decisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils and of the Fathers of the Church. All teachings that have no substance in Holy Writ and were not accepted by the early Apostolic Church are not received nor held as Articles of Faith by Ecclesia Apostolica Jesu Christi (hereafter referred to as the Grail Church) whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction (an entirely non-stipendiary ministry) is confined to the British Isles with missions to the rest of the world.

The Grail Church holds fast to all seven Sacraments, including the doctrine of the Real Presence. The Seven Sacraments are an outward, visible symbols of the inward, spiritual Grace, Presence and working of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In accordance with the faith and practice of Holy Mother Church,

These Sacraments are declared to be:

Baptism, whereby the forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ and membership into His Mystical Body the Church is proclaimed and that this sacrament is necessary for Salvation.

Confirmation as the seal of the Holy Spirit in completion of Baptism.

The Mass, as the sacrifice whereby Our Lord, Jesus Christ unites us to His all-sufficient Sacrifice, once made, to bestow on us remission of sins, and all other benefits of His Passion, whereby He is truly present under the forms of bread and wine, and gives Himself to us in His Body and Blood, to be our heavenly food and to unite us to Himself and to all in His Sacred Body the Church.

Holy Matrimony, which is a mystical bond of one man and one woman together in lifelong commitment and unity.

Holy Orders, which is the perpetuation of the sacred and apostolic ministry in accordance with the will of Christ established for the Government of His Church as the ministers of His Gospel and Sacraments; and that the three orders of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons by Christ's institution are to be confined to the male sex; and that Bishops alone possess the fullness of apostolic authority as Overseers of the faithful and conveyers of Holy Orders.

Confession, through which the faithful are called to conversion of life, confession of sins and reconciliation with God, and through which we are called to forgive others.

Holy Unction, whereby the healing power and consolation of God is specifically bestowed upon the faithful who are sick in body, mind or soul.

The Grail Church does not subscribe to the pagan doctrine of a just war (justum bellum) in contrast to most of the remainder of mainstream churchianity. Our Lord’s words (Luke 6: 27-36) make the prohibition clear. Augustine laid down the just war theory which was then built upon by Thomas Aquinas. Churches would thence become the great offenders in war and bloodshed over the centuries, making a mockery of Christ’s teaching to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

The Grail Church is not simply an alternative to mainstream churchianity, but a living sanctuary for Christians who cannot reconcile their Faith with the drift into modernism, revisionism and error by the established institutions. The larger institutions, eg the Anglican and Roman folds, have certainly embraced modernism to the detriment of Christianity and with the inevitable decline in their number. At the time of the Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Ottaviani, one of the ablest members of the Curia, asked: “Are we seeking to stir up wonder, perhaps scandal, among the Christian people, by introducing changes in so venerable a rite, that has been approved by so many centuries, and is now so familiar? The rite of Holy Mass should not be treated as if it were a piece of cloth to be refashioned according to the whim of each generation.” But that is exactly how it was treated in the succeeding years. From its pagan origins the Roman Church has returned to a more pagan religion than obtained even in the dark ages.

The Grail Church, in common with the Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic and Eastern and Western Orthodox Churches, permits only men to be ordained in the sacred office of the priesthood. The tradition of only ordaining men to the ministerial priesthood goes right back to the time of Jesus Himself, who chose only men to be His apostles. The priest (in persona Christi), especially in the Eucharist, represents Christ, who is God become Man, not God become Woman. This does not mean that women are not important in the Church. On the contrary, apart from Christ Himself, we believe that the most important role of all in God’s plan was given to a woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of God in her womb; a role, indeed, which no man could have fulfilled.

The Grail Church does not regard the Blessed Virgin Mary as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate and asserts that such mediation belongs exclusively to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Neither does the Grail Church accept the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception (1854) and the Corporeal Assumption of Mary (1950) as Articles of Faith necessary to salvation. Neither dogma is explicitly contained in Holy Writ. The Roman Catholic Church, therefore, cannot add to the depositum fidei for even the Vatican is emphatic in proclaiming that there can be no new revelation of divine truth.

