Solicitation

[Taff]

I don't know, I think of the Little Britain sketches.  That makes me laugh.

That's a fairly good technique when you are feeling down.  Think of things that make you laugh.  I think about some of the members here and start chuckling all the time.

Laughing is good for you! 

[bbroj]

wow, this is the first time I have heard of burying idols being condoned by the catholic church...I find it a bit intriguing they would suggest extortion  upon a saint, pretty funny.


I suppose you could bury this in the yard,

MOB, just to be clear, I don't believe any of this is condoned, or even suggested by the Catholic Church. Other than praying to saints for certain favors, the statue burying and the "prayer" I partially quoted above, were all found either online or in retail, by those selling the statues.

[Strawboss]

I've never heard of this custom/belief. I'll not make fun of someone who practices it. I will wish you good luck in getting your house sold and your family together again.

[T Cro ®]

I've never heard of this custom/belief. I'll not make fun of someone who practices it. I will wish you good luck in getting your house sold and your family together again.

Only reason I know of this ritual is that I've seen the small wooden idols for sale at the local hardware stores.

[MAN OF BLUES]

MOB, just to be clear, I don't believe any of this is condoned, or even suggested by the Catholic Church. Other than praying to saints for certain favors, the statue burying and the "prayer" I partially quoted above, were all found either online or in retail, by those selling the statues.

Please don't take my comment in a bad way, I truely believe that anything people have faith in is always a good thing.

I actually mentioned this to my wife when I was posting, and she is Catholic (went to Catholic school and all...), and she actually was telling me "oh YES... it is condoned, and there are places that sell the heck out of those little plastic statuary for that reason".
I had to laugh, because I do believe her. She also went down the list of the other Saints that she has "utilized" and what thier "specialties" were...I was pretty amazed.
But, as it is St. Joseph is the only one that gets buried....but it is also bad to leave him there once the house sells. Gotta retrieve him at that point, and place him on the mantle. Or the dashboard. 

we are looking for a nice St Francis for our back yard right now...he's my patron, seeing as I was named after him 

best of luck on the house sale, I'm sure it's difficult dealing with family matters from afar as you are; my wife also mentioned placing money at the feet of a St Jude statue, that is supposed to bring a good price/luck in the sale.

[Conrad]

Off topic but related...

The Patron Saint Of Motorcycling

The Vatican has officially endorsed an early Irish saint, Columbanus of Bobbio, as the patron saint of motorcyclists. He was born on the Carlow/Wicklow border in the year 543 ad, and died at the monastery he founded in Bobbio, in what is now Northern Italy in 615 AD, after many years of traveling around Europe. His bones still lie interred in his church there.

A handsome rugged kind of chap, he left Ireland to escape the clutches of lascivious women who were irresistibly attracted to him. According to the biography of his life written by Jonas, one of the many miracles attributed to him involved the multiplication of bread and beer, as follows:   (I'm sure that all of us motorcyclists can identify with this, the beer and lascivious women I mean  )

"A while after, Columban went to the monastery of Fontaines and found sixty brethren hoeing the ground and preparing the fields for the future crop. When he saw them breaking up the clods with great labor, he said, "May the Lord prepare for you a feast, my brethren." Hearing this the attendant said, "Father, believe me, we have only two loaves and a very little beer." Columban answered, "Go and bring those." The attendant went quickly and brought the two loaves and a little beer. Columban, raising his eyes to heaven, said, "Christ Jesus, only hope of the world, do Thou, who from five loaves satisfied five thousand men in the wilderness, multiply these loaves and this drink." Wonderful faith! All were satisfied and each one drank as much as he wished. The servant carried back twice as much in fragments and twice the amount of drink. And so he knew that faith is more deserving of the divine gifts than despair, which is wont to diminish even what one has."

[gPink]

Party on 23 November.

[jim_de_hunter]

Okay. I just went to the expert.  I work at a Catholic High School and the Parish Vicar's classroom is right next to mine.  He said that burying St. Joseph to sell is a well known Catholic tradition.

[lt1]

Okay. I just went to the expert.  I work at a Catholic High School and the Parish Vicar's classroom is right next to mine.  He said that burying St. Joseph to sell is a well known Catholic tradition.

Did he offer any scriptural, doctrinal and/or other basis for the tradition? 

[jim_de_hunter]

Did he offer any scriptural, doctrinal and/or other basis for the tradition?

I didn't think a priest had to.  So I didn't ask.

[bbroj]

I didn't think a priest had to.  So I didn't ask.

I'd be interested. As others have mentioned, the practice seems a bit like idol worship to me, which the Catholic Church clearly frowns upon. The tradition seems to have several possible origins, but none that I have found, in admittedly limited research, that are tied to the Catholic Church. One has a group of nuns burying St. Joseph medals in order to bless lands for sale. Rather than copying and pasting the entire page, here's the link, it's a quick read.  http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/stj01002.htm  A few things I take away from this page are the ones I hold on to; Have faith, believe it will work for you. Whatever you do, believe in it and do it respectfully (Not with threats!) Even this page treats it as tradition, not Catholic teaching or Dogma. I found the burial of the statue, at least as associated with the previously mentioned "prayer", disrespectful, and chose not to do it. Had I found a more respectful prayer associated with it first and a believable tradition to link it to (like the nuns in the link), I may have continued the tradition myself. Good conversation. I appreciate all who have and continue to offer their thoughts and prayers for the sale of my house.

[MAN OF BLUES]

I'd be interested. As others have mentioned, the practice seems a bit like idol worship to me, which the Catholic Church clearly frowns upon. The tradition seems to have several possible origins, but none that I have found, in admittedly limited research, that are tied to the Catholic Church. ..

You have to clearly understand that prior to Christianity, or the Roman Catholic Church, the world practiced a bizillion pagan forms of "belief", and during the infancy of what we call "modern christian religions" the churches found it beneficial, albeit even necessary, to parallel the pagan traditions to "gather followers". It is well known that many of the catholic traditions stem directly from actions done for that exact purpose, and the church at times tried to quell some, but all in all, a large amount of modern religion still has much-a-do with ancient beliefs.
 further reading;
http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/rel232/resource/RileyPaper.htm
http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/pagan-symbols.html
http://godkind.org/pagan-holidays.html
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/catholicism_christian_or_pagan.htm

this seems to be a real topic of dicussion on the net, one that is both interesting, and eyeopening.