"Borderlands Gnostic -- Fantasy Enclaves: A Challenge to Early 21st Century Catholicism?"

Prologue

"By no later than the second half of 2007, it was becoming clear that Catholic Dioceses along the vast area running form southeast New Mexico on down the Rio Grande River to Brownsville, Texas, were in trouble.

"The Archdiocese of San Antonio was no exception.

"In fact, priestly gossip among that floating population of priests who were at one and the same time both in the diocese yet not of the diocese was beginning to take on a hard, bitter edge.

"The administration of Archbishop José H. Gomez was in serious trouble, specifically financial, spiritual and legal trouble, much of it inherited from his unhappy predecessor, Archbishop Emeritus Patricio Flores.

"Regarding the theme of legal troubles, knowledgeable laity gave the impression that their own priestly sources were convinced that certain attorneys with nominal links to the archbishop himself were quietly washing their hands of at least two major sex scandals, whose developing legal issues were supposedly still in the pre - public opening phase.

"Moreover, the rumors ran, there were as well growing signs of a major marriage annulment - for - - money scandal on a level equal to that of the one involving Joseph Kennedy II.

"The woman allegedly involved in this payola scheme was identified simply as that Jordanian woman, and it was said she was connected to the Diocesan Seminary in San Antonio, through some young male member of her family, who was identified in turn as either a seminarian himself or a junior staff member.

"Then, as 2007 neared its final closure, when it seemed nothing more could go wrong, everything did.

"And it was time to forget priestly gossip and rumors, whether rumors derived from priests serving shrines or from those serving medical facilities.

"In short order thee were three well - publicized incidents, two of which involved San Antonio's Archbishop Emeritus and the third the New Age machinations of one Father David H. Garcia, rector of San Fernando Cathedral.

"Then, once more, something happened...

"Because,within a few days of Archbishop Emeritus Patricio Flores' final Mel - Gibson moment, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, a native of Sogliano al Rubicone, Italy, currently serving as Papal Nuncio to the United States of America, received both a fax and an extra copy of it by USPS Special Delivery.

"The correspondence was tactful; it had few names, yet the information was deemed of sufficient import by certain staff members at the Nuncio's office to warrant action.

"Prompt action.

"The message was from a small town, a town in a rural southwest Texas county with barely half the current population of Archbishop Sambi's own place of birth.

"In the technical language of Catholic Church administration, this sleepy little metropolis was located in the southern part of something called the Uvalde Deanery, whose very own parental entity was -- of course! -- called the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas.

"If nothing else, the letter showed that the nominally Catholic community would most likely soon meet all the requirements for identity as a so - called Gnostic - fantasy Enclave, in much the same way as did a certain famous rural Albigensian stronghold in Medieval France, perhaps best known to us today through the title of a fascinating sociological study done by a French expert in the late 1970s, Montaillou: The Promised Land Of Error.

"Indeed, this would soon prove to be the case.

"Because, while this little town's own name in no wise sounds like Montaillou, our Catholic Parish Community of St. Mary Magdalene's has in fact revealed itself over time to have been by 2008 exactly what Montaillou had become by 1308: a Promised Land of Error.

"Now, don't get me wrong!

"We're still all - American.

"For example:

"People living in our town and parish community today in the second half of 2008 are still conscious and proud of the role they have all played as a community in American cinematic history.

"Proud of how to this very day they still know a dwindling number of the old timers who saw John Wayne as he rode through town on his way to film his epic, The Alamo, at a place maybe five miles up the road a piece.

"In short, our town has deep bilingual and bi cultural roots related to violent and anarchistic times.

So, what have I been forgetting all this time to tell you?

Uh - huh! Oh, yeah! O.K.!

"Our little town's name is Brackettville.

"Texas.

"The U.S. of A.

"Zip code 78832.

And therein hangs a tale..."