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The West was in no position to help at the time, it was severely weakened. The attempts off the Pope to unite east and west were to encourage western nations to make the Easts plight the West’s plight. Once the Byzantines rejected unity, it became impossible to rally western nations to defend...

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: 9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they...

That’s why Christ built His Church on Peter, Kepha, Cephas, Rock. “And he says to him again after the resurrection, ‘Feed my sheep.’ It is on him that he builds the Church, and to him that he entrusts the sheep to feed. And although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a...

There was no Church prior to the Catholic Church. “See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Christ Jesus does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles. Do ye also reverence the deacons, as those that carry out the appointment of God. Let no man do anything connected with the...

Good point, there are a lot of differences in what is permitted for civilians to use across jurisdictions. Some states in America I think even body armour is illegal, like Australia’s Ned Kelly Laws. Ned Kelly was a notorious bush ranger who covered himself with plate armour and helmet to take...

It’s great that someone is thinking about security. A French Priest was martyred during Mass in 2016, Father Jacques Hamel. Islamic state were the perpetrators, cutting his throat. He was 85 years old. It was this shocking incident that spurred me look into better church security. At the time...

Mont saint Michel was the inspiration for Tolkien’s Minas Tirith. Catholic Churches and Monasteries have been fortified for over a thousand years at various times and places in the west. Times have changed, however many things of the past can be used again, though perhaps not on such an epic...

The fence was an important addition, anyone could walk onto the church grounds and car park from two sides. We had thieves as the first issue and hoons drive in doing burn outs and doughnuts in the middle of mass. These ornamental wrought iron pointed fences are good at 6-7 feet, but don’t...

It depends on who is training them. I’ve seen some very dubious training companies and “ trainers “ that imbue people a completely wrong attitude and disposition. Testosterone fueled bravado that says anything you do is justified if you get to go home that night. Accelerated force escalation...

Yes, but especially in Roman times because of wide spread persecutions.

In 250 Ad pope Cornelius writes to the bishop of Antioch incidentally giving the number of clergy in Rome. Numbering forty-six priests, seven deacons, seven subdeacons, forty-two acolytes, fifty-two ostiarii. This was during a time of terrible persecution by the Roman Pagans. There is mention...

The first real defence is prayer and fasting and being open to the guidance of Grace. You can be given inspiration but ignore it, this was a painful lesson for me at times. You realise what these moments are. I was powerfully shown in street ministry what God’s protection means. I settled...

The intent of security is not to kill but to stop a threat. Like winning a race at the slowest possible speed. As men we think and plan in a particular way to protect and be on watch, but only by grace can we carry out what we must do in the moment. For those who live by the spirit...

Other ideas. The candle snuffer can be a jo staff as well, which is close to the Acolyte. This is retained on the wall near the Altar with pool cue clip.

Here we can’t carry handguns as civilians, and I don’t know what I would do if someone entered the church with a firearm. I thought of throwing the staff and boomeranging it at them followed by charging at them with a flying headbutt. However this is a low success strategy. These are all...

We also have Jo staffs lined along the back wall disguised as collection socks that you can reach half way into the rows. Changed them to solid red oak. I hand selected them for straight grain full length down the middle with cathedral arches on the outside grain, real heart wood. You can’t...

I’m also a big believer in physical barriers along with layered defence and alternative points of egress. I studied a lot of history and used it when I did high end security for the government, the ancients can still teach a great deal.

Catholics had Ostiarius or porters or door men in the ancient Early Church, to protect those gathered against the pagan Romans in the persecutions. They generally had a layered defence at the street, then a gate, then the door, and there were points of escape for people in place. Ostiarius...

Heard of it. They are seeking to make constitutional amendments via a convention of states. I’d say they are still years away from that ability, from what I have read.

I think it’s down to layering. Some look like they have a hundred or more slices of pastrami. As sandwiches go, I count them as the most extraordinary in the world.