#and it had to be committed by the healing church or a member of it

[butchladymaria]

HEALING CHURCH CRIMES BINGO!!!

fun fact: you can count enough crimes done by Healing Church & Co. ™️ to fill at least three bingo cards! (this is a joke, don't take this too seriously lol)

[bloodyvicar]

updated laurence profile, now with his gaudy choir uniform! under the cut is the transcript of the text to the right + some various other facts.

Lavrentiy “Laurence” Anatolyevich

Born August 3rd, 1810.

5’8” , 37 y/o

First Vicar of the Healing Church, Blood Saint, (former) docent at Byrgenwerth

Has an autoimmune disease (polymyositis), needs a cane to get around.

Of Russian origins but forged documentation saying he was born in Old Yharnam to get into Byrgenwerth

Has an absolutely crippling substance abuse problem, once to laudanum and then to the Old Blood. He used it primarily as a painkiller for the above autoimmune disease.

Thinks he’s God’s most special sacrificial lamb

At Byrgenwerth he was a student of medicine who had the ability to lecture, though after departing he was stripped of all academic titles and credibility by Willem. It’s a wound he still licks to this day.

The sash he wears around his waist is inspired by the embroidery of Russian Orthodox Grand Schemas, as well as his robes having longer sleeves than other choir members.

Always and I mean always wears gloves; it serves as both a way to separate himself from some of the atrocities he commits for the greater good, as well as to avoid all intimacy even if he must partake in it for his own gain.

[takeme-totheworld]

"You did that to yourself."

(cw: religious indoctrination, religious trauma, conversion therapy no seriously I talk a lot about the ex-gay thing in this one, brief mention of mental health hospitalization)

When you're brought up in a fundamentalist Christian mindset you are trained to constantly keep your attention focused on your "sins."

Which is weird, because supposedly Jesus died for your sins and all you have to do to be saved is believe? That's what they claim, anyway. But of course, if all you had to do to be saved from damnation was believe the thing and pray the prayer, you could then go on your merry way as soon as you'd done that and not have any need for the church ever again. They wouldn't be able to control you that way.

So they find ways to subtly insinuate doubt into your mind, keeping you off-balance and unsure. They tell you that you just have to do this one thing to be saved, that it's so easy, but then they find a million and one ways to encourage you to question whether you really did it right, whether your belief and prayer were sincere enough, whether you're backsliding away from the faith and need to commit anew, whether you've actually been accepted by God or whether you shouldn't examine yourself and your life and your soul extra-rigorously just one more time to make absolutely sure.

So, this religion that claims to free you from sin and damnation and the fear of those things is often a perfect breeding ground for endless self-judgment and scrupulosity. Fun!

(What's really fun is when you love and trust the church so much that you believe their whole freedom from fear and sin and damnation shtick. So, you wonder, why are you so anxious all the time? It must be something wrong with you personally, something broken in your brain. Because the church certainly never did anything to make you feel this way.)

Now imagine that you're a teenager who has had this mindset programmed into you basically from birth, and you start to realize that there's something different about you. You have crushes on the "wrong" people, or you have the "wrong" feelings about your gender, or (insert other queer feelings here).

There are a number of different directions this could go. Queer folks who grew up in fundamentalist churches have lots of different stories. But a lot of us—including me, a teenager of the late 90s/early 00s—became easy prey for crackpot "ex-gay ministries" that drew in vulnerable queer religious youth with promises that we could be cured.

The type of story that's usually told, in the few movies and tv shows out there that attempt to portray conversion therapy, is a story about horrified parents finding gay porn under their kids' beds and then dragging the kids kicking and screaming off to ex-gay camp. That happens, of course, and it's horrible, and it's a story that needs to be told.

What you don't hear about so much are those of us who were already so twisted up into knots of fear and self-loathing by our upbringing that we joined these organizations voluntarily. Asking to be healed.

Because why would anyone do that to themself?

It's a much more uncomfortable story to tell. People who weren't raised in a fundamentalist mindset find it hard to comprehend. But the fact is, a religious organization claiming you can be "cured" of your queerness through faith and prayer (under their particular guidance, of course)—it sounds disturbingly cult-like, because it is, but it's also a natural extension of the kind of psychological control fundamentalist churches already exert over their members.

"Didn't you know there was something wrong? Couldn't you see how fucked up their claims were? Couldn't you tell how creepy and predatory and cult-like the whole vibe of the group was? For that matter, couldn't the religious parent who allowed you to do this, who was thirty years older than you and should have known better, tell?"

NO! Of course not! What in our experience could have possibly equipped either of us to look at this "ministry," that was promising to heal me from my sinful queerness while spouting exactly the same rhetoric we'd both heard in church all our lives, and realize how incredibly destructive it was going to turn out to be?

Seriously, it was basically a bunch of queer teens sitting around confessing our "sinful" thoughts and feelings, talking about everything we thought was wrong with us, vowing to do better, and praying for each other. It wasn't actually that different from my regular church youth group, except that we were all a lot more (openly) depressed and anxious.

...well, and there were a bunch of very severe rules with very severe consequences re: hanging out with each other outside the confines of group meetings and activities, presumably to make sure we didn't all start secretly hooking up with each other. Or, you know. Having conversations with each other about our queerness that weren't aggressively monitored and directed by the ex-gay thought police. (Couldn't let us start thinking that maybe there was nothing wrong with us after all.)

Okay, so the environment actually was more aggressively controlling than my church in rather significant ways. But I'd been raised my whole life to willingly submit to any rules dictated by religious leaders. I did not have the mental tools to look at what this organization was doing and go "Wow, something is really not right here."

I spent three years involved with the particular "ministry" I'd gotten attached to. It came to an abrupt end with a mental health hospitalization when I was in college, an experience that shook me up enough to realize that the ex-gay path was going to destroy me if I stayed on it. I got out of the hospital, moved across the country to live with my other parent and start picking up the pieces, and never went back to my childhood church or the ex-gay group again.

That was almost twenty years ago and the entire ordeal feels like a weird fever dream now when I look back on it. For a long time I did my best to forget the whole thing. These days, for the first time, I'm trying to remember. Partly for my own healing, because I can't live the rest of my life treating those three years like a deep dark shameful secret. But also because I've come to realize more and more that if people like me don't tell our stories, we let ourselves (and others like us who may still be trying to break free) get painted with the victim-blaming "You did that to yourself" brush.

