Re: Montague Summers

[Vampirologist]

Alphonsus Joseph-Mary Augustus Montague Summers, in whose memory Seán Manchester dedicated his 1991 Gothic Press edition of The Highgate Vampire, entered the Old Catholic priesthood (having been diaconated in 1908 in the Church of England, and joining the diaconate in the Roman Catholic Church which he entered a year later). Montague Summers was consecrated for the Order of Corporate Reunion on 21 June 1927 by Dominic Albert Godwin. He was later consecrated sub conditione on 21 March 1946 by Roger Stephen Matthews and appointed Nuncio for Great Britain. Like Seán Manchester, he wrote books about vampirology and the occult whilst placing significant emphasis on exorcism. His biographer is the late Roman Catholic (Carmelite) Fr Brocard Sewell whose wrote under the nom de plume Joseph Jerome.

Montague Summers' most useful resources are his well researched books The Vampire: His Kith and Kin (1928) and The Vampire in Europe (1929). No vampirologist worth his salt will be found without these invaluable works in his collection.

Link: www.gothicpress.freeserve.co.uk/Montague%20Summers.htm

[songstress]

Hello Vampirologist,

I realise that this is off-topic (sort of) but I was wondering about the Old Catholic (Grail Church.) Since it is mentioned in this thread, I thought it might be pertinent to ask my question here - is the Old Catholic Church a form of Celtic Christianity, which was celebrated before Roman Catholicism became the 'norm' in Britain? I think it may be, but I would like to know for sure.

Love,
Patsy.

[Vampirologist]

The manifestation of Old Catholicism within the Grail Church has an affinity with Celtic Christianity. The consecrator of Bishop Manchester is himself Primate of the Celtic Catholic Church which is an autocephalous jurisdiction within British Old Catholicism.

More information about this fascinating subject can be read in Bishop Manchester's illustrated work: The Grail Church.

Link: www.gothicpress.freeserve.co.uk/Grail%20Church%20Book.htm

[songstress]

Hello Vampirologist,

Thank you for clarifying that question for me. Rev Manchster's site is enlightening and very spiritual.

Montague Summers - I have read some of his work (Vampire - His Kith and Kin) and it is remarkable that such thoughts and knowledge was being discussed and put down on paper during the inter-war period. A fascinating, enlightened writer, no-one can doubt that.

Best wishes,
Patsy.

[Juusi]

terve .

It is my understanding from various books that Rev Montague Summers was removed from the anglican church and nearly prosecuted for acts of pederasty against young boys in his care.

Due to the bigotry of most of his writing and the circumstances of his removal from the anglican church of britain, i find that his writings should be brought into question , and if the pederasty is true, i hope he is burning in hell now.


Sorry if my english is quite bad i am from helsinki normally.

Juusi

[Juusi]

Terve.

I have read about Montague Summers in another journal and not just fortean times,which is a very good periodical.

Maybe the truth will not now be known as it is a long time ago and nothing is left under the stone for us to see.

I agree with you that the church is very wishy and liberal in the thinking and not hard enough anymore and needs to bring itself to the front in matters of man sex and witchery and make it's position known to the world.

Will they soon be condoning the murder and rape of people, I can see it coming if things turn any more worse than they are getting presently in the world.

Maybe they will try to write the bible again saying that jesus is gay , and mary loved women in the wicked way.

Who knows anymore.

Happy easter to you all and get many eggs.

Juusi

[Juusi]

terve.

There are certainly lots of information that you give on Montague Summers.

Who are these pederastic clergy that you speak of,they must be reported to the police service as soon as possible for justice.

If you love jesus how can you be a satanist of the devil,i dont see how that is being true at all.

I am not scared of the secret clergy and will not stand for pederasty or satanism or secret societies of the church be they the pope or the queen.

I am from finland and i am sorry for being outspoken,but the evil of the world makes me cry sometimes.

Maybe davis icke was telling the truth about secret worlds of astonishment.

Juusi

[Vampirologist]

Seán Manchester's online outreach website that named and shamed paedophile clergy was shut down when some of those clergy complained (along with a Freemason and two self-proclaimed occultists) to his ISP.

His anti-cult/occult outreach site is still online, however, and can be found via the following link:

www.holygrail-church.fsnet.co.uk/Cults%20and%20the%20Occult.htm

An associate of one of the aforementioned self-proclaimed occultists had a thread removed by proboards.com very recently following a complaint claiming that he had been identified on this message board. In fact, only his forename was mentioned, but that was enough apparently to have the entire thread deleted.

So, you see, we have to be careful when posting on controversial matters. Please bear this in mind

Also, try and stay on topic. This forum is exclusively about the case of the Highgate Vampire and nothing else. To discuss vampires/demons etc more generally, you need to join the group discussion board below:

groups.msn.com/TheCrossandTheStake

[Vampirologist]

David Icke is an interesting character.

