NationStates Jolt Archive

Cardinal De Vito sat looking out the window of his small private jet. As it softly touched down in Reichsburg, he sat back. Getting up, he exited the plane, and entered a car. He was driven tp Reichsburg Cathedral, and entered. He would be the first Catholic cleric to preside in a service there for over a century, though Prince John of Dercon was also presiding. Already, the church was filling up. He immediatly recognized many major news services and smaller ones. He darted into back of the church, and put on his vestments over his celerical suit (trimmed with red), and waited for Prince John.


ooc-
His mass vestments are:
alb, stole, and a cope (large mantle)

Tag

Kenshin tag!

tag for later response. I'll assume that this takes place after my wedding, which you can all go to if you want.

Four members of Jeruselem Catholic Church met the Cathedral of Jeruselem. Cardinal Augustus Brown (Archbishop of Jerusalem Old City), Archbishop John of Beersheba, Archbishop Jacob of Jerusalem New City and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The Knights of Jeruselem shadowed them as protection.

Patriarch: So, who's going to Reichsburg? Old man like me isn't up to plane travel these days.
John: I think the Cardinal should go.
Jacob: I second John's suggestion
Brown: I want to go, but the doctor said I not well enough to travel after picking up this flu
Jacob: That bad Augustus?
Brown: Some days, can't work some days as I'm stuck in bed
Jacob: I guess it's me. Why do I have attend events regarding bad news?
John: God loves you, Jacob.
Jacob: I wonder some days
Brown: OK, it's settled
Jacob: At least it's not another funeral

<one day later>

Archbishop Jacob arrived on bleak day in Reichsburg, weather which mirrored the recent event. He was on his way to meet Cardinal De Vito and Prince John.

For it being a funeral, you'd expect a pastor to wear black, right?

Not John.

Prince John Rekjyavich entered the back of the room, his gold cape fluttering in the very strong draft, is bright, neatly pressed white uniform, a violet sash with gold trim and gold embroidering of the Rekjyavich family seal in the middle was draped over his left shoulder and going diagonally across his chest. His dress white tuxedo pants with gold silk double-lines down the side were a tad big on him, and his white shoes were not worn in. The Sword of Jupiter was strapped to his belt, and once he entred, he commented to the cardinal.

"What, no alchohol?" He winked and sat down across from deVito.

"Other than this, how's life treating you?"

"Its been going pretty good for me. How about you?"

"Its been going pretty good for me. How about you?"

"Eh," John responded, shrugging. "It's going, I can't complain." He looked around the office a bit, not really seeing anything special to note.

"So, since this is spontaneous and there isn't a set agenda, I suppose we should make one, eh?"

Tag

"Opening hymn, first reading, psalm, second reading, alleluia, gospel, you give a homily, er, sermon. Another hymn, prayers, then what ever we feel like doing. Lord of the Dance for opening hymn?"

"Opening hymn, first reading, psalm, second reading, alleluia, gospel, you give a homily, er, sermon. Another hymn, prayers, then what ever we feel like doing. Lord of the Dance for opening hymn?"

"Lord of the Dance!" the Prince cried, laughing. "I don't see why not. I also suggest for one of the hymns you have an old Orthodox liturgy. 'Tropar', I belive it's called." He thought a moment.

"I'm not sure if it'd be a good idea, but you may want to consider 'A Mighty Fortress is Our God.' I know it's a protestant hymn, but I think it would be appropriate. You're call."

"Napoleon was a protestant, even if only nominally. It would be appropriate. However, we can;t keep these people out there waiting. He produced his hymnal- Gather Comprehensive by GIA, and walked outside, motioningfor the prince to follow him.
The clouds were heavy, and grey. However, 21 Imperial Guard soldiers ,arched around the old cathedral, and Cardinal De Vito noded. 21 guns went off, taps was played, and Cardinal De Vito stepped inside and announced,
"Thank You all for coming to this prayer service. The opening hymn will be Lord of the Dance. Please rise."
He straightened out his stole, and the procession began.
Acolytes and imperial guardsmen processed and went to appropriate positions- Acolytes to seats outside the "sanctuary" and imperial guardsmen to two side doors. The Cardinal and Prince John processed in side by side, and stood behind the altar, and sang the hymn.