I did not do that to myself. No one in a situation like mine who made choices like mine did that to themselves. That is not remotely how that works. But it's taken me all this time to let go of the mountain of misplaced self-blame I've carried around my whole adult life.

People who have been raised in intensely fundamentalist environments, with all the indoctrination that entails, often have to resort to all kinds of emotional and psychological contortions just to survive the experience. That's doubly true at least for queer kids growing up in these environments. And yes, that includes those of us who, after years of marinating in religious repression and self-loathing, made choices that looked completely incomprehensible from the outside, choices that had destructive consequences for ourselves and possibly others.

Our stories may not be as easy to understand or empathize with. But we need and deserve that understanding just as much.

[nerdygaymormon]

This conference was really hard for me and I'm relieved to know I'm not alone. Pres Nelson and Oaks' talks really made me reevaluate my place in the church and whether or not I want to be here anymore as a queer person. It just feels like everyone just wants us to leave so they can go on pretending the plan of salvation isn't presented in a way that writes out lgbtq people and does so cheerfully.

I also suffer from an eating disorder and when I tried to explain to my older sister in her late twenties that what president nelson said was hurtful, she told me that "well if food is your god, then you are offending the lord because it should just be Jesus. addiction is when something replaces god for you" which made me feel really discouraged and ashamed. Even though I know having an addiction isn't like that logically it still stung. I don't know. Basically I just want to say thanks for being honest about conference because I can't be at home. You're words have brought me a lot of comfort.

Back in the day I used to read blogs of queer Mormons, and they usually followed a similar arc. They were newly home from their mission and then had to grapple with the fact their queerness didn't go away. Things would start very faithful with a commitment to always be an active member, and would progress to them being more critical of the church and then no more entries.

Those blogs meant a lot to me because there was someone like me, but their story wasn't the same as mine.

When I started this blog, one of my goals was to write honestly about what it's like to exist in this space. I thought that one day historians would be interested in what it was like to be a queer person living through this period of LDS history. What did queer people at that time think, feel, and experience? What surprised me is that some currently-living people were interested in what I share.

It's always tempting to put a positive spin on things, to present myself in the best light, like I have everything figured out, but that's not reality. Sharing about being suicidal, crying about how hard therapy was for my social anxiety, my experience with reparative therapy, and how I was hurt by something said in General Conference are very much a part of this experience of being a queer Latter-day Saint, that's why I write about them in my blog.

Sometimes I worry I'm being too raw, too open, too negative, that I share too much. Your message is a good reminder that it's important to be honest so that we can see we aren't alone. Our stories have power! The power to help each other and the power to change the hearts of others.

———————————————————

I'm sorry you don't have family who you can talk to about these things. I don't either. Having a few close friends I can message about hard things is important to me and I hope you have some in your life.

———————————————————

What was said about eternal marriage isn't new, and I've built up some callouses to it, but to have it emphasized like it was in General Conference still hurts, especially how President Nelson linked queerphobic statements with "think Celestial."

Calling people sinners because they deal with mental health issues, like eating disorders, was unexpected and pierced me as I hadn't built up my guard against such rhetoric. Since I shared my reaction on social media, I've received many comments like your sister's.

President Nelson was a heart surgeon. Would he believe that people with heart issues were offending God, that they were worshiping their heart problem instead of God? What the heck?!! It doesn't make sense. Many people dealing with hard things turn to God for help.

I'm pretty sure God wants to help heal us. I don't think our personal trials offend Him. If anything, He hurts with us and for us. Jesus invites healing, not shame.

These "addictions" that President Nelson attacked are ways a person's mind and body try to cope with hard things. My mental health challenges come from being a queer Latter-day Saint and are ways my body & mind have coped with the emotional trauma and dissonance. So many queer folks have eating disorders and anxiety disorders. I'm glad our bodies protect us from worse consequences, but it sucks that this is a common result for queer people who try to be religious. Most non-queer members don't recognize there is a high cost to be paid by us, and I want them to know these are the fruits of the anti-queer teachings and policies

Please know you are loved. There is an online community of queer Mormons who know what you're feeling and who are pulling for you. If you need help, there are resources

please visit these if you are queer and need help:

Only to age 24: @trevorproject@utahtrevorproject (Utah) @encircletogether (Utah)

In Utah: @flourishtherapyinc @celebratetherapy

Active LDS: @liftandloveorg (national&online)

National: @glaad @988lifeline (involves law enforcement)

[creppersfunpalooza]

( @allergic-to-four-leaf-clovers )

HELLOOO AND WELCOME BACK FOLKS!!! DUE TO A LACK OF SPONSORSHIP AS OF LATE, WE’VE STRUGGLED TO KEEP THIS LITTLE GAME AFLOAT, BUT FORTUNATELY, WE’VE GOT ONE!!! WOOHOOO!!!

FOR THIS ROUND, WE’VE GOT A COLLECTION OF FUN GUYS! ANGELIC BEINGS, LESS ANGELIC BEINGS, AND VARIOUS OTHERS (don’t you see i have a bias)!!!! NO USE STALLING, LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT!!!

*important disclaimer* i actually know very little about the following characters other than what the creator has directly told me. i’m going purely based on vibes.

COMING IN AT 5TH PLACE, WE HAVE RAYAN!! i love scars, man, i really do, and i also love soppy cats. so why is he so low, you may ask? because i do NOT 💥 think he should be mean to his fiance. come on my guy… be nice… spread peace and love!!!! peace and love!!!!!!!! put in some effort come on!!! put in the work!!!!! i know you can do it buddy you just gotta try!!!!!! pretty pretty please… anyways i do really like his design, its very simple while still conveying stuff about his character. like i dont know what he’s been through but clearly he’s been through a lot. but STILL 💥 BE NICE. 💥 TO YOUR. 💥 FIANCE 💥💥💥💥💥💥.

NEXT UP IN 4TH PLACE IS MADIR!!! i really do like madir!!! i know barely anything about him but once more i rlly like the details you mentioned about him. like he seems mildly unsettling and i love that for him. like you could probably find him in the woods just sort of hanging out. he’s a source of trauma but i honestly do not mind because at least HE 💥 would probably be nice to his fiancé. if he had one. i actually can’t speak on his behalf thats purely speculation.