Decrees promulgated by the Roman Church in 1870 concerning the Infallibility and Universal Jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, the Pontiff or Pope, are rejected by the Grail Church. The term “pontiff” formerly applied to any bishop, but became corrupted when adopted by the “supreme pontiff” as Pontifex Maximus, an exclusively pagan title. Many bishops employed the title “pope” (meaning “father”) in the early Church. Pope Leo in the fifth century was the first to use it officially. Pope Gregory in the eleventh century, by decree, reserved the title for the Bishop of Rome. The Grail Church, however, recognises and gives due honour to the Pope as Bishop of Rome and as Patriarch of the West on the ancient principle of primus inter pares. He is the "first among equals" in the episcopate and thus has a special role and responsibility.

Enforced celibacy (foretold and warned against by Paul in 1 Timothy 4: 3) is unacceptable to the Grail Church. It was introduced by the Roman Church in 1139 for those in holy orders. Peter, on whom so much importance is placed by Rome, was married, as were the first thirty-nine popes. Priests and bishops naturally had families of their own, so the rule of celibacy was imposed to prevent Roman Catholic Church property being inherited by anyone other than the Roman Catholic Church itself. Holy Scripture nonetheless warns against those who will “forbid marriage.”

The ordination of homosexuals is forbidden within the Grail Church. Whilst acknowledging a need for pastoral care of homosexuals, the Grail Church fully recognises that homosexual acts must be unequivocally opposed by all who follow Christ, observing what is set down in Holy Scripture as a prohibition. Paul makes it quite clear (1 Corinthians 6: 9) that practising homosexuals, along with other sinners, are excluded from the Kingdom of God. This applies to both male and female homosexuals, a condition “contrary to nature” (Romans 1: 26-27).

Freemasonry’s intrusion into Christendom is not acceptable to the Grail Church. Many bishops and clergy in the Anglican Communion have been Freemasons who are also thought to have entered Roman Catholic seminaries more than half a century ago.  Other denominations have also been infiltrated. The Roman Catholic Church did once resist Freemasonry and Canon 2335 made it clear that such membership incurred instant excommunication. However, in 1983 the new Code of Canon Law deposed the anti-Masonic Canon 2335 and replaced it with Canon 1374 which makes no mention of Freemasonry. It is now believed by a number of respected Roman Catholics that Freemasons have significantly infiltrated the Roman hierarchy, a process thought to have begun in earnest after the Second World War. Freemasonry is unacceptable owing to it being a pantheistic religion which embraces occult ceremonies that are incompatible with Christianity.

The Grail Church is the spiritual continuity of the Apostolic Church founded at Glastonbury by Our Lord Jesus Christ and developed by Joseph of Arimathea and those who accompanied him with the Sacred Cup after the Passion from Palestine to the western confines of England. Its restored continuity is via apostolic successions (Catholic and Orthodox) that are recognised as being valid by most of Christendom, including the Roman Catholic Church. The jurisdiction of the Grail Church is autocephalous and, therefore, is independent of all other jurisdictions and shall foreseeably remain so in order to retain its doctrinal and spiritual integrity. Its ministry is fully sacramental, putting emphasis on the Eucharist, baptism, healing and exorcism. Much more information about its early origin and latter-day restoration can be found in The Grail Church book.

Those who belong to the Grail Church are Christians who have an English liturgical and theological heritage and a spiritual heritage and an ancestral connection to the Celtic Church, also known as the British Church. The Grail Church is Catholic because it accepts the doctrine of the ancient Church which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.

The Grail Church accepts the teachings of the Undivided Church, the Church of the first millennium of Church history. From the Day of Pentecost, when the Church was established, to the Great Schism in AD 1054, the Church was truly Catholic: one in faith and doctrine, even though there were differences between the way Eastern and Western Churches worshipped. Therefore, the Grail Church claims, in essence, to be both an English Catholic Church and a Western Orthodox Church.

