Shadows In The Nave

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This was a  Christmas gift from my good friend and colleague of many years, Peter Underwood. The haunted history of England's churches and chapels is brought vividly to life in this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated modern guide. Here you will encounter the compelling world of the unseen linked with a thousand years of worship — including the Tudor phantom of Rycote, the lonely monk of Minsden Chapel and the black-magic ghosts of Clophill, to name but a few. From the authors of The Borley Rectory Companion comes this astonishing book, which covers seventy-five of the most notorious and lesser known of our haunted ecclesiastical buildings. Combining a wealth of historical and paranormal information with stunning original and atmospheric photographs, this volume is perfect for researchers and armchair ghost hunters alike. Paranormal historian Paul Adams and writer and photographer Eddie Brazil join Peter Underwood, the UK's most experienced ghost hunter and respected author of over fifty books on the supernatural, in another literary partnership that will chill all but the sturdiest of hearts.

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Happy New Year

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Felix Sit Annus Novus! 

Pax et benedictio, 

+Seán Manchester

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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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