IN 3RD, FOSTER!!!!! i don’t exactly know why i just think they’re neat. also hi in case you couldn’t tell i really like scars on characters 💖💖💖 love them they do something to my brain. and foster’s got a ton. i loove what you’ve told me about their backstory and they just seem so neat!!! i hope they’re healing now. even though. they’re probably not. because nobody is Allowed To Be Happy Ever. as a general rule for character making. anyways chewing on them and moving on.

BUT WAIT!! WE’VE ONLY GOT TWO LEFT!!! YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS??????

it needs i need to put an ad here or else i’m getting fired. that’s what it means. SO HELLO!! DO YOU HAVE A WISH? DO YOU WANT A GOD THAT ACTUALLY LISTENS? THEN CONSIDER JOINING THE CHURCH OF OCELLUS!!!

for the small, small initiation fee of a limb or organ, you too can have your wishes granted! help our god gain more power by having him help you! all you’ve gotta do is give us a little bit of yourself for each wish! and you know what? it doesn’t even have to be you! have a beloved family member, partner, or friend? they work too! just nick off an arm while they’re sleeping! they won’t miss it!!!! join today to get an additional wish!!!!!! and remember, Bless Ocellus’s Good and Generous Name!

(sponsored by the Church of Ocellus. The Church of Ocellus does not claim responsibility for any bodily injury or harm to come from this ad. Sacrificial ritual tutorials not included. Please check out your local place of worship for more details before committing any acts of mutilation.)

AND WE’RE BACK FOLKS! SORRY ABOUT THE AD. LITERALLY NOBODY ELSE WILL SPONSOR US SO YEAH WE’RE HAVING TO RESORT TO UH… YEAH. ANYWAYS, LET’S GET BACK TO THE RATINGS!

COMING IN 2ND… AARIN!!! boy oh boy my love of supernatural entities is surely not warping my bias here!!! they seem really cool honestly, even besides the whole angel thing. like woah…. you don’t wanna be a tool used for destruction? too bad! you’re gonna be used to burn down a house! lmao!!!! also i absolutely love aarin’s design. their scars(?) are so fucking cool i love the swirlies. auuygghh so normal about angel guys….. so so normal……….

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IN 1ST PLACE…. ZURIEL!!! LET ME JUST SAY ITS DESIGN IS SO SO SO SO COOL I CANT GET OVER IT IT JUST LOOKS SO AWESOME. I love the gradients on the claws and the shape of the halo. once again, surely my bias and love for supernatural creatures is in no way warping my opinion!! it’s my favorite. also rare but appreciated and loved it/it’s pronouns representation.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

On February 11, the Catholic Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, recalling a series of 18 appearances that the Blessed Virgin Mary made to a 14-year-old French peasant girl, Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

The Marian apparitions began on 11 February 1858, ended on July 16 that year, and received the local bishop's approval after a four-year inquiry.

Coming soon after the 1854 dogmatic definition of her Immaculate Conception, the Virgin Mary's appearances at Lourdes turned the town into a popular travel destination.

Thousands of people say their medical conditions have been cured through pilgrimage, prayer and the water flowing from a spring to which Bernadette was directed by the Blessed Virgin.

Experts have verified 69 cases of miraculous healing at Lourdes since 1862.

St. Bernadette also has her own liturgical memorial, which occurs February 18 in France and Canada, and April 16 elsewhere.

Born on 7 January 1844, the future visionary was the first child of her parents Francois and Louise, who both worked in a mill run by Francois.

Their family life was loving but difficult. Many of Bernadette's siblings died in childhood, and she developed asthma.

Economic hardship and an injury suffered by her father cost them the mill in 1854.

Years of poverty followed, during which Bernadette often had to live apart from her parents and work rather than attending school.

In January 1858, she returned to her family, whose members were living in a cramped single room.

Strongly committed to her faith, Bernadette made an effort to learn the Church's teachings despite her lack of formal education.

On 11 February 1858, Bernadette went to gather firewood with her sister and a friend.

As she approached a grotto near a river, she saw a light coming from a spot near a rosebush.

The light surrounded a woman who wore a white dress and held a rosary.

Seeing the lady in white make the sign of the Cross, Bernadette knelt, took out her own rosary, and began to pray.

When she finished praying, the woman motioned for her to approach. But she remained still, and the vision disappeared. Her companions had seen nothing.

Bernadette described the lady in white to them, demanding they tell no one. But the secret came out later that day.

The next Sunday, Bernadette returned to the grotto, where she saw the woman again.

The identity of the apparition, however, would remain unknown for several weeks.

Some adults accompanied Bernadette on her third trip on February 18, though they did not see the vision she received.

The woman in white asked the girl to return for two weeks.

“She told me also,” Bernadette later wrote, “that she did not promise to make me happy in this world, but in the next.”

A group of family members and others went with her to the cave the next day, but only the young peasant girl saw the woman and heard her words.

Over the next few days, the number of people in attendance at the cave swelled to more than 100.

A parish priest, Father Peyramale, became concerned – as did the police.

On February 24, 250 people saw Bernadette break into tears, but only she heard the woman’s message:

“Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners. Go, kiss the ground for the conversion of sinners.”

A larger crowd was there on February 25 – but they were shocked to see Bernadette drinking from a muddy stream and eating weeds.

The apparition had told her to drink the water, and the weed-eating was a penitential act.

Onlookers, meanwhile, saw only the girl’s unusual behavior, and popular fascination turned to ridicule and suspicion.

On February 27, Bernadette made a joyful discovery: the spring from which she drank was not muddy now but clear.

As the crowds continued to gather, this change was noticed, and a woman with a paralyzed arm came to the water hoping to be healed.

Four years later, her case would be recognized as the first miraculous healing at Lourdes.

Public interest continued, and Bernadette heard a recurring message from the vision:

“Go, tell the priests to bring people here in procession and have a chapel built here.”

While others were quick to conclude that Bernadette was seeing the Virgin Mary, the visionary herself did not claim to know the woman’s identity.

As she conveyed the repeated message to Fr. Peyramale, the priest grew frustrated and told Bernadette to ask the woman her name.

But when she did so, the woman smiled and remained silent. Her identity remained a mystery after the initial two-week period.

Three weeks later, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Bernadette visited the cave again.

When she saw the lady, she kept asking to know her identity. Finally, the woman folded her hands, looked up and said:

“I am the Immaculate Conception.”