The Grail Church is part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, faithfully continuing the English Catholic tradition. It practices and upholds the historic Catholic Faith.

The Grail Church believes that there is one true and eternal God in Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, without any difference or inequality, Consubstantial, Undivided and of one Essence in Three Divine Persons through whom all that is, was and ever shall be, was created and has its being.

The Grail Church believes that Jesus Christ is the unique and final revelation of the Person and Purpose of God, in whom alone is the fullness of God's truth and grace, and that there is no other through whom salvation may be obtained.

The Grail Church believes in the Communion of Saints, which is the blessed company of all faithful people both living and departed.

Traditionally the Universal Church has been considered to comprise of the Church Triumphant (those Christians who are in Heaven), the Church Militant (those Christians who are living) and the Church at Rest (those Christians who are dead but who are not yet in Heaven).

The Grail Church believes that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, and that she is preeminent above all others as the first-fruits of those who are saved by Him.

The prayers of the saints in heaven assist the faithful on earth according to the Revelation of St John (Revelation 5: 8 and 8: 3-4 in the light of 6: 9-11). The Saints are not to be given worship or adoration that belongs to God alone, but their prayers support Christians on earth just as the prayers of Christians on earth support one another in prayer).

The Grail Church believes in the sanctity of human life; that life begins at the moment of conception; and that the willful taking of that life from the womb to the grave is a mortal sin.

Furthermore, the Grail Church believes that the wilful, intentional, and direct taking of any innocent human life is murder, whether disguised as "euthanasia", "mercy-killing" or "assisted suicide."

The Grail Church believes that all men will appear before Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate Judge and Ruler of all Mankind to receive the due recompense of their faith and works.

Since it has been stated that the Grail Church is not a "Roman" but an "English" Catholic Church it does not consider itself to be under the Bishop of Rome's "Universal Jurisdiction." Its position is comparable to the practice of the Undivided Church. Furthermore, the Pope claims to be infallible in certain matters. The Grail Church believes in infallibility, but it believes that it is found not within the office of the Pope, but within the Church itself, and that this is best expressed when it is acting as an undivided unity through the medium of the Ecumenical Councils. Since AD 1054, however, this has not happened. As a result the pronouncements and decisions of Church Council's within the Roman Catholic Church, such as the Council of Trent, Vatican I and Vatican II are not considered to have the same authority.
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The Grail Church

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"The Church of Christ is never a place, but always a people; never a fold, but always a flock; never a sacred building, but always where believers gather in His name. The Church is you who pray, not where you pray. A structure of brick and marble can no more be a Church than your clothes of serge or satin can be you. There is nothing more sacred than you — for your soul is the sanctuary of God."

—  Seán Manchester (The Grail Church)

“Many will have heard the legends concerning Jesus visiting Glastonbury and St Joseph of Arimathea bringing to that sacred place the Holy Grail. This book provides the evidence. It also addresses the systematic erosion of belief in our times and provides disturbing reasons why even some ‘Christians’ no longer accept a personal God or the existence of the Devil.”

— Melvyn Willin (reviewing The Grail Church in Society News)

“Fascinating reading for anybody interested in Jesus’ wilderness years and history of the Apostolic Church of the Holy Grail in Britain from its birth through its disappearance for twelve centuries — and then its rebirth in April 1973.”

— Shaun Marin (reviewing The Grail Church in Encounters)

Christianity came to Britain in the first century. Tertullian of Carthage (circa 208) said that the Christian Church of his day "extended to all the boundaries of Gaul, and parts of Britain inaccessible to the Romans but subject to Christ." Eusebius of Cæsaria (circa 260-340) in his Demonstratio Evangelica said: "The Apostles passed beyond the ocean to the Isles called the Brittanic Isles." Sabellius (circa 250) revealed: "Christianity was privately confessed elsewhere, but the first nation that proclaimed it as their religion and called it Christian, after the name of Christ, was Britain."

