Proposal: Order of the Church Militant

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing today to ask for your ideas on a proposal for a religious order that I am praying about forming, its name is the Order of the Church Militant.

One would be wondering what my reasons for making said Order is. Well I think the best thing to do is to tell you about the Order first.

Order of the Church Militant (O.C Mil.) would be a religious order that is founded on the very basis of Military Ministry through Military Chaplaincy. All brothers would be required to serve as a military chaplain for a period of 4 years, they would be screened for psychological disorders or illnesses, be prepared physically for the rigors of military life, mentally through philosophical and theological formation, and spiritually through a spirituality of Spiritual Warfare and the salvation of souls. I would like to only briefly explain this.

The three basic tenants of the Order “Spiritual-Mental-Physical” are the three basic tenants that formation would be based on, as is in most formation programs. They would take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and the Order would work closely with the Archdiocese of Military Services so as to provide brothers in formation the opportunity to work as Military Chaplain Candidates. Formation would be up to 9 years for schooling and novitiate. The novitiate would consist of testing the individual on whether or not they can handle not only the spiritual rigors of the order, but also the mental and physical rigors of the order through assidious study in truth, and physical programs of work and PT that would allow the novice to be prepared for military lifestyle and work. Physical Training would be considered a Sacred Task, in that everyone of the Order would be required to pass standards of Physical Excellence.

Brothers would be required to serve up to 4 years in a service branch, once they have done so, should they decide to leave military service they will return to the Order to continue to participate in the other directives of the Order. Primarily those who are not participating in Active Duty Military Service will be participating in a mission of the Salvation of Souls. This mission would be primarily based on Spiritual Warfare. Through their time in military ministry, not only would they gain valuable tools from their military experiences, but they would be able to better learn how to form the soul in a way to fight off the evil one, and grow others to do the same. This religious order would be focused, for those not in Military Service, on forming the souls of those they come in contact with through spiritual formation against a prowling lion, looking for someone to devour ( cf.1 Peter).

In today’s society the necessity of defending yourself against the devil is necessary in every portion of one’s life. Yet if one can truly understand the very battlefield arrayed against you, then one can be able to destroy the enemy and safeguard the temple from the arrays of the evil one. The Brothers will focus on this ministry through publications, religious retreats, parishes and the formation of academic institutions that are focused on forming the whole person, primarily seminaries for diocesan and religious who can enter into a Sacred spot to study and grow spiritually in a spirituality that is focused primarily on countering the devil in every manner and in every action of not only the spiritual life, but the physical everyday life.

This is only a small bit of what I have so far, if anyone could give me ideas on what they think, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
 
Not one mention of God or Christ, yet umpteen mentions of the devil!!! Just who or what is it you spend most time in worship of? Sorry to be blunt, but I really think you have your emphasise all wrong.
 
I spend most of my time worshiping God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One must understand that such an endeavor could only be formed by the will of God. As a devout Catholic, I apologize that I made the assumption that you would understand this most basic of theological truths. While the word God is not strictly stated, one must understand that the defeat of the devil can only be done by the power of Christ. It is my fault to assume that one would understand this, I will look to re-edit the response to give a clearer clarification of this.

The emphasis is an will always be a sacramental life of Confession, the Holy Eucharist, common life and regular observance of the three evangelical vows and of the basic tenants of the Order. To dare assume that I worship my enemy is down right absurd and slightly insulting. The primary responsibilities of this order is clerical in nature, therefore a Priest of Jesus Christ. Besides since these are the most basic tenants, and understandings of the workings of the Order, a religious order of the Catholic Church is bound to be understood as following the Magisterium of the Church, the Bible and the Traditions that have been laid down by the Church Fathers.

Again my apologies if I didn’t make that clearer within the post.
 
Adam_Cook said:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing today to ask for your ideas on a proposal for a religious order that I am praying about forming, its name is the Order of the Church Militant.

One would be wondering what my reasons for making said Order is. Well I think the best thing to do is to tell you about the Order first.

Order of the Church Militant (O.C Mil.) would be a religious order that is founded on the very basis of Military Ministry through Military Chaplaincy. All brothers would be required to serve as a military chaplain for a period of 4 years, they would be screened for psychological disorders or illnesses, be prepared physically for the rigors of military life, mentally through philosophical and theological formation, and spiritually through a spirituality of Spiritual Warfare and the salvation of souls. I would like to only briefly explain this.