The seer, devout but uneducated, did not know what these words meant.

She related them to Fr. Peyramale, who was stunned and informed his bishop.

Bernadette saw the Blessed Virgin Mary two more times in 1858: on the Wednesday after Easter, and on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

In 1862, the local bishop declared the apparitions worthy of belief.

St. Bernadette left Lourdes in 1866 to join a religious order in central France, where she died after several years of illness on 16 April 1879.

By the time of her death, a basilica had been built and consecrated at the apparition site, under the leadership of Fr. Peyramale.

[mamthew]

Final Fantasy XVI's similarities to Tales of Arise have me on a Tales kick, which means I ended up playing Tales of the Tempest, widely considered the worst game intended to be a mainline Tales title. It took me about 15 hours and I did every sidequest I found, all of which involved walking across a field map at a frustratingly slow pace to pick up an item and then walking all the way back for a line of dialogue and a negligible amount of money. I easily could have shaved at least two hours off my playtime and I wouldn't have lost anything.

Tempest is a 2005 japan-only release for the DS developed by Dimps, the freelancers behind most handheld Sonic games and a good chunk of handheld licensed games, especially for DBZ and Digimon. When it dropped, it received so much hate from fans that Namco pretty quickly pulled it from the list of mainline Tales games, though they've recently quietly added it back to the list. They developed two more DS Tales games afterwards, in-house, and to fan approval, which makes Tempest even more interesting to me, as a first, failed attempt at a handheld Tales game.

It's definitely a bad game. Everything that involves a menu takes about three more button presses than necessary, the world takes a long time to travel for no good reason, the models are low poly and the textures are worse. The battle system is so unnecessarily limited that it's honestly barely worth engaging with. You only get four arte slots, and the protagonist's main gimmick is that he can turn into a werewolf when under half health, but transformation takes up an arte slot, so he functionally only has three. CPU-controlled characters also will only use moves assigned to their four arte slots. And there's no access to the artes menu in battle. Two of the five characters are werewolves, so only have three slots. Two more are mage/healer combos, so you have to divide their four slots between both offensive and healing spells. They balance this by making healing items unbelievably cheap and easy to obtain. Lemon and Pineapple Gels are 90 gald each. Miracle Gels are available in all stores for about 200 gald each. I ended the game with 80k gald.

The game has five party members, but only the protagonist, Caius, gets enough focus and story relevance that I'd consider him a character. Of the four main villains, two end up being his father and his brother. Another villain wears a mask and has the same hair color as the female lead, so I figured they'd be related in some way, but no, the female lead is so coincidental to the story that despite being on the box, she's the only character whose name I don't remember. Two of the party members, Tilkis and Forest, are the prince of a country you never see and his bodyguard. The last party member, Arria, is a priestess with the evil church who's sent to spy on the party, immediately gains their trust with no effort, and then immediately turns coat on the church when pushed. There's not much there.

That said, the lore has weirdly a lot of potential. About a century ago, humans committed genocides against the werewolf and ogre races, which carved out space for the human country to take over as the main superpower on the continent. Now, the human church is carrying out an inquisition against werewolves once again for unknown reasons, stoking fear against werewolves among the populace by spreading false rumors and executing any werewolves delivered to them without trial. This is pretty standard rpg stuff, but it's made interesting about halfway in, when it's revealed that the church is capturing werewolves to try to learn about a magic spell the werewolf country once had that was able to resurrect the dead. The goal of the inquisition is to gain and use this spell to resurrect all the victims of that genocide, thus making humans no longer culpable for the sins of their ancestors.

It's a fucking good hook, honestly. It reminds me of current debates around history education and white guilt. The church figures they can commit any violence they want in the present, as once they get that spell, the dead will come back anyway, so they won't have done anything wrong. The best parts of the game are when Caius tries to make his adversaries understand that making the dead no longer dead doesn't fix torture or generations of oppression. It doesn't rebuild the ruined werewolf city, return their lost poetry, or make their two countries relative equals on the global stage once more.

Unfortunately, they don't do a ton with this one really good idea. It's revealed near the end that the spell was a lie (it actually opens a portal to an evil dimension), the war between werewolves and humans was a lie (the werewolves opened a portal to an evil dimension and humans took credit for their fall for some reason), and the genocide against the ogres was inconsequential (ogres are not sentient and didn't have a country to begin with, they just stay north of the wall). It's like they understood that Tales games are known for their twists but didn't understand what a twist needs to do in order to change a story for the better. Just a strange game all around.

[saintmachina]

I am curious, and I will ask! how did you find your way to ancestor veneration, and what about it drew you toward making it such a significant portion of your practice? like I said, it was never a point of connection for me, so I’m fascinated to hear about your experiences!

Thank you for asking! I love talking ancestor veneration.

I had been interested in my ancestry since I was a child; I was really into family history and Celtic music/folklore by the time I was five or six. When I was in high school and early college, I was hardcore into church. Christianity (especially Catholicism and my chosen tradition, Episcopalism) has a rich history of honoring the beloved dead and especially the mighty dead of the church fathers and mothers and saints through ritual and liturgy.

We firmly believe that death does not separate the faithful from one another, and once I grasped that concept, I realized I was passionate about honoring the dead.

But honestly, it was the pandemic that really did it for me. It gave me the time and space to really root down in my spiritual practice and prune all the beliefs and practices that were extraneous. I got really into embroidery as a way to connect to my female ancestors, and I started calling family members to ask about family lore as I built my family tree with public domain records. I built an ancestor altar which then became my primary altar in the home, and I started sharing my hopes, dreams, and struggles with my ancestors. I was so incredibly nourished by the practice that I never went back.

I'm still learning how to honor my ancestors well, but there are lots of things I do to feel close to them!

I honor my Welsh, Scottish, and Irish ancestors by listening to traditional Celtic music, baking traditional recipes, learning bits of ancestral languages, and even travelling abroad to connect with the land. I honor my English ancestors by learning folk ballads and working to unlearn racist, imperialist hegemony (this goes for my white ancestors writ large). I honor my Chippewa and Cherokee foremothers by donating to Indigenous causes and educating myself about Indigenous issues and joy and reading books by Indigenous authors. I honor my Scandinavian ancestors with my fiancé when we have fika or decorate for the winter holidays in the Danish style. I honor my German ancestors when my dad teaches me a new German word or shares stories of living abroad in Germany with me.