On page 87 of The Grail Church, its author writes: "To the native Celts the Grail Church became known as the British Church; so as to distinguish it from the Anglo-Saxon English Church. When the Anglo-Saxons adopted Roman Christianity the British Church receded until it eventually vanished. Yet the memory of the Holy Grail could not be eradicated; indeed, its symbolic potency only grew with the passing of time."

The Holy Grail was considered to be a relic of inestimable value as the Cup of the Last Supper that was later used by St Joseph of Arimathea to collect a few drops of the Saviour's blood. Apocryphal writings credit St Joseph with possession of the Cup.

The Holy Grail was brought to the British Isles by St Joseph of Arimathea where, six centuries later, it disappeared. In later legends, as a result of the Holy Grail being lost, the country was strangely afflicted with large areas becoming an uninhabitable wasteland. Those who ventured there died. And a sixth century monk named Gildas wrote a history (Gildæ sapientis de excidio et conquestu Britanniæ) which spoke of a great famine and disease that rendered the island of Britain virtually uninhabitable, resulting in mass migration to the Continent. He attributes the catastrophe to the Britons' loss of faith. There are parallels with then and now. A steep decline in moral attitudes and social behaviour, plus, more significantly, the distortion and loss of faith, makes us ripe for a coming wasteland. There is a difference, however, because this time it might be on a global scale.

Christianity came to Britain in the first century and, according to the book's author, is the essence of our civilisation. Lose it and we lose everything. He believes the consequence of that loss is already apparent.

Of the Grail Church itself, Seán Manchester writes: “The British Church receded until it eventually vanished. Yet the memory of the Holy Grail could not be eradicated; indeed, its symbolic potency only grew with the passing of time.”

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Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know

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Caroline Lamb (née Ponsonby) was born in 1785, the fourth child and only daughter of Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough, and his wife Lady Henrietta Frances Spencer, who was the sister of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. In 1805 she married William Lamb (later Lord Melbourne) against the advice of her parents. This childlike attitude is carefully reconstructed in the character of Calantha, one of the protagonists of her novel Glenarvon, whose strict religious principles and childish behaviour are at the origin of her extreme vulnerability. Calantha is also the name of a character in Seán Manchester's gothic novel, Carmel, which is loosely rooted in fact. Caroline and William Lamb had three children, of whom only one survived, Augustus, who had mental problems throughout his life. Caroline met Lord Byron in 1812, first at Lady Jersey's Ball, where she refused to be introduced to him, and later at Holland House. Their illicit relationship lasted from March to November and was as intense as anything could be when Romantics meet. The affair with Byron was also an evasion from the dullness of her matrimonial life. William kept her in what was virtually a silver prison, treating her as a child rather than a sensible and mature woman and mother. Her only past-time was reading, which, together with her extremely emotional attitude brought her to confuse reality and fantasy. Like many other female admirers of Byron, she had felt attraction for him while reading Childe Harold, which made her desperate to meet the author. Both the reading of Childe Harold and her liaison with Byron helped her to break the rigid codes of femininity and domesticity that had been imposed on her since her childhood. Byron inspired her to transform from the faithful, albeit docile, wife to the overwhelmingly passionate and desiring woman. The idea of a demonic Byronic hero was undoubtedly influenced by Caroline's widely-read Glenarvon (1816) and by her two other novels, Graham Hamilton (1822) and Ada Reis (1823), together with Gordon: A Tale (1821). There is also evidence that Caroline's works influenced John Polidori's The Vampyre (1819) and hence the Byronic tradition that derived from it. Of all the affairs that shook an epoch notorious for its scandals there was none more tempestuous than the liaison between Lady Caroline Lamb and Lord Byron. There can be little astonishment, then, why the subject of Lady Caroline Lamb continues to fascinate. Seán Manchester’s unique biography sheds much light on a life that, together with Lord Byron’s, dazzled and dismayed London’s high society at the height of the Romantic Age in nineteenth century England. Gothic Press is, therefore, delighted to make available a quality hardcover edition of this splendid work, illustrated throughout – including many portraits of Lord Byron and Lady Caroline Lamb – that, by individual request, will be signed and dedicated by the author who is related by blood to Lord Byron, the poet’s only son being his great, great grandfather. Including fascinating photographic material, eg Lord Byron's coffin in its vault and Lady Caroline's forgotten resting place, this first edition signals the very last breath of the Romantic Movement.
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The Vampire Hunter's Handbook

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“All these things happen, and the eyes of ordinary men do not see them.”

