Being a Catholic Artist

The great American author Flannery O'Connor once remarked, "When people have told me that because I am a Catholic, I cannot be an artist, I have had to reply, ruefully, that because I am a Catholic, I cannot afford to be less than an artist."

Brother Hamman: A Wonderful Catholic Magician

Though every magician worth his salt knows Brother Hamman was an incredibly accomplished close-up magician, most people, Catholic and otherwise never realized he was an actual brother....specifically, a professed Marian brother...

John Charles Hamman S.M. (September 3, 1927–December 5, 2000) was a Catholic Marianist Brother and professional close-up magician. The tricks he invented are still an integral part of many close-up magician's repertoire.

Br. Hamman was world renowned in the magic community. His initial interest in the art started as a child. As he recuperated from polio, he spent hours learning, practicing and inventing card tricks and other magic involving sleight-of-hand. In many cases, he accidentally "reinvented" classic maneuvers or streamlined them. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Catholic Magicians' Guild and the Society of American Magicians.

For more information, follow this link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hamman

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!!!

Divine Mercy Sunday is almost upon us. It's a magnificent feast day and, like the rest of our liturgical calendar, can serve to inspire Gospel Magicians.

Consider the meaning of the holiday for the Church and for your own life. Think about its themes which include God's mercy (obviously), sacrifice, joy and prayer. Next, think about how you would want to use sleight-of-hand and stage effects to get across these points to your audience. This is basically how any magician works but, more specifically, how a Gospel Magician works. Ours is a sacred duty because we are cathechists and mystagogues charged with the task of passing on the knowledge of the Faith to children, catechumens and even those who are questioning their faith and possibly those curious about the Faith. Let the Spirit guide you. He will always offer inspiration when it comes to the Faith.

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

Hi Everyone,

I hope this Lent has been a prayerfully enlightening one for all of you and that this Eastertide brings you new insight and a deeper awarenessand understanding of your faith.

God bless!

Angelo, Guildmaster

Patron Saints of Magicians

Here are a few of the Patron Saints of magicians that you might want to learn about:

St. Don Bosco (Patron of Stage Magicians, Gospel Magicians)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm


St. Nicholas Owen (Patron of Stage Illusionists, Escapologists)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11364a.htm


St. Genesius the Actor (Patron of Stage Magicians, Actors, Clown Magicians)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesius_of_Rome


St. Albert Magnus (Patron of Gospel Magicians)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01264a.htm


St. Dismas (Patron of Pickpocket Magicians)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismas


St. Clair (Patron of Mentalists)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04004a.htm

Suggestions for Catholic Magicians

Catholic magicians around the world, principally in Europe (especially southern Europe,) North America, Philippines, Australia and Latin America, seek out their own ways of performing Gospel Magic. Some suggestions include:

1. Consider offering your services to children hospitals and homes for the elderly. If during your hospital rounds, you have the opportunity to offer a silent prayer and blessing to the infirmed do so as unobtrusively as you can.
2. Volunteer time at Catholic schools and at parishes' cathetical classes including Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD)
3. Take advantage of the catechetical classes for adults offered by parishes and dioceses to better prepare yourself to teach children.
4. Offer your services for retreat work with kids, prayer groups with adults and school fairs. It offers the most flexible and relaxed settings for kids and adults to learn about Catholicism.
5. Commemorating the feastdays of Sts Don Bosco, Nicholas Owen, Genesius the Actor, Albert Magnus with magic performances especially for disabled and poor children.
6.  For those who feel they are truly academically unprepared to teach catechetical classes to kids or adults, instead, contact the usual teachers at your parish and ask them for the topic they are about to teach. Instead of teaching the entire course, you might be able to offer a single magic effect or two to teach that particular theological point.

Guild Mottos

Some Guildmembers have asked about our group's motto. We actually have two of them:

Deo dignus vindice nodus (Lain: A knot worthy of God to untie)

Nos magi secreta non prodimus, sed servamus (Latin: We magicians don't reveal secrets, but rather, we retain them.)

Introduction to the Catholic Magicians' Guild

The Catholic Magicians' Guild is an international organization of professional and amateur magicians dedicated to Catholic Gospel Magic.<ref>www.geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php/Catholic_Magicians'_Guild</ref> The Guild came into being when the group of performers considered the unique needs of Catholic Gospel Magicians. Their principle concern was how to creatively and appropriately use sleight-of-hand and stage illusion to pass on the beliefs of the Catholic faith to youth.<ref>www.insidemagic.com/magicnews/2006/04/27/angelo-stagnaro-is-a-genius-catholic-magicians-guild/</ref>

Though it is an excellent organization, the Fellowship of Christian Magicians didn't fulfill the unique needs of Catholics Magicians. Some felt constrained or awkward joining the group as it didn't offer ideas for magic effects and patter appropriate for Catholic theology. Started in 1985, the Catholic Magicians' Guild:

1. helps parishes by augmenting cathetical instructions of children and adults with stage and close-up magic;
2. spreads the devotion of Sts Don Bosco, Nicholas Owen, Genesius the Actor, Albert Magnus, patron saints of magic.
3. offers its services to fraternal and philanthropic organizations;
4. evangelizes and instructs non-Catholics in our faith through the vehicle of stage and close-up magic (ie, Gospel Magic.)

The CMG is a Catholic organization whose members submit themselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and aspire to share Christ's message and His love to Christian audiences via the medium of stage magic. Everyone is welcome to join the CMG regardless of religious affiliations.

New Chapters of the Guild

The Guild has approximately 250 members scattered around the world. Currently, the only official chapter is the St John Don Bosco Chapter in New York City.

Guildmembers interested in starting their own chapters should contact the Guildmaster Angelo Stagnaro at StagnaroAngelo@hotmail.com

Holy Week - Triduum - Easter

Happy Holy Week everyone!!!

I hope this week is prayerful for you all! Please keep our Jewish brothers and sisters in your prayer as they celebrate Pesach (Passover).

Angelo

Welcome to the Catholic Magicians' Guild Blog

Hi Everyone!

You don't have to be Catholic to be a member of the Catholic Magicians' Guild (though it helps...) but you have to be a magician interested in Gospel Magic, the art of using stage magic and sleight-of-hand to teach the Catechism to children and young adults.

My recently released book, The Catechists Magic Kit is a good introduction to the art:

http://www.amazon.com/Catechists-Magic-Kit-Teaching-Catholicism/dp/0824525183/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239663631&sr=8-1

Gospel Magic was started in the early 1800s by St John Bosco, also known as "Don Bosco" who lived in Turin in northern Italy.

More to come later.