There are so many ways to honor the dead, and I hope to progress in my practice to the point where I can really commit myself to healing ancestral wounds in the future.

Recently, my mother entrusted me with family records from her side, which was so special! I can't wait to dig into them and learn more about my great aunts and great grandmothers. So there's much to learn and much to do, and I can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to it.

[lastwave]

yall ever think about how pre martinaise harry committed an atrocity so bad it destroyed peoples faith enough to make a hole in the universe?

in a way, the night club is harrys attempt not to ask forgiveness, but to do better. a huge theme surrounding the night club is one of unity and love, which is also a theme surrounding religion, which harry previously destroyed. by trying to help the nightclub thrive, he is saying, "here, here is the love that i stole. hopefully you can heal. do not forgive me" .

he is trying to heal the swallow by bringing back what it had lost.

the members of the church did not forgive harry, they never had to, he was never owed that. but he did have to do better. by creating an environment for celebration and love, he extends his good will to the people hes hurt.

in contrast to jean, who forgave him every time. and he only got worse.

which is a theme i love in disco elysium. you do not have to wallow in guilt waiting for forgiveness. you simply have to do better. no one owes you forgiveness and the best you can do is give an apology and move forward with the lesson learned. its one of the most effective ways ive seen of conveying that bad people can change WITHOUT doing that thing with victim blaming.

[zerogate]

The Church was showing a quite new aspect of itself, devouring its own children. 

—Carlo Falconi, The Popes in the Twentieth Century 

When priests sexually abuse children they violate a trust between spiritual innocence and sacred fatherhood. Specialists in childhood trauma have used the term ‘soul murder’ to describe the profound damage that can ensue when a priest abuses a young member of the faithful. Psychotherapist Richard Sipe, a former priest who specialises in treatment of clerical child-abuse survivors, writes: ‘A person who has been grounded since childhood in one faith, where their self-worth, acceptance, spiritual identity, and salvation were vested, cannot simply forget, put it behind them or join another faith. They can go on with their lives, but the part that is missing cannot be restored. Something is dead; something has been truly killed.’ The spiritual empowerment that might have aided recovery has been profoundly undermined. For children, it is especially difficult to separate the abusing priest from the auspices of the Church, with all its comforting and healing associations.

The consequences of clerical abuse of minors have been emerging in reports of contemplated suicide, attempted suicide, and actual suicide of victims. In Melbourne, Australia, five men who claimed to have been abused while serving as altar boys in the church of the priest Ronald Pickering committed suicide. These deaths, uncovered by lawyer Judy Courtin, add to the forty other suicides in the state of Victoria by victims who had been abused by priests, according to documented police reports. Courtin is conducting investigatory research into clerical sexual abuse for Monash University’s law faculty.

When the original grooming, or sexual attack, occurs in the circumstance of confession, the auspices of the sacrament aggravate the harm. Sexual abuse of children linked to the confessional has not only been widespread, but is known to be especially destructive to the children involved. A priest in England, ordained thirty years ago, and for twenty years a psychotherapist treating clerical sex offenders within his diocese, wrote to me that ‘in all those cases [of clerical abuse of minors], the sacrament of confession was used [by the molester] to discover vulnerability and groom candidates for abuse.’

In March 2010, when the Catholic Church in Germany set up a hotline and invited victims and their families to report instances of clerical abuse in parishes and schools, more than 8,500 people responded. Andreas Zimmermann, the expert responsible for analysing the results, told the German Catholic news agency KNA that the abusing ‘priests had used their moral authority and psychological effect of rites like confession’ to gain power over children, ‘even to the point of telling them that the assaults were an expression of “God’s special love” for them.’

-- John Cornwell, The Dark Box : A Secret History of Confession

[crewofthegoldrush]

I'm not too far away from posting Monty's family tree, so I feel it would be good to share a bit more about her clan, Runswick, first before I share her family history. This also goes a bit into the night she was exiled and how she feels about it now that she has had almost six years to reflect on it.

Runswick is a completely homebrew town that I sort of just slapped onto the Eberron map willy-nilly, and is specifically built around various quirks that dragonborn have, and the town itself has evolved quite a lot in my head since I first created it two years ago. The quoted sections are pulled i think directly from the PHB (except the one that is a quote from fool's gold lol) - almost all of my headcanons about Monty & all dragonborn come directly from this description.

"To any dragonborn, the clan is more important than life itself. Dragonborn owe their devotion and respect to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each dragonborn’s conduct reflects on the honor of his or her clan, and bringing dishonor to the clan can result in expulsion and exile. Each dragonborn knows his or her station and duties within the clan, and honor demands maintaining the bounds of that position.

A continual drive for self-improvement reflects the self-sufficiency of the race as a whole. Dragonborn value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn.

Though all dragonborn strive to be self-sufficient, they recognize that help is sometimes needed in difficult situations. But the best source for such help is the clan, and when a clan needs help, it turns to another dragonborn clan before seeking aid from other races—or even from the gods."

THE HISTORY OF RUNSWICK

"Each dragonborn knows his or her station and duties within the clan, and honor demands maintaining the bounds of that position."

Runswick is built as a modern (well, in a western parody sort of way) interpretation of what a clan or tribe would look like if it expanded into a cowboy town or small city. It has some unique features not seen in larger Eberron cities, such as the niche "Family" system. The clan is run by six main "groups" that split the town into corresponding districts: Goods & Services, for general wares and items, and the town bank; Labor, includes farming, hunting, mining, and smithing; Entertainment, for theater, arts, hotels, gambling halls and saloons (...and brothels); Religious, for churches, temples and healing; Politics, for the town Elders and other political powers and the only faction that does not have mingling of other races; and Law, law enforcement and the justice system (the courts), and the only role familiar with firearm tech. The dragonborn clan itself has existed for about 400 years.

The history of Runswick states that the original founders of their clan formed roles and duties that best helped the clan survive. As the small clan grew and this desert tribe became a full-fledged town, the roles of the town expanded and developed with it; instead of roles, they came to be known as Families.