— Michael Sendivogius (17th Century)

"This book is not about fictional vampires of the Bram Stoker’s Dracula genre, but real life blood sucking monsters. It should also be pointed out that there is a long tradition of people who hunt down and kill vampires. This book is not for the faint-hearted, or those people who live alone in rambling houses located on deserted moors."

— Shaun Marin (Encounters magazine)

"Sean Manchester is, unsurprisingly, very well read in both classical and more recent sources on vampires and vampirism, and cites them with great authority while taking the reader through a brief tour of vampire lore and mythology. This is a book I’d recommend to anybody with an interest in Manchester or vampires. The parts which deal with vampires are obviously based on years of substantial research and personal experience."

— Joe McNally (Fortean Times magazine)
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The Highgate Vampire

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Elizabeth and Barbara, two sixteen-year-old students of La Sainte Union Convent, were walking home late at night after visiting friends in Highgate Village. Their journey took them down Swains Lane which intersects Highgate Cemetery, a Victorian graveyard in two halves on a steep hill. These intelligent students could not believe their eyes as they passed the cemetery's north gate at the beginning of their downward path between the two graveyards. For there before them, amongst the jutting tombstones and stone vaults, the dead seemed to be emerging from their graves. The two schoolgirls walked in eerie silence until they reached the bottom of the lane. Here they spoke for the first time, having finally found their voice, and confirmed they had both experienced the same terrifying scene. So frightening was their experience that Barbara would not talk about it again. Elizabeth, however, gave the author her account some months later. It was tape-recorded and can be heard in a television film documentary about the Highgate Vampire case. Elizabeth recounted: "We both saw this scene of graves directly in front of us. And the graves were opening up; and the people were rising. We were not conscious of walking down the lane. We were only conscious of this graveyard scene." Demonry later took hold on Elizabeth where her elocuted and very attractive feminine voice would suddenly erupt into a distorted masculine sound, deep and harsh, that issued threats. Her boyfriend, Keith, recalled this phenomenon in an interview he gave for a documentary (True Horror: Vampires distributed by Discovery Channel) which also includes archive recordings of Elizabeth speaking about her vision and the punctures on her neck.
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“Ever since I became aware that Highgate Cemetery was the reputed haunt of a vampire, the investigations and activities of Seán Manchester commanded my attention. I became convinced that, more than anyone else, he knew the full story of the Highgate Vampire.”

— Peter Underwood, author and paranormal researcher, London, England

“I am very impressed by the body of scholarship you have created. Seán Manchester is undoubtedly the father of modern vampirological research.”

— John Godl, paranormal researcher and writer, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

“Seán Manchester is to be congratulated on this fine piece of research work which I confess to enjoying to the extreme.”

— Professor Devendra P Varma, vampirologist and author, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

“A most interesting and useful addition to the literature of the subject.”

— Reverend Basil Youdell, Literary Editor Orthodox News, Christ the Saviour, Woolwich, England

“This book will certainly be read in a hundred years time, two hundred years time, three hundred years time - in short, for as long as mankind is interested in the supernatural. It has the most genuine power to grip. Once you have started to read it, it is virtually impossible to put it down.”

