Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Good Death, Colombo – photograph credit MARP/OCP (click the image to go to their website)

The Mar Alvares Research Project (MARP) with Orthodoxy Cognate Page (OCP) has published photographs of the Cathedral of our Patron Mar Julius I Alvares in Colombo, Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka). Their article can be read in full at this link: http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2014/12/the-historic-cathedral-of-metropolitan-alvares-julius-in-colombo-rediscovered-by-ocp-marp-initiative

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Good Death (Boa Morte) was the headquarters of the Independent Catholic Church of Ceylon, Goa and India (excluding Malabar) under the Indian Orthodox Malankara Church, led by Mar Julius I Alvares as Metropolitan after his consecration and appointment in 1889. Here, in 1892, Archbishop Joseph René Vilatte (Mar Timotheos) (who would in 1899 become Prince-Abbot Joseph III of San Luigi), was consecrated bishop by Mar Julius I Alvares and appointed as the first Metropolitan of the Old Catholics in the United States. The consecrating bishops and other dignitaries present at the ceremony were honoured with membership in the Order of the Crown of Thorns.

The continuous ministry of the Independent Catholic Church at the Cathedral can be traced until at least 1949. Today, ministry at the Cathedral continues under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Abbey-Principality of San Luigi wishes all visitors to our website a safe and blessed Christmass.

^“For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace.

His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7

The tabernacle of Prince-Abbot Edmond I, hand-crafted and used in his private oratory, is now a part of the Archive of the Abbey-Principality once more. The tabernacle has been sympathetically restored by its previous custodians at the archive of the American Chapter of the Order of the Crown of Thorns, and is now in use in the oratory of the Prince-Abbot. It is decorated with an ikon of the Theotokos.

The Archive of the Abbey-Principality includes a gold bullion preaching stole of Prince-Abbot Joseph III. Three of these, all made in France during the nineteenth-century, were owned by him: the example in our Archive, a further example in the archive of the American Chapter, and one more which is now in private hands.

The preaching stole, with its characteristic “spade”-shaped ends, is made in cloth of gold decorated with elaborate embroidery in heavy gold bullion.

The Grand Prior of Continental Europe for the San Luigi Orders, H.E. Dr Norbert Wójtowicz, has published his latest book, “Freemasonry and the Catholic Church”, which explores both history and future prospects.

The Prince-Abbot, a staunch monarchist, has been honoured by the Polish Monarchists’ Association (Unia Polskich Ugrupowań Monarchistycznych), receiving the Medal of Merit and the 15 Year Commemorative Medal of the Association. The citation is for “promoting conservative values and traditions, and Polish military history”. The Regent of the Association, H.E. Alexander Podolski, is a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Thorns.

The Prince-Abbot was an invited speaker at the annual Reunion of the Central School of Religion in London today, of which institution he is a Fellow. He delivered a talk entitled The eirenic vision of Ambrose Philipps de Lisle (1809-78) which explored the life and work of this Victorian ecumenist and Catholic convert. Several members of the San Luigi Orders were in the audience.

At leisure, Prince-Abbot Joseph III greatly enjoyed the smoking of fine cigars. Less well-known is his hobby, which was to decorate cigar boxes in an elaborate style using metal foils laid upon designs in relief, also lining them with felt. Some of these were given as presents to friends.

The Archive of the Abbey-Principality has one example of a decorated box of this kind. Silver and gold foils are used, with the lining being of red felt. The last photograph shows the detail of the design inside the lid.