![]() He carried with him a commendatory letter from the bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, and a kind of clerical ID card known as a celebret. One day he had shown up at the local parish in his robes, claiming to be a priest who had recently retired to Florida. Father Marek just drifted ashore and let people find him, exactly as this whale had done. Standing over the beast while absentmindedly attempting to imitate its smile-an old habit he practiced on almost everyone he met-Father Marek thought about how much he’d enjoyed these past few months on Florida’s Treasure Coast, how he’d miss these early morning strolls on the beach, when night and day were all one thing in the purple sky before sunrise.Ĭoming to a new place, starting a new life, inventing a new persona-all that was easy. His only occupation, one that took many forms, was convincing other people to place their trust in him. Nor was the priesthood his actual profession, though he had briefly studied at a seminary many years ago. His name, for instance, was a fabrication, though he had grown to like the sound of it on parishioners’ lips. The priest himself was the first person to come upon the stranded animal, its sleek black skin glistening in the surf, its huge body writhing and flopping, its mouth pressed into what looked like a carefree smile.Īnother passerby might have been alarmed by the discovery, but Father Marek’s whole adult life had been a series of sudden arrivals and departures. There, inspired by God, he turned toward the water and called out, “Oh, you fish of the river and sea, hear now the Word of the Lord because the heretics do not desire to listen to it.” At once thousands of fish stuck their heads above the surface and arranged themselves in neat rows, straining to hear each one of his words.Īt dawn, as police made plans to arrest Father Marek, a pilot whale washed up on a nearby beach. ![]() ![]() Frustrated by the obstinacy of the heretics, he decided to pray at a nearby place where the Marecchia River flows into the Adriatic Sea. Local leaders had forbade the citizenry to pay him heed, however, and so all his attempts to lead sinners to the light of the veritable faith and the way of truth were met with silence. On one occasion, the holy man went to preach in the Italian city of Rimini, which was then a hotbed of heresy. Venerated as the patron saint of lost and stolen items, he is credited with many miracles. ![]()
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