— Lyndall Mack, Udolpho magazine, Chislehurst, England
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From Satan To Christ

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Illustrated with original photographs, this is the true account of an attractive young woman born into an English ‘shire family, who left university, came to London, and was drawn into what ostensibly appeared to be a witchcraft coven which slowly revealed itself to be a satanic cult that engaged in every profanity and depraved act imaginable: devil worship, live sacrifice, demon raisings, blood rituals, death curses, black masses etc. Her story is written by the man who rescued her, helped her recover, and promised to protect her. Today they work together in helping others enmeshed in satanic cults who want to be saved from the destructive presence in their lives. Restored to the Christian Church, she now wants to share her story so that it may serve as a warning. Places and names have not been changed. Her disclosures unveil frightening facts behind today’s rising tide of Satanism. Recent polls indicate that those who subscribe to the occult and “alternative” belief systems, including witchcraft and Satanism, far outnumber Christians in Great Britain. The wider topic is covered with personal revelations about diabolists and occultists with whom the author has crossed paths. These include a notorious figure in the 1970s who was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for quasi-satanic offences at London's Highgate Cemetery and for threatening people with black magic "death dolls," and a self-proclaimed "master of the black arts" and successor to Aleister Crowley who attempted to raise demons with the aforementioned pseudo-occultist. The author draws upon personal experience and observation throughout his telling at the behest of another's initiation into the sinister world of witchcraft which proved to be her introduction into Satanism where her eventual sacrifice was planned by the coven — for which reason she was kept relatively pure and untouched by their sick and depraved behaviour.

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Carmel

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"We are transported into that fearful realm of supernatural evil peculiar to vampires as the author skillfully restores those near-extinct elements from yestercentury. At the centre is a story painfully real. It is the story of the holder of the name of the book’s title. Is she an actual person? Or merely a novelistic embellishment? Just as the case of the Highgate Vampire inspired much of this sequel to Stoker's Victorian vampire tale, so the person of book title's name inspired the persona of the main character. Based on some real events, the effect of CARMEL as a vampire tale will chill your blood. Here is a terrifying exploration into the nether world of the undead where the reader is found wandering betwixt Victorian tombstones as the original contagion spreads its venom in 20th century England. Do not fret - Transylvania is not forgotten." — Katrina Garforth-Bles (National Secretary, V.R.S.)

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“Seán Manchester is the natural writer of any attempt to resume the story of DRACULA.” — Vincent Hillyer (author of Vampires)

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“There is but one person who can write the definitive sequel to Stoker’s original masterpiece . . . one person who will imbue it with the same eerie atmosphere and remain true to the tradition . . . that author is Seán Manchester.” — Devendra P Varma (author of The Gothic Flame)

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“This vampire tale is a most enchanting read. Seán Manchester’s style, imagination and sensibility makes CARMEL quite a jewel. Stoker has, at last, a literary heir worthy of writing a sequel.” — Sylvaine Charlet (authoress of Lits de Pierres)

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“I felt I had to say how much I enjoyed CARMEL - easily the best vampire novel I have read since the original DRACULA. Absolutely enthralling. Tremendous atmosphere and a mounting tension that in my experience has only been equalled by Bram Stoker’s masterpiece. Congratulations! Congratulations!” — Peter Underwood (author of Exorcism!)

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Such Things Exist

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Hello dear Reverend Manchester! Today, as I found your blog, I decided to salute you and give you my best wishes. Also, at the same time, I would like to ask you if you think that there are still some vampiric activities going on at the present time (at one place or another on this earth) and if so, if you also believe that vampirism will be a plague that will follow human kind until the end of times? — Hans Verschelden

We must be careful how we define "vampiric activity," but so long as we understand it to mean predatory demonic interference then, of course, such darkness still prevails in the world, and, yes, I believe it to be a demonic contagion which will be with us until the final days of man and will almost certainly magnify as worldly events worsen.

