sent from: London, UK. destination: Glendale, California, USA

“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,” intoned the priest. The congregation muttered in unison. Smooth as a Vegas lounge act, he said “Ok, so are we in fiesta-time, or what? Let’s try that again.. In the name of the Father..”, a bigger response this time.
So began the mass on the feast day of our village, an unconventional saint – Mary Magdalen; sinner, lover, devoted follower of Christ, some or all or none of those things, depending on what you’re comfortable admitting, or what you were taught in Sunday school. Certainly the traditional story arc – sin, acceptance, redemption, is echoed throughout her story and in the mass itself, and in thousands of movies and books, a template to make a Hollywood screenwriter proud rich. The Catholics have good stories, they couldn’t have endured as long as they have without them. The mythology has gotten a little muddled over the years – the good guys aren’t all that good, and the guy currently in charge seems like a throwback to the Bad Old Days.
Maybe the Vatican needs something from Hollywood – A REBOOT!