Much of what he has to say (gleaned from a wide variety of sources other than his own) about secret societies, masonry, occultism and the new world order is spot on.

But he is anti-religious, including anti-Christian. You should not lose sight of that fact.

[Juusi]

Yes i agree that we need a new crusade to rid the world of filth and pagan religions.

We should not be looking under the dinner plate as nothing is hidden.

Maybe we should delve under the stone to see the truth of life and death and remain shriven.

Today our jesus is dead and risen from the grave HALLELUJAH.

Happy easter tidings to all and every person on the board.


Juusi

[oakcarver5]

I should also like to wish vampirologist and all members very happy easter tidings,god bless and keep each and every one of you.oak carver.

[BaronVordenburg]

I must add that the Reverend Montague Summer's books combine a penetrating erudition with a finely honed style of austere eloquence which is particularly resonant in these days of semi-literacy and decayed English. His books provide an authentically mediaevalist and traditional perspective on the subjects of diabolism, witchcraft and praeternatural phenomenon. I myself first read his study 'Witchcraft and Black Magic' in my childhood and a very solid grounding in these dark topics it gave me too. His classic studies of Vampirology and also his brilliant tome 'The Werewolf' all stand witness to the great insight of Montague Summers and his keen sympathy with the authentic mindset of mediaeval Catholicism. very much the expositions of a great Traditionalist.

[Vampirologist]

The allegations made by David V Barrett in his Fortean Times' review of Montague Summers' THE GEOGRAPHY OF WITCHCRAFT, as you might expect, are unsupported by any evidence. Moreover, the sparse statement made about not only Montague Summers but also Seán Manchester (named only because, like Summers, he "believes that vampires literally exist") is seriously flawed.

Barrett erroneously refers to Bishop Seán Manchester as a "Wandering Bishop" which is arrant nonsense due to the fact that Seán Manchester holds epicsopal jurisdiction in Glastonbury and primatial jurisdiction within the British Isles. "Wandering Bishops," of course, are not appointed to a See.

Perhaps Barrett should have spent less time studying phenomenology and more in studing religion when graduating in the "phenomenology of religion"?

Barrett also refers to Montague Summers as an Anglican priest from which church we are told he was "removed." This, too, is false. Summers was diaconated in the Anglican Communion and within months converted to Roman Catholicism where he was also diaconated. He was ordained in neither the Anglican nor the Roman priesthood. However, he did become a priest (and later a bishop) in the Old Catholic Church (having been diaconated in 1908 in the Church of England, and joining the diaconate in the Roman Catholic Church which he entered a year later, Montague Summers was consecrated for the Order of Corporate Reunion on 21 June 1927 by Dominic Albert Godwin, and was later consecrated sub conditione on 21 March 1946 by Roger Stephen Matthews and appointed Nuncio for Great Britain).

I am unaware of any "prosecution" or threat thereof in regard to Summers' behaviour, while I am fully aware of rumours and conjecture regarding such outrages as pederasty, black masses and sundry unsubstantiated occult allegations. All of which is bizarre in view of the fact that Montague Summers supported the death penalty for persons found guilty of these very practices.

I am not sure we will ever discover the truth about Montague Summers, but I am not prepared to condemn a man based on rumour largely originating from those who are Freemasons, occultists and/or homosexual clergy with suspected pederast inclinations of their own.

Furthermore, Summers' most excellent research remains intact whatever his private faults and foibles might have been. None of us are perfect, but if it were ever conclusively shown that Summers was indeed any of the things his more vociferous detractors claim about him, Seán Manchester and those who support him, I am confident, would be among the first to issue outright condemnation.

Barrett naturally considers Summers' writings to be "bigotry," as he most probably does the writings of Seán Manchester. This cry is frequently raised against traditionalists of the first order, and should be nothing for them to concern themselves over. Moreover, you would expect nothing less from someone who is a regular contributor to Fortean Times magazine which over the years has done its share of misrepresenting Seán Manchester. Now, apparently, Montague Summers has been added to that honour roll.

Montague Summers and Seán Manchester have this much in common: they are outspoken opponents of all that is diabolical, whatever guise the variant occult practice takes. If only the same could be said of today's agnostic and atheistic clergy in virtually all mainstream denominations.

Before turning to freelance writing, David V Barrett was (somewhat worringly when you consider the errors in his Fortean Times' review) an intelligence analyst for the UK Government Communications Headquarters and the US National Security Agency.

His father was the Reverend Theodore L Barrett (1910-93) in whose parish magazine David V Barrett first wrote about alternative religions many years ago.