Dear Phatmass

[Galloglasses]

[url="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-082608-saint-death-chicago,0,6804571,print.story"]http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-082...571,print.story[/url]

Explain.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Era Might

[StColette]

What exactly are we supposed to explain

[Galloglasses]

What [mod]Language. --Era Might[/mod] is Santa Muerte?

[prose]

[kujo]

The [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muerte"]Saint of Death[/url]

[StColette]

[quote name='Galloglasses' post='1546806' date='May 28 2008, 04:30 PM']What [mod]Language. --Era Might[/mod] is Santa Muerte?[/quote]

don't use that in a way that is swearing

From my very quick searches and reading the Church has condemned the veneration of Santa Muerte, which is a skeletal looking figure dressed in almost the fashion of the Blessed Virgin. She is consider to be of pagan origin and thus to be avoid.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Era Might

[prose]

She is not a Catholic Saint, although some Catholics are deceived and think she is.

[StColette]

Majority of Santa Muerte's devotees are from Mexico, there is even a church there that worships her. Immigrants brought Santa Muerte to the US. They haven't been Catechised very well on the matter. The Church has spoken that she's of pagan origin, possibly even satanic in origin. Needless to say we should all stay away from her.

[LouisvilleFan]

I like how this priest approaches the situation:

[quote]Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, pastor of Mary, Queen of Heaven in Cicero, said parishioners have asked him to bless statues of Santa Muerte.

'I'm concerned about it because it's an aberration. It's a misunderstanding of faith. It's taking a Catholic concept of the holy death of Christ and personifying it with this skeletal figure,' Sanchez said. 'At the same time, I can understand why it's growing. Many people, especially Mexican immigrants, are feeling that institutions are abandoning them and are grasping for spiritual help wherever they can.

'When they come to me with Santa Muerte, I'm not interested in why they worship her. I'm more interested in how they got to that point.'[/quote]

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Galloglasses' post='1546795' date='May 28 2008, 05:26 PM'][url="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-082608-saint-death-chicago,0,6804571,print.story"]http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-082...571,print.story[/url]

Explain.[/quote]

Just curious, what are you looking for that isn't explained in the article?

[StColette]

She is linked to way too many wiccan sites online. Like I said, condemned by the Church as pagan or satanic which means stay away.

[Totus Tuus]

This savors strongly of Santaria, the mixing of Catholicism with superstition (which seems to be the result of very poor catechesis among Mexicans). I could be wrong but "voodoo" is the first thing that came to mind when I saw this article.

Edited May 28, 2008 by Totus Tuus

[Autumn Dusk]

sounds really creepy, to me, which is usually an indication its not really Catholic.

catholic stuff tends to fall into the boring or stuffy category....

[StColette]

[url="http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-10-19-st-death_x.htm"]Catholic Church doesn't condone Mexico's 'St. Death' phenomenon [/url]

Apparently her "feast day" is Aug. 15 which is Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. According to the article [quote]Vendors now sell Grim Reaper T-shirts, complete with the "Prayer to Saint Death," outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico's holiest shrine.[/quote]

Edited May 28, 2008 by StColette

[melporcristo]

JMJ

How sad ... fortunately, I have NEVER heard of her and my parents are from Mexico. As my dad would say, it's just nonsense stuff that, like many have said, people turn to when they really don't have faith.


St. Michael the Archangel, the Archangel, defend us!