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem I had my birth.

Refrain

Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,
But they would not dance and they would not follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;
They came to me and the dance went on.

Refrain

I danced on the sabbath when I cured the lame,
The holy people said it was a shame;
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me high;
And they left me there on a cross to die.

Refrain

I danced on a Friday and the sky turned black;
It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back;
They buried my body and they thought I’d gone,
But I am the dance and I still go on.

Refrain

They cut me down and I leapt up high,
I am the life that’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

Refrain

The Cuzzuo Marcus Antoia of the Barigon Parii (think Cuzzuo "Cardinal" and Parii "Parish") at the request of the Empress Diane I taped a small prayer for the Prussians.

[Tape Starts: An frail, elderly man in yellow robes covered in Old Khallaynan symbols stiched into the fabric sat comfortably in an oak chair, behind him a choir of young girls and boys in white robes with yellow trim were singing hymns to Yellow Heaven]

"I call upon the Prophet Zhang Jiao himself, the Glorious Voice of Yellow Heaven and the Gods themselves to give aid and comfort to the Prussian People in their time of Chaos."

"I call upon the glory of Yellow Heaven to smille upon their land bring it the glory of paradise, and it's people Ascention to Yellow Heaven and Godhood in the Pantheon of Light."

"I beg of Anmeon, the King of the Gods to banish the demons and minions of evil to the bowels of the Million Hells and bring the light of a new dawn upon Dercon."

"May the Prophet Zhang Jiao smile on you all!"

The large Airbus jet landed with a soft thud, suprising due to its size, and taxied to a stop at a near by diplomatic hanger. The rear descended, turning into a long ramp from the belly of the craft down to the ground, and slowly, a black car rolled out onto the tarmac. The car, a BMW E46 M3, slowly rolled across the tarmac, and out through the gates towards a side road that ran along the side of the airport. It accelerated quickly, the German made motor roaring as the driver moved up to the legal limit at a less than legal pace, and then slowed, cruising into the Cathederal.

The black BMW rolled to a slow stop, and the doors swung open. Two people stepped out, a male from the driver's side, and a female from the passenger's side. Few would recognize the male, who wore a simple black on black suit, with a crimson red tie, as Robert Fortier, the essential Imitoran. His conservative dress showed his age, he was nearing 40, which in Imitora, was considered old. The 35 year old smiled at his passenger, an attractive, young 32 year old female who all would identify as the former First Speaker, now Queen, of Imitora, Anna Sophia Fratelli. She walked around to his side of the car, her conservative, delicate pant suit hugging her lithe, tight frame, and took his hand in hers. They walked slowly, and entered the Cathederal together, quickly finding a place to sit.

The Cardinal looked down at the couple entering and noticed it was Queen Anna Sophia Fratelli with Robert Fortier. He noticed them holding hands and sighed to himself. After the hymn was finished, he began,
"Good Day everyone. I welcome you to this prayer service for Napoleon de Sanglant. Let us begin as we should begin all things,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. The grace and the peace of God the almighty father we with you all." he said, and motioned to John to say something.

Fedor arrived to the mass tired, however, for mere public appearance he came looking sharp, but wearing the standard garb that he wore he met other officials in public. It was merely his white military uniform, with his left breast covered in a myriad of colors, projected by the ribbons, with the Golden Cross under his neck, and his right breast lined with medals earned during the wars fought under his grandfather's rule. His brown hair was swept fowards in a very modern style, yet completely appropriate and serious, and on his left hip his sword dangled within its golden sheath.

Whe he first entered the cathedral he put his head down and nodded to a priest by the door, and he unbuckeled his sword and handed it over to the priest whispering in his ear,"Give this to the family of the injured. It is for their honor and to pay my respects."

After this, he continued and he took a deep breath. His grandfather had made sweeping changes within the country, making the Holy Church of the Broken Dawn the official state religion, as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church. Names nonwithstanding, the two were more or less the same within the context of the bible and the teachings. However, there certain animosities, including the fact that the Broken Dawn had a different pontifex maximus, and it refused to engage in talks of reconciliation with the Catholic Church. Nonetheless, Fedor would come to this mass out of respect, and he hoped that the leadership of this cathedral understood that.

