With a simple rhythmic chant, 14 people from the Shrine of Holy Wisdom exited their sacred meeting space in Danelle Plaza in Tempe and set forth on a "walking meditation" that took them full circle around the aging business complex.
On that Christ the King Sunday, marking the close of the church year calendar, the Rev. Jorge Rodriguez Eagar assigned five to carry icons of holy exemplars such as Mary Magdalene, St. Francis of Assisi, St. George the Dragon Slayer and the Dalai Lama. Others carried flowers, candles on tall stands, ornate crosses or a censer emitting incense across the quiet parking lot. Everyone bore something that was integral to the rite.
…On this Sunday to mark "the great solemnity of Christ the King," the priest led a liturgy of the "Cosmic Christos — a metaphysical liturgy that honors the divine radiance of all created forms."
No it is not a Catholic church thankfully, but instead part of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch.
Seven are chartered in Arizona. The churches are described as "progressive, non-dogmatic, non-creedal, non-fear-based, mystically oriented, Christ-centered spiritual fellowship of followers of the Spirit." Eager touts the Shrine as a community "dedicated to the study and practice of the inner teachings of the Christos," or Christ. Eager started it in November 2001 and originally named it "Christ of Divine Light." Its board adopted the current name last summer. The Shrine’s five points of ministry are an emphasis of the inner quest; embracing diverse sacred traditions; celebrating the earth and its cycles; honoring the divine feminine; and valuing the transformative power of ritual. [Source]
In other words – bells and smells with no talk about hell.
And here a story of the schismatic Old Catholic Church and the world’s smallest cathedral.
HIGHLANDVILLE, Mo. – The guest book shows that visitors come from all over the country, and even the world, to this tiny hamlet in southern Missouri.
It’s not a glitzy destination like Branson, which is less than 30 miles south on U.S. Route 65.
No, it’s in Karl Pruter’s back yard. There, nestled under the shade of a large oak tree, is the world’s smallest cathedral.
Pruter, a bishop since 1967 in the little-known offshoot of Catholicism known as Christ Catholic Church, is the architect and caretaker of Highlandville’s claim to fame. Officially recognized by the Guinness Book of Records in 1984, it draws as many as 3,000 visitors a year.
They’ve come from California, Texas and Florida. And Australia, Mexico and Venezuela. And on and on.
All to see the Cathedral of the Prince of Peace, a converted wash house that measures 14 feet by 17 feet and — sizewise, anyway — looks more suited to be a tool shed than a place of worship. With only four pews for the congregation, and those pews measuring just 4 feet long, it seats only 12 people. [Source]