All six Families originally had different Draconic names that have since changed as the world became more modern, and the town integrated more and more non-dragonic races & language 

Politics: originally the dragonic word for "law", and was created around the concept of structure, order, and honor

Law: originally the dragonic word for "protection" and was created around the concept of guardianship, peace, and the maintaining of justice 

Religion: originally the dragonic word for "spirituality," and is probably the least changed throughout the years. Religion is, obviously, created around the gods but also healing/medicine

Entertainment: originally the dragonic word for "fun" or "high spirits", created around the concept of folklore and merriment 

Labor + Goods & Services: these two families were originally one role (the dragonic word for "farmland" or "agriculture") until eventually the need to split into two became clear as the world developed; the original role was created for sustainment and trade

Each family has a leader, a high ranking respected member who represents each Family within the council when it comes to political decisions and the like. Monty's parents, Memphys and Belle, are the leaders of the Law and Entertainment Families, respectively. Memphys' role as leader is specifically tied to being Sheriff (The sheriff before Memphys, Sheriff Yang, was leader during his time, and for a few years Monty was too), while Belle's family have led the Entertainment Family for many generations and own (or at least run) basically all of the inns & hotels there, although Belle's saloon is hers only. 

There are individuals in town known as "Elders"; these are dragonborn who are direct descendants to the founding members of the clan, with the oldest among them being held to a high honor. Generally Elders tend to be in the Political Family, even if they served another when younger. 

Dragonborn are the main race in this town but the town is home to almost an equal number of kobold and lizardfolk, as well as a small but growing number of non-reptiles, the number growing especially larger in the last 5 years as Runswick found itself home to many Cyran refuges.

"A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn."

What Family role you fill has nothing to do with your bloodline, as no person is born into a Family, and each individual is free to choose whatever Family they feel the most affinity and drive for once they come of age. Monty just as easily could have gone Entertainment or Labor as she did Law. It is however common that higher ranking positions in these Families are held by dragonborn, but exceptions definitely happen, such as Sheriff Yang, who was a tiefling. Truly the use of the word Family is more for community/loose translation, as other places would strictly call them districts, or honestly "just a job."

Dragonborn are said to come of age at 15 (to a human's 18), so it is usually between 14 and 17 (or equivalent age for non-dragonfolk) that one will eventually settle into what role or job they are interested in. Generally, the education system stops at age 12 (in that 1800s western america way; remember they're all cowboys) but like anywhere else, there are options to continue your education.

The longevity of this unique but strange system comes from a dragonborn's natural tendency to fully commit to what drives them, as well as the clan's expectations that everyone fills their roles, and the Family system creates a perfect structure for those looking to commit to their skills with the shared likeness of others. (In Runswick they call this connection with like-minded people the Draconic word for "to resonate"). Although non-dragonic races are expected to find a Family, the reality that this simply means finding a job you love and want to excel in makes this an easy enough transition for those of any culture coming to live in Runswick, even if it doesn't come with a shared sense of "affinity."

"Each dragonborn’s conduct reflects on the honor of his or her clan, and bringing dishonor to the clan can result in expulsion and exile."

Probably the hardest thing for any non-dragonborn coming to live in a dragonborn clan to understand is the innate devotion a dragon feels for their clan. Certainly anyone can connect to a devotion to one's culture, but the degree to which dragonborn take this level of pride can lead to some head scratching. Either you get it or you don't.

Nevertheless, this perspective of what is honorable or dishonorable - and again that dragonborn's sense to uphold respect and snuff out disrespect - is very much adhered to in Runswick as it would be for any clan in Eberron. However, generally, to bring such dishonor to a clan that one would be exiled for it would require something with drastic consequences, and especially if those consequences ripple outside of the clan. This is even more true for the generations raised in war, as one's perspective on what is respectful or not, or honorable or not, can be skewed in the face of having to choose between loyalty to your clan or your country. Nevermind in the face of war in general. 

In Runswick banishments are actually rare, and Trials by Combat ("Quick Draws") are even rarer, as it takes a sort of hate and desperation against another that is not typically seen in such community focused clans. Monty had never seen either in her lifetime, until both happened to her.

Despite such a harsh punishment - to leave a dragonborn clanless is to leave them functionally worthless - there actually is no punishment for breaching your exile. To be found trespassing is to be simply publicly walked to the edge of town - possibly after a night in jail - and kicked to the curb once again. However, dragonborn are such proud creatures that shame is a most effective leash - experiencing a life changing humiliation once is more than enough to keep a dragon honorable to their own exile.

However leaving a clan - as in, moving away from Runswick - is normal. Monty's Aunt Arizona, the Yang family, and the O'Malley family are just a few characters who left town but are still considered part of their clan. 

A Clanless Dragonborn 

"Runswick was not just your town - it was your clan, the most important thing to a dragonborn. Five years ago, the Nightbiters harassed your town, resulting in the death of Jebediah, the grandson of a Political Elder. In the fallout, Rell was captured and set to be executed the following day. However, that night he escaped with the help of his mooks - as a parting gift, the fleeing bandits set fire to a hotel, resulting in more death. All under your watch."

I never wrote what happened that night that caused the Nightbiters to be freed - specifically, why was it Monty's fault, or what she did or didn't do that would make it her fault, is not known to me. I know what happened before, and after, but the moment everything went wrong I am not sure. I have a vague idea - it is a very well known fact that she is not the most perceptive - but it really might be the case that Monty just blocked the memory out in shame. Even I am not sure if what happened was truly her fault or not, but regardless it was on her watch, meaning the blame falling onto her is hard to argue. The night itself is specifically designed to be ambiguous as to how fair it is or isn't for her to be banished. 

Either way, Monty does not argue with her original banishment as she firmly believes if her Pa had been sheriff it simply wouldn't have happened, and she accepts the blame of the Nightbiters getting away and not facing justice for what they did to Jeb and the burned hotel. She does however flip-flop on how much blame she accepts for Jeb's death, as she wasn't even there when it happened and couldn't have saved him. But it was on her watch. She has yet to come to terms with her feelings about it and generally avoids thinking about it. 

Monty however, does not agree with her upheld banishment five years later and although her town was thankful and gracious enough to not boot her out this time, she still believes this time she was presented with an act of huge disrespect in the face of what she achieved for them. Her perspective this time around is decidedly "You can't fire me, I quit." This is a very marked difference from the last five years, where before she still considered Runswick her clan - which is why she respectfully upheld not communicating with her family and friends at her own expense, baselessly hoping one day they will change their minds & take her back - but now she does not, and freely reaches out to her parents whenever she wishes. Even if Runswick ever welcomed her back, she is not sure she would return, and I'm not either.