He took a seat where he could and fell to his knees, putting his head on his now clasped hands, and closed his eyes. Murmuring a prayer to God he quickly took back his seat and formed the cross across his chest just like his grandfather had taught him, in the old Spanish way - from the left breast to the right, from the abdominal to the mouth. Then he fell back and waited for the mass to proceed, while taking turns on the other guests and greeting them quietly when they too were done with their prayers.

Perhaps later he would take the time to talk with them more in person. Perhaps.

ooc- its not a mass, but an ecumenical service. Reichsburg cathedral is protestant. The Cardinal is the first Catholic to preside over any service in over a century. Technically, Nappy isn;t deceased, but in a coma.

ooc- its not a mass, but an ecumenical service. Reichsburg cathedral is protestant. The Cardinal is the first Catholic to preside over any service in over a century. Technically, Nappy isn;t deceased, but in a coma.

[OOC: For the first part, I'll keep it mass, because technically an ecumenical service can be considered part mass; as for the second part, the presiding servant is Catholic, making it largely Catholic in nature, so I'll keep that part too; as for the last part, changed]

ooc- no big deal, just letting you know.

tag and question: Is he dead or not?

tag and question: Is he dead or not?

[OOC: No, just a mere head injury. Which was enough to classify him as unfit to rule.]

OOC: ok, so will he die or come back and have a bloody war on his hands?

OOC: Not sure: He's in a coma, remember. See, Reichskamphen went inactive, and I needed to find a way to cover for this ICly, so I thought up a coma. Napoleon's IC fate depends on if I can re-establish contact with Reichskamphen, since he basically just dropped off the face of the earth.

A short Hebrew man dressed in full Roman Catholic Archbishop's outfit arrived late. It was Archbishop Jacob of Jeruselem who was late due to the unexpectly long trip from the airport due to the weather. He sat down in his allocated seat.

A rather short man in a worn traveler's cloak arrived a tad bit late. As he entered, he flung back the hood of the cloak to reveal the scared face of Kenshin. Quietly, he sat down and began paying his respects.

OOC: Sorry for bad post, I kinda jumped in in the middle here, I'll pick it up when I know just what's going on better.

Prince John looked over the crowd as the hymn was sung. Not sizable for Napoleon being who he was. Wait, where's Alexei? Of all people, his younger brother, Czar Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov, the current Emperor of Greater Prussia, should be here, but he was nowhere to be seen. Odd.

After the cardinal made his blessing, it was clear it was John's turn to speak.

"Thank you all for coming today," he began, now standing at the podium. "To start it off, remember -- Napoleon isn't dead, this isn't a funeral.

"However, I do feel the following is appropriate right now. If you could, open up your bibles to The book of the Psalms, chapter twenty-three, verses four and five. 'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.'

"These verses are well-known verses, no doubt, but they are appropriate. At the moment, Napoleon is walking this path, and he needs God to be with him, which I'm sure He is, as the Lord looks out for all of our Emperors -- past and present -- and our fellow Prussians.

"Remember, though, we also must take these verses to heart. This is more than just a struggle for Napoleon and his family, but for all of the Greater Prussian Empire. As Napoleon and his family walk through this valley, we must walk with him through our prayers.

"But let us not let this hold us back from being great. We have a new Emperor now, Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov, and he also needs our prayers as he carries out the duties of the Empire as well as duties as Czar of Derscon. Keep Napoleon in your prayers, but do not let it hinder yourselves, and do not let it allow yourself to lose faith in the Empire.

"Now, please rise for the hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God."

A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevaling.
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabbaoth, his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours,
thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.

After the hymn was sung, the Prince glanced at the Cardinal to continue.

The Cardinal said,
"We must also remember that this is a suffering for many Prussians. However, we must offer up our suffering to the Lrod who has given us so much. Let us praise him with these words..."
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth. Lord God heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.

The Cardinal turned around and an acolyte handed him a thurible. He lit the charcoal, and poured incese into it, and closed it. He walked in front of the altar, and incensed it. He incensed Prince John, then walked through the aisles incesing people. He especially incesed the national leaders and Archbishop Jacob. He incensed the guards as well, and then went back behind the altar, and handed the thurible to an acolyte. He then nudded at John to continue.