Two years ago, I decided to start a baccalaureate degree in theology in a University located in Montreal, Canada (I live in Montreal). Unfortunately now, I cannot even tell you how much I am disappointed and disillusioned by what is taught today in theology departments. For example (believe it or not, but I swear it is true), today, in the faculties of theology, they deny the existence of Satan and all of the demons as well (yes, you read right). In fact, during the last term (I dropped from the baccalaureate since and so, i am not studying anymore), a friend of mine raised the problem of evil and of the existence of demons during a given lesson. The teacher (a man holding a doctorate in theology), then answered him (while laughing...), that demons were only inventions of men and that they simply do not exist. I really wonder what Rome would think of such theological teachings which deny the existence of demons? And I even wonder more about how is it that Rome does not know about such innommable teachings by its .... theologians ...??? And (even worse), if Rome is in fact aware of such teachings, how is it that they tolerate them? Aren't they responsible for the faithful? I just cannot believe what is taught there! And so, because of that (what better reason can I have), I do not want to be a part of that Church anymore, a church which even denies the teachings of Christ concerning demons (I cannot believe I am writing this). Dear Bishop Manchester, I told you about this story of mine because I read that you are presiding over the traditional Old Catholic Church in England. So, I would be very grateful to you, if you could tell me if there is a branch of your Church in Canada (as I certainly know that the Church you are presiding is faithful to Christ's teachings). Wishing you all the best. A very disappointed believer. — Hans Verschelden

Our jursidiction does not extend beyond the confines of the British Isles and, whilst a pure branch of Christianity and, moreover, part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolc Church, we are relatively small in number by comparison to the major denominations. It is generally believed by most traditionalists that the Church of Rome was infiltrated at seminary level by those on the Left-hand Path after the Second World War, and that part of the mission of the infiltrators was to introduce heresies such as you outline. Under the guise of liberalism and modernism, this new "theology" barely accepts anything that Christians held doctrinally to be true for two thousand years. The works of the late Fr Malachi Martin (23 July 1921 – 27 July 1999) support this view. He was professor at the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Institute, and held three doctorates. He was also the sole author of sixteen books covering religious and geopolitical topics, which were published in eight languages, as well as writing additional books under nom de plumes and in collaboration with others. Fr Martin spoke at least ten languages. He had first made explicit reference to a diabolical rite held in Rome in his 1990 non-fiction best-seller about geopolitics and the Vatican, The Keys of This Blood, in which he wrote:

"Most frighteningly for [Pope] John Paul [II], he had come up against the irremovable presence of a malign strength in his own Vatican and in certain bishops’ chanceries. It was what knowledgeable Churchmen called the ‘superforce.’ Rumours, always difficult to verify, tied its installation to the beginning of Pope Paul VI’s reign in 1963. Indeed Paul had alluded somberly to ‘the smoke of Satan which has entered the Sanctuary’ . . . an oblique reference to an enthronement ceremony by Satanists in the Vatican. Besides, the incidence of Satanic paedophilia — rites and practices — was already documented among certain bishops and priests as widely dispersed as Turin, in Italy, and South Carolina, in the United States. The cultic acts of Satanic paedophilia are considered by professionals to be the culmination of the Fallen Archangel’s rites."

These allegations have largely gone unnoticed, possibly because Fr Martin was so careful in his descriptive passages that he might even have been referring to the coronation of Pope Paul VI. But he revealed much more about this alleged ritual in one of his last works, Windswept House: A Vatican Novel (1996). In this story, he vividly described a diabolical ceremony called “The Enthronement of the Fallen Archangel Lucifer” supposedly held in St Paul’s Chapel within the Vatican, but linked with concurrent satanic rites in the United States, on 29 June 1963, barely a week after the election of Paul VI. In this novel, before he dies, a pope leaves a secret account of the situation on his desk for the next occupant of the throne of Peter, a thinly-disguised John Paul II. According to The New American, Fr Martin confirmed that the ceremony did indeed occur as he had described. “Oh yes, it is true; very much so,” the magazine reported he said. “But the only way I could put that down into print is in novelistic form.”

