A Tale of Papal Politics:)

[mrdreamjeans]

Hans Grapje was raised in a Catholic school in The Hague and, as a young man, aspired to become a priest, but was drafted into the Army during WW II and spent two years co-piloting B17s until his aircraft was shot down in 1943 and he lost his left arm. Captain Grapje spent the rest of the war as a chaplain, giving spiritual aid to soldiers, both Allied and enemy.

After the war, he became a priest, serving as a missionary in Africa, piloting his own plane (in spite of his handicap) to villages across the continent. In 1997, Father Grapje was serving in Zimbabwe when an explosion in a silver mine caused a cave-in. Archbishop Grapje went down into the mine to administer last rights to those too severely injured to move.

Another shaft collapsed, and he was buried for three days, suffering multiple injuries, including the loss of his right eye. The high silver content in the mine's air gave him purpura, a life-long condition characterized by purplish skin blotches.

Although Cardinal Grapje devoted his life to the service of God as a scholar, mentor, and holy man, church leaders agree: he will never ascend to the Papacy. No one wants a one-eyed, one-armed, flying purple Papal leader.

ps... I just came back from the post office here in Ft Myers. I don't follow American Idol, but there were posters on the wall of the branch I visited, asking for support for their hometown girl Vonzell Soloman. She's a postal carrier in Ft Myers and they call her Baby V. Very nice!

Comments

[bearchitect.livejournal.com]

I thought the punchline was going to be that he now responds to the name "Lucky" *rim shot*
:)

[teddybtoronto.livejournal.com]

Hey there, bud. I'm looking forward to seeing the show when you are here in Toronto. Just a note on logistics. If you think you will be doing a lot of exploration around town, the monthly TTC (transit system) MetroPass is only available around the first of the month, so buy one as soon as you get here, if you think it will be worth it.

The MetroPass costs $98.75, and gives unlimited use of the TTC subway, streetcar and bus system. There are no weekly passes, but there ARE daily passes for $8.00.

The single ride fare is $2.50, but tokens are available for $2.00 each if you buy in multiples of 5.

I generally highly recommend the MetroPass, but I think your hotel is within walking distance of the theater, and I know your performance schedule keeps you pretty busy, so your exploration time may be limited and you have to figure out how many trips you are likely to take during the month to determine if the MetroPass makes sense. I mention it now because they are usually sold out by the third or fourth day of the month.

Here's a link to more than you ever wanted to know about the TTC:

http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/ttc/

I have a buddy who is a composer and lyicist and who just workshopped a musical for the Mirvish Productions. He usually gets house seats for Mirvish shows, so I'm going to ask him about getting tickets for the show. I'll let you know what I come up with.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Howdy!!! Thanks for this information! I am going to pass it on to my company manager when I get to work this afternoon. If the hotel is not within a certain distance, they have to provide us with transportation and I've been told The Princess of Wales is not that close to the Delta Chelsea in terms of the parameters of our union contract.

I am really surprised that there are no weekly passes. In every city where there have been Metro/Muni options, we've had the option for 7-day passes which is what works best for us. DeAnn will appreciate this information, as it affects a large portion of our group and the company, for budgeting purposes, should get a heads up.

I appreciate this information very much, Teddy! See you in Toronto!