Although she made this choice, it isn't the easiest for her to shoulder. For a very confident person - dragonborn are pretty naturally prideful and arrogant, and Monty is especially both - her self esteem took a horrible hit. To shoulder the trauma of being the worst thing a dragonborn can ever be - dishonorable and alone - is ridiculously difficult to manage.

However where Monty finds her solace and healing is with Tequila, Aubrey, and in her new family. She does, in a way, see the Gold Rush as her new clan (although she still calls herself clanless) and feels immensely protective of them and fears losing them. It doesn't excuse her behavior, but in moments where she is too protective and fearful of losing them to the point of lashing out at any perceived danger or risk, it comes from a place of not wanting to lose anything else.

[seirosu]

❥     𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 > >  ✦ { @kleinstar​ } ✦ (late meme) anemone :   how does your muse view the world ;   as a cruel   &   unforgiving place ,   a land full of wonders ,   or something in - between ? where does that world view come from   (   what experiences ,   life lessons ,   etc .   ) ?

great question! aaaaaaand kind of simple yet tricky?? she’s always, since youth, had a firm belief that all things good came from sothis-- the progenitor goddess. being both direct descendant of the goddess and a devout member of nabatean society, when nemesis slayed the goddess, it was akin to robbing the world from it’s light on a personal and spiritual level. the world sothis made was beautiful and full of her wonders, but humanity was a force that could be rather cruel. rhea harbors a distrust in humanity (not to be mistaken for individual humans) for their wars and disrespect towards sothis’ creations, and so took a hands on approach to “herding” them so that the blessings that remain aren’t destroyed again nor are the values she brought to nabatea lost.

the world is beautiful but brimming with threats. unfortunately rhea places herself at the center and imposes herself as guardian and maintainer of the world. she’s too involved, which is her actual character pitfall.

bluebell :   does your muse learn from their past ,   or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes ?  

rhea hardly ever learns from her mistakes, it’s so unfortunate. she doesn’t just try and resurrect her mother once, but over a dozen times. she continues on a path for several hundred years with little tolerance for change and developments. she’s pathetically stubborn and stuck in the past... and that absolutely is her downfall. ironically she relives the same issues of the past over and over too. 

chrysanthemum :   how does your muse express romantic love ?  how do they feel about love as a concept ?  

what a tragic romantic love life, honestly. she’s had a handful of lovers and such-- she’s particularly weak for having flings with members of the knights and church ( and historically nobles of the kingdom and empire ). alas, she’s someone who is quick to fall but never quite land. love to rhea is this really intense experience where it really drives her to do anything for the other-- a rather large risk she cannot afford to entertain when upholding an establishment as large and powerful as the church of seiros. rhea expresses love in many of the same ways she expresses platonic love: spending quality time and gifting. rumor has it she's gifted other people’s belongings/sacred treasures to a past lover so, you know. but her secretive nature doesn’t lend well to long lasting, fruitful committed relationships so... yeah. romantic love as a concept is... not something she’s indulged in regularly, but it definitely feels so healing and comforting for the little while she can allow herself to let it last before it disappears as all her other loves ( platonic, familial, or romantic ) do.

rhea just wants to be loved, man. it doesn’t even matter how, really. it’s actually quite sad. she’s got a lot of issues to sort out, but it really boils down to missing and longing for love, safety, and comfort. i have a lot more i could dig into but i’ll leave it for a more indepth dive into rhea and love.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (April 5)

Roman Catholics celebrate the missionary efforts of St. Vincent Ferrer on April 5.

The Dominican preacher brought thousands of Europeans into the Catholic Church during a period of political and spiritual crisis in Western Europe.

Vincent Ferrer was born on 23 January 1350 in Valencia, Spain. His parents raised him to care deeply about his religious duties, without neglecting his education or concern for the poor.

One of his siblings, Boniface, later joined the Carthusian order and became its superior general.

Vincent, however, would become a Dominican and preach the Gospel throughout Europe. He joined at the age of 18 in 1374.

As a member of the Dominican Order of Preachers, Vincent committed much of the Bible to memory while also studying the Church Fathers and philosophy.

By age 28, he was renowned for his preaching and also known to have a gift of prophecy.

Five years later, a representative of Pope Clement VII chose Vincent to accompany him to France, where he preached extensively.

While Vincent sought to live out his order's commitment to the preaching of the Gospel, he could not escape becoming involved in the political intrigues of the day.

Two rival claimants to the papacy emerged during the late 1300s, one in Rome and another in the French city of Avignon.

Each claimed the allegiance of roughly half of Western Europe.

Caught between the rival claimants, Vincent attempted to persuade the Avignon Pope Benedict XIII to negotiate an end to the schism.

Benedict, who was regarded as Pope in both Spain and France, sought to honor Vincent by consecrating him as a bishop.

But the Dominican friar had no interest in advancing within the Church. He regarded many bishops of his time as negligent leaders distracted by luxury.

“I blush and tremble,” he wrote in a letter, “when I consider the terrible judgment impending on ecclesiastical superiors who live at their ease in rich palaces, while so many souls redeemed by the blood of Christ are perishing.

I pray without ceasing, to the Lord of the harvest, that he send good workmen into his harvest.”

Vincent not only prayed but acted, committing himself to missionary work and resolving to preach in every town between Avignon and his hometown in Spain.

In a commanding style, he denounced greed, blasphemy, sexual immorality, and popular disregard for the truths of faith.

His sermons often drew crowds of thousands and prompted dramatic conversions.

Popular acclaim, however, did not distract him from a life of asceticism and poverty.

He abstained completely from meat, slept on a straw mat, consumed only bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays, and accepted no donations for himself beyond what he needed to survive.

He traveled with five other Dominican friars at all times, and the men would spend hours hearing confessions.

For two decades, Vincent and his group of friars undertook preaching missions in Spain, Italy, and France.

When he traveled outside these regions, into Germany and other parts of the Mediterranean, those who did not know the languages in which he preached would testify that they had understood every word he said, in the same manner as the apostles experienced at Pentecost.

Although he did not heal the temporary divisions within the Church, Vincent succeeded in strengthening large numbers of Europeans in their Catholic faith.

He wrote little, although some of his works have survived, and exist in modern English translations.