Windswept House is a sweeping novel, set on the grand global stage and the unfolding of the next stage of civilisation, the ominously-named New World Order. It tackles head on a number of heavy issues from abortion to the Third Secret of Fatima, but the essential message seems to be that Satanists lurk in the shadows, from the heart of the Vatican down to the local parishes; manipulating those fooled by the false spirit of Vatican II. They are doing everything in their power to subvert the Roman Catholic Church, while Pope John Paul II, intent on his geopolitical millennial end game, fiddles about, waiting for a sign from the Blessed Virgin while the Church literally falls apart around him. In Windswept House, Fr Martin was quite explicit about the conditions in the Vatican, opening the novel with the above-mentioned satanic ritual. In it, Satan was formally enthroned in the Vatican in the Chapel of St Paul (by all reports a dark and appropriately eerie place). The ceremony was co-ordinated via telephone with another simultaneous rite in South Carolina. (This could be a reference to the claims of “Leo Taxil” who wrote spurious exposés of the Masons and fallen priests as devil-worshippers in the 19th century. He, too, claimed South Carolina — Charleston, to be exact — was a satanic headquarters. This was the hometown of Albert Pike, the only Confederate general memorialised in Washington, DC, who reformed the Scottish Rite and was indeed a self-confessed Luciferian.) As first set forth in Decline and Fall, Fr Martin saw this diablolical compromise as permitting the world’s wickedness to corrupt the Church by exposing it to the temptation of temporal power, though he had made no mention of a pact with the Masons in that earlier book. Though he used transparent psuedonyms, he made it obvious that he regarded John XXIII as a holy dupe and Paul VI, whom he did not like, as an even greater dupe, but a far less spiritual one. Fr Martin regarded the Ecumenical Council as having been virtually taken over by modernist heretics and Soviet puppets. By the accession of John Paul I to the throne of Peter, one of his characters estimated that in effect, half the bishops in the US were in schism, and a third in heresy. (Other sources have confirmed this is indeed a Curial view).

The ultimate villians in Vatican are not corrupt bankers nor priests, nor even Communists, but a force he called the “Universal Assembly” — a Masonic conspiracy of Western plutocrats, undoubtedly the Illuminati. Although other writers have alleged Curial members belonged to the Masons, Fr Martin actually accused Paul VI of being a Masonic Lodge member. Freemasonry and the Catholic Church, of course, have had a long history of antipathy.

Listen to the voice of Fr Malachi Martin at this link.

Dear Bishop Manchester, thank you very much for your fast and detailed answers concerning both of my messages. Be sure, that they are very appreciated. What you are saying concerning Rome being infiltrated is certainly exact. In fact, what other reason could explain why such teachings occured (and are tolerated) in all theology faculties? Today (as you wrote that your jurisdiction does not extend beyond England), I made a google search regarding diverse Old Catholic Churches organisations inside Canada but, unfortunately, I lack any informations about their "credentials" and "philosophy" (in short, I dont know about their theological beliefs). I found some links about "Old Catholic Church." Are these Churches similar to the one you are presiding over (I mean in terms of beliefs and philosophy)? Or even better (and easier): is it possible for a person from a foreign country (in my case, Canada) to become a member of the Church you are presiding? Once again, I thank you very much for your time and advices. Kind Regards. — Hans Verschelden



The majority of jursidictions such as you identify (I have omitted the links from your response) are modernist and liberal. Indeed, the original Dutch Old Catholic Church is now Protestant, and not remotely Catholic. I would go so far as to say that many so-named churches are among the worst examples of heresy with their priestesses, bishopesses and same sex "marriages" etc. There are a few, however, who strive to hold fast to traditional teachings and doctrinal integrity. Looking for them, needless to say, is like searching for a needle in a haystack. We are today awash with heresy, perversion and the outright diabolical. This is what originally led me from the Roman fold to become primate of an autocepahlous jurisdiction. Yet it is a difficult path with much to struggle against; though for some it is the only way forward. That notwisthstanding, as a church is not a building, but rather a place where Christians meet in communion at Our Lord's table, it is somewhat difficult to see how membership from a distance of thousands of miles can be anything more than nominal.

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