Liquid Death & Brazen Bulls | 4M #143
Welcome to the hundred-and-forty-third edition of Morticians’ Monday Morning Mashup, 4M #143, where we’ll serve up bite-sized, easily-digestible nuggets of the deathcare news you need to crush conversations in the week ahead. Bon appetit!
An eye for an eye?
An Irish man who has been arrested for setting fire to a church’s collection of mummies, including an 800-year-old dubbed “The Crusader,” is facing serious charges, but probably won’t receive the punishments some locals are calling for. While the archbishop is condemning the crypt arson “sacrilege” against “national treasures of Dublin,” others are calling for an “800-year-old punishment” to fit the crime — specifically entrapment in the medieval “iron maiden” or “brazen bull.” Supposedly, one librarian even reports a rise in borrowers searching for books on ancient methods of torture.
Surprise!
We’ve (unfortunately) reported on situations like this before, and wish we didn’t have to … but last week a woman stole a mortuary van containing a deceased person. The theft occurred while the driver, a mortuary worker, was in a hospital to retrieve another body. The thief was apprehended and charged with auto theft and abuse of a corpse.
Killer burrito
We’re not sure what the implication is here, but a Mexican restaurant chain in Australia is offering the chance at a free burial plot to anyone who can finish their 1kg Big Burrito and a can of Liquid Death. We love the way this publication shared the challenge: “To throw your hat in the ring for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, all you have to do is snag a Big Burrito combo, scribble down the inscription for your tombstone (or one for your brave amigo who couldn’t quite conquer the burrito beast), and cross your fingers for good luck. It’s a competition where the stakes are high and the rewards are, quite literally, set in stone.”
Honoring rituals
Members of the Hindu community in New Jersey hope that lawmakers will pass Assembly bill 4216 so that they may fully practice their traditional funerary rites. Currently, crematories in the state can only be built and managed on cemetery grounds, which often leads to fire-code mandated occupancy restrictions and mandatory time limits. These rules restrict Hindu families from involving a large number of family members and taking part in hours-long visitation and mourning rituals. Bill 4216 would allow for standalone crematories, alleviating the need for such restrictions.
Distribution of duties
One diocese of the Irish Catholic Church is facing a big problem — over the next 20 years, they predict that they’ll only have 10 priests to cover their 85 churches. In addition to holding mass and tending to their flocks, these priests are also expected to preside over marriages and funerals. The diocese has come up with a clever way to deal with at least one of those issues by commissioning 29 congregants as Funeral Ministers. These leaders will “accompany families and communities at times of bereavement and loss and to lead some parts of funeral liturgies.” More members of the laity are also in training to join the Bereavement Team.
Grieving the “Neighbours”
Did you know that it’s possible to feel genuine grief and loss when finishing a novel, completing a video game, or at the cancellation of a favorite TV show? Well, an Australian researcher seems to have proven this theory. His recent study of nearly 1,300 fans of the Aussie TV series “Neighbours” recently ended after a spectacular 37-year run, devastating fans who had “formed strong bonds with their favorite characters and engaged with them emotionally.” The study concluded that “fans may experience significant feelings of grief at the end of a series.” Good news, though; after the study was completed, the series was reinstated and renewed for another year!