Vincent Ferrer died on 5 April 1419 at the age of 62 in Vannes, Brittany.

He was canonized by Pope Callixtus III on 3 June 1455.

He has recently become the namesake of a traditional Catholic community approved by the Holy See, the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer.

He is considered the patron saint of builders due to his effectiveness in building up the Church.

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

This Cup

“And in like manner, He took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament or covenant [ratified] in My blood, which is shed (poured out) for you.” Luke 22:20AMPC “In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1Corinthians 11:25NIV

Have we truly heard the communion words of Jesus Christ? Did religion dupe us into only believing part of this truth. Have our hearts forgotten the depth of the truth in our text?

Churches take communion monthly, or weekly. No matter how communion is taken— it’s the biggest deal. In the New Covenant— Jesus paid, on the cross of Calvary, the price for every sin ever committed by mankind. No Old Testament sin, nor disobedience to the Law was left unpaid. Actually Romans 5:8ESV describes— “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Understand — while we were committing our heinous sins, Christ’s death was paying for those sins. That’s pretty spectacular.

Lou and I were taking a personal communion together. The words “cup is the New Covenant” leapt off the page with life of their own. This took Jesus’s words from ‘logos,’ written word, to ‘rhema’ living word. Suddenly, I received a Holy Spirit download. Everyone was totally loosened from keeping the requirements of the Law, all addictions, all sickness healed, as well as all sins forgiven. Yes, I knew this before, but “…[in fact] their hearts had grown callous [had become dull and had lost the power of understanding].” Mark 6:52AMP. We lose what we don’t use.

Jesus’s New Covenant promised goodness, love and kindness are ours because He paid the price to redeem us from our sins. Every Believer should know this. That’s not all, we’ve become Abraham’s seed— family members —making us “heirs according to the promise” Galatians 3:29. All of the good promises from the Old Testament are ours, WITHOUT the “if you fully obey the LORD” which is written everywhere throughout the Old Testament.

Do we comprehend— We’ve received all of the promises without any of the punishments? Jesus took all the punishment, saying—“This cup is the new testament or covenant [ratified] in My blood,”

The cup IS His blood. I remember a dear friend told me about her experience with COVID-19, fall of 2019. She was desperately ill, and could barely breathe. Her doctor was clueless regarding her sickness. As she was fighting for her life, her mother, a mighty woman of faith, brought her communion. My friend said, when she ate the bread it became flesh between her teeth, and the cup tasted exactly like blood in her mouth. The next day her health was restored. (Later, in 2020 she concluded that illness had been COVID-19. Staying at an Airbnb she contracted germs from papers written in Chinese, which she found on a shelf, left behind by the previous guests.)

When we partake of the holy communion rite, understand please, we’re to revere the sacraments as the true flesh of Jesus and His true blood. We can receive any and all of the 7000 promises in the scriptures. They’re ours to claim. None of the punishments for sin and disobedience can touch us, “…while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. …now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” Romans 7:5-6ESV. It’s your choice. You choose.

LET’S PRAY: Yahweh Lord thank You a zillion times over for setting us free from the requirements of the Law, and redeeming us. Help us show You our appreciation, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2024 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.

[farewellfuneralsau]

Farewell Funerals in Redlands

Family-owned and operated funeral home that focuses on dignity, respect and compassion as they service families. They also offer a variety of affordable options to suit any budget.

Friends, family and strangers gathered Friday to remember Stephanie Marie Almanzan, who was bound, burned and found dead Oct. 6. They recalled the simplest things that made her happy and said she loved her two children and her family. To know more about Farewell Funerals in Redlands, visit the Farewell Funerals website or call 0404660974.

Colorful flowers were laid atop headstones and people gathered on blankets to share memories and watermelon. The remembrance service was held Thursday, Oct. 12, at the First Congregational Church of Redlands. It was attended by a few hundred family members and friends of Gilbreath, who died Oct. 3. She had been a city council member for 20 years and was a stabilizing force of continuity, Mayor Paul Foster said. She also was committed to improving infrastructure and bringing passenger rail service back to Redlands.

Farewell Funerals in Redlands provides burials, cremation and memorial services. It is locally owned and operated. The staff focuses on dignity and respect as they serve families. They can help families with pre-planning. They offer competitive prices. They also provide green burial options.

Funerals are a time to remember and celebrate your loved one. It’s also a time for family and friends to connect with each other and begin the journey through grief together.

Emmerson-Bartlett Memorial Chapel offers a range of funeral services, including cremation and burial. They are an independent and family-owned funeral home that strives to serve everyone with dignity and respect. Their dedicated team will help you plan a beautiful funeral for your loved one.

Hundreds attended a memorial service Oct. 12 for Redlands City Councilwoman Pat Gilbreath. Gilbreath was praised for her dedication to the city and its residents. She was particularly proud of her work to improve infrastructure and economic development and bring passenger rail back to the area, said Mayor Paul Foster.

In the time following a death, family and friends come together to celebrate life, support each other, and say goodbye. This can include a visitation, funeral, or memorial service. These services provide an opportunity for loved ones to connect and begin the healing process.

A burial gives family and friends a place to honor and remember a life well lived. Burials can take place at cemetery grounds or in a private home. Depending on the preferences of your loved one, you may want to hold a graveside or chapel service.

Whether you are planning a burial or cremation, the McCartney Family Funerals team is here for you. At a time when many funeral homes focus on sales, and have KPIs based on revenue, Bryan and his mum Leanne have made customer satisfaction their priority. If a family feels supported, listened to, and heard at a difficult time, they know they’ve done their job. That’s what makes them stand out.

Cremation is a choice that people make for a variety of reasons. Some reasons include environmental concerns, religious beliefs, a desire to reduce costs and family mobility. People can choose to have a funeral service before cremation, a memorial service afterwards with or without the urn present, or a burial service at the grave site. To know more about Farewell Funerals in Redlands, visit the Farewell Funerals website or call 0404660974.

The body is placed in a casket or container and placed into a cremation chamber where it is subjected to intense heat. This process takes about two to three hours and converts the organic material to a form that can be reduced mechanically to ashes. The ashes can be stored in an urn or buried in an above-ground location such as a mausoleum, a chapel or a columbarium in a cemetery. People can also scatter the ashes. This can be done on private property with permission, on public property such as a park or on Crown land with approval. However, it is important to check with the local authorities first.