Introduction by FATHER DIVINE and Speech by The Most Reverend William Francis
Archbishop of The Old Catholic Church

"The twentieth century's Christmas Gift to humanity, FATHER DIVINE"

Given Whilst at The Holy Communion Table of The Circle Mission Church, Home And Training School, Inc. of Pennsylvania
764-772 Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Friday Evening December 30,1949 A.D.F.D., Time- 5:25 P.M.


Photo of Rev. Major J. Divine taken in November 1961

 

 

(FATHER speaks firstly as follows:)

PEACE, EVERYONE: At this instance I would just like to say, as afore said, we have many visiting guests and visiting friends in our midst and we would like to say that we also have with us today the Most Reverend William Francis, Archbishop of the Old Catholic Church. It may be that he might would like to have a word to say! If he does not, it is perfectly all right, but I AM not leaving him out. He may be seemingly last but I AM sure he is not the least! We do not like to call on anyone but we just thought we would call his name. His name sounds good among us! I thank YOU.

(The Most Reverend William Francis arose immediately to speak enthusiastically as follows:)

 

PEACE, FATHER; PEACE, MOTHER and BROTHERS and SISTERS! On an occasion like this I would be depriving myself of a great pleasure if I did not respond to FATHER'S Invitation, let us put it, to say a few words. It is going to be very few. I love to come here- as you know, I have not been here except once for many years. It was not my fault; it was the fault of the circumstance of my work and my traveling! Brother Bernard and I are in Philadelphia for a couple of weeks and we come here as much as we can, as a sort of a spiritual powerhouse!

I was thinking as I heard the records being broadcast, I thought I would call on the Reverend clergyman from Santa Cruz; I go there once in a while; and tell him he had other friends that came here but I certainly shall not dwell upon the food as much, because I had not noticed it as much but I probably enjoyed it the more! But as I go around I love to tell the story of the peace that I have found here! Peace, the word "Peace", the striving for Peace is an obsession of mine- especially at this time of the year when we still can hear the echo of the Angels, "Peace on earth, Good Will to men" or in the original Greek it was written,

"Peace on earth to men of Good Will".


And the men and women of Good Will I find here! I have found a greater exemplification of the Spirit of Christ, of the Spirit of the first Christmas, through the twentieth century's Christmas Gift to humanity, FATHER DIVINE, than I have found anywhere!

A little while ago I was in war-torn Europe, and I saw cities that had been three-fifths destroyed! I saw people living in holes in the ground, clothed in rags! I saw incidents that beggars my description! They were all strangers to Peace, and, at times, in little fleeting glances I would think of the peaceful expressions that I had seen on the Faces of FATHER DIVINE and HIS Children in New York City where I used to see HIM when I lived in New York City. It did something to me and is doing something to me and to my young associate that we need greatly
in our travels! And as I said before, when I was here, other sheep has FATHER which are not of HIS immediate Fold- but we are all bound together in one GREAT LOVE- in the Great Love of PEACE!

 

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