I actually think it’s behind me. The perverse, dark dream that dogs my sleep cycles…I beg for it to drop into nocturnal oblivion. But just as the interminable emails from irate readers start to wind down, I get a letter (yes, an actual letter!) written in blue fountain pen ink. Heavy gauge stationary with a faint, obscure water mark – crossed keys atop a “Christogram” motif surrounding a cross, three nails and the letters “IHS”. It is signed by a Jesuit Priest.
“Your presence is requested at a reception. Date and location will follow via a text message to your cell phone at a later date. Transportation will be provided. Hors D’Oeuvres and refreshments will be served throughout the evening. Discrete security will, of course, be in attendance. Business formal attire, please.”
Cordially – J. Sinclair, SJ.”
OK……so many questions. How did His Holiness Sinclair get my name (I write under a pseudonym)… my address… and my cell phone number? My Blog site is protected with a VPN firewall and other “goodies” my techie buddies have shared.
The original “Warning from a Vampire” screed was submitted through my Blog site email. An anonymous “John Doe” asked me to publish it. He said we had a “mutual friend” that directed him to me…I should have asked “who?” but didn’t. My subsequent return emails (invoices attached) went “undelivered”. Big surprise. I assume the whole thing is a morbid gag dreamt up by some internet geeks in their mommy’s basement and move on.
Well, now….is my Blog somehow connected to this improbable Jesuit “invitation”? But I’ve got no connection to them at all….
My guts are slowy twisting, murmuring cautionary whispers. I initially want to just say screw the whole shitshow and walk away…. but….I learned a long time ago, never blow off the Familia of St. Ignatious Loyola. These guys are the real deal. When the “Black Priests” speak – it’s best to shut up and listen.
I attended a Catholic University and Law School. It was founded by Dominicans. Our Dominican fathers were great Professors, spiritual guides and took very seriously their “Brothers In Christ” mission. But Jesuits – they were an entirely different breed. I didn’t have alot of contact with Jesuits as an undergraduate. It was when I attended the University Law School when my familiarity with “The Order” really began. The Law School staff was Jesuit top-heavy.
It’s been said that Adolph Hitler’s henchman, Heinrich Himmler, modeled his “Schutzstaffel” – the Reich’s infamous black-uniformed “SS” guard – after the Jesuit Order because of its mystical cache and renowned clandestine influence. Add to that exclusivity of membership. “The Order” only accepts the most gifted candidates. Brains and commitment are their top criteria.
Jesuits “report” to the Pope himself. There is no intervening Vatican bureaucracy that monitors their affairs or finances. Jesuits are a self-contained cadre of shock-troops dedicated to their “Mission”. What exactly is their “Mission”?
It’s a bit hard to explain. They are expected to go anywhere in the world, endure extreme conditions of climate and privation and discharge their “special assignment” of “obedience” to the Pope. They are known colloquially as “God’s Marines” or simply, “The Order”.
Jesuits are the best educated, most urbane, wickedly conversational and disarming bunch of priests you’ll ever meet. They tend to be Scotch drinkers and secret smokers. They’re extremely popular with the ladies and are habitues’ of rarified social circles. The moneyed classes love ’em. But – debate a Jesuit and he’ll hand your ass to you with a hat on it. Jesuits know stuff. They are – in a word – cool. They also tend to be physically fit. Many are proficient in martial arts.
They’re paragons of confidentiality and tight-lipped about everything. Jesuits rarely take a hard position against any viewpoint and always find a way to see both sides of an issue. Jesuits don’t do controversy. And there’s one thing they excel at: Confession. I can’t add up how many Confessions I made on bended knees to Jesuits……
Why? Because the Penance they prescribed was easy.
The Dominican Priests would have us praying Penance all morning long until our knees ached. Jesuit Confessors seemed to let everything slide. They never wanted you to feel too badly about yourself. So we always came back. That was their hook. And it worked like a charm.
It took me years to figure it all out. Bottom Line? Information is better than money. Secrets have more value than gold.
How do you make people beg to tell you their secrets? Forgive their sins, that’s how. Set ’em right with God. And get ’em while they’re young! And as these best and brightest supplicants insinuate themselves into the world’s corridors of power – and their compromised, tortured souls cry out in darkest night for solace – give ’em hope: The holy Grace of Confession and Absolution! After all, Salvation hangs in the balance, doesn’t it?
A goodly percentage of each new Catholic generational flock is tended to by the “The Order”. Through each phase of their lives – youth, middle age and dotage – they pour their hearts out in Churches around the world. Are their years of “Confessed” sins and secrets in Jesuitical hard drives somewhere? Are super-computers today’s repository and “tender bosom” of the Black Preists?. And to think it all begins with the magic words: “Father forgive me, for I have sinned….”
There’s about 1.3 billion Catholics in the world. My rather cynical gut tells me that the Vatican has been in the Intelligence business for centuries. How can it not be? They’ve probably been mining confessionals for gold since the Sacrament of Confession was invented. If you’re looking for a definition of the word “Brilliant” – look no further. Why? Because Intelligence begets Influence. And Influence opens doors. Growing up in New Jersey we called it “Juice”. If a guy had “the Juice”, he had it made.
And who is the dark presence that orchestrates Vatican Influence throughout the world?
“The Order”. Jesuits.
A week after I get the letter, I get a text.
“RECEPTION – this Friday, January 13th at 9:00PM. Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley, Philadelphia, PA. Come alone. Wear no jewelry. Bring no cell phones or electronic devices. A car will collect you at your residence at 6:00PM and return you there in the early morning hours. Again, business formal attire, please. Ms. Katrina Kozub – your driver – will be your escort for the entirety of the event. It is important that you stay in her vicinity at all times. Thank you in advance for your discretion and cooperation”.
I Google the location. Old St. Joseph’s Church at 321 Willings Alley in Philadelphia, PA, founded by the Jesuits in 1733. That city’s oldest Catholic Community.
I’m blown away by all of this. An assigned escort? Who’s the Guest of Honor? Oddly enough, I’m liking where this is going. There’s a kind of “forbidden” vibe to it all. And I need some answers. Hell – even if they kill me, at least I’ll die well-dressed, fed and on hallowed ground. If Katrina is a looker – well, that’s jackpot.
Copyright, 2023
Jon Croft
Graphic courtesy of Wikipedia
