"St. Obama Candles Spark Priest's Ire," reports John P. Connolly, of The Bulletin, a Roman Catholic publication, 18 February 2009 -- referring to events in Noe Valley, San Francisco:
"A San Francisco priest has called on his parish to boycott a local shop that has decided to sell devotional candles to 'Saint Obama.' The candles, which sell for $15 apiece at a local shop called 'Just For Fun,' were originally devotional candles to honor St. Martin de Porres, widely considered the first black Roman Catholic saint in the Americas. President Barack Obama’s face has been pasted over the head of St. Martin, making it appear that Mr. Obama is the object of veneration. Fr. Tony La Torre of St. Philip the Apostle Church, is calling for a boycott of the store.
“ 'I am appalled that in such a family-oriented neighborhood, any retailer would be so bigoted and so hateful [as] to carry such merchandise just to "make a buck",' Rev. La Torre declared recently in his parish newsletter."
The Good News: While the "store owners Robert Ramsey and David Eiland say they’ve sold more than 700 candles since putting them on display over the Christmas holiday," sales have really exploded because of the disapproval of the Catholic church. I am waiting for one celebrating Saint Harpo Marx.
3 comments:
I mostly get my news about the Church from Andrew Sullivan's blog. Judging by what he's been saying lately, this would be the least of the Church's worries right now.
I think you can find the same thing in the markets on 24th Street in my part of the Mission for about $1 - $2. Another example of the disparity between the two ends of 24th Street!
I love Obama. But people do treat him like he's the new Messiah or the second coming.
He's got more important things to do than to worry about being a celebrity.
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