The three basic tenants of the Order “Spiritual-Mental-Physical” are the three basic tenants that formation would be based on, as is in most formation programs. They would take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and the Order would work closely with the Archdiocese of Military Services so as to provide brothers in formation the opportunity to work as Military Chaplain Candidates. Formation would be up to 9 years for schooling and novitiate. The novitiate would consist of testing the individual on whether or not they can handle not only the spiritual rigors of the order, but also the mental and physical rigors of the order through assidious study in truth, and physical programs of work and PT that would allow the novice to be prepared for military lifestyle and work. Physical Training would be considered a Sacred Task, in that everyone of the Order would be required to pass standards of Physical Excellence.

Brothers would be required to serve up to 4 years in a service branch, once they have done so, should they decide to leave military service they will return to the Order to continue to participate in the other directives of the Order. Primarily those who are not participating in Active Duty Military Service will be participating in a mission of the Salvation of Souls. This mission would be primarily based on Spiritual Warfare. Through their time in military ministry, not only would they gain valuable tools from their military experiences, but they would be able to better learn how to form the soul in a way to fight off the evil one, and grow others to do the same. This religious order would be focused, for those not in Military Service, on forming the souls of those they come in contact with through spiritual formation against a prowling lion, looking for someone to devour ( cf.1 Peter).

In today’s society the necessity of defending yourself against the devil is necessary in every portion of one’s life. Yet if one can truly understand the very battlefield arrayed against you, then one can be able to destroy the enemy and safeguard the temple from the arrays of the evil one. The Brothers will focus on this ministry through publications, religious retreats, parishes and the formation of academic institutions that are focused on forming the whole person, primarily seminaries for diocesan and religious who can enter into a Sacred spot to study and grow spiritually in a spirituality that is focused primarily on countering the devil in every manner and in every action of not only the spiritual life, but the physical everyday life.

My basic intentions for founding this Order is bring a much deeper and fuller availability of ministry to the Military Services. The Priesthood in the Military is currently at about 300 priests in a need of about 800 to properly provide for the Catholic presence within the Armed Services. This Religious Order would be a means to feeding more Priests to the Armed Services and to spread the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ to those who are in harms way, to provide them the Bread of Life, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the World, to anoint them and prepare their souls for arrival in the heavenly places.

With the current wars going on inside of the world, our Armed Service members are in need more than ever to be given that strength and grace that comes from the most Holy Eucharist, our Lord’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, Jesus Christ. This order of Priests would be primarily based in this, to bring Christ to those in harms way, to bring Christ to the battlefield and to prepare these soldiers, who have given their lives for others, for the heavenly places, should they make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. This is the call of the Military Priest of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give his life for God and Country, to bring Christ to those who could die for us and this is what this Order would do, bringing Priests to the Armed Services, who do not have to have a Bishops approval for Military Service, but can freely give themselves to God in this particular charism and a place to come home to when they are done.

This is only a small bit of what I have so far, if anyone could give me ideas on what they think, I would greatly appreciate it. God Bless.
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Adam_Cook said:

…and physical programs of work and PT that would allow the novice to be prepared for military lifestyle and work. Physical Training would be considered a Sacred Task, in that everyone of the Order would be required to pass standards of Physical Excellence.​

Primarily those who are not participating in Active Duty Military Service will be participating in a mission of the Salvation of Souls.​

…a spirituality that is focused primarily on countering the devil in every manner and in every action of not only the spiritual life, but the physical everyday life.
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Why would one need physical training and military training to fight the devil?
What exactly means to fight the devil in the physical everyday life?
What exactly means to participate in a mission of the Salvation of Souls?
The devil can’t be confronted by using physical force and military weaponry. So who do you really want to fight against? Some groups of people that you suspect of having links with the devil?
 
Also, the Church Militant is nota reference to the military or anything military but a reference to all of us still here involved in the struggle for our souls. To coopt that term to describe an order that serves the military would be a mistake.
 
I also think there are a number of orders that accomplish the level of formation proposed here, Jesuits, Legionnaires, CFR’s. Not sure if there is a need to duplicate their efforts.
 
Thank you for your question Vames.

First off I would like to answer the first question, “why would one need physical training and military training to fight the devil?”

This is a very interesting question, but the answer is not that complicated. Physical training is necessary as we all know to stay healthy, but it is also necessary for energy and military service also requires a level of physical performance. You have to take a Physical Fitness test in the Military and pass it once a year, some military units and organizations are more strict on this, including the Rangers and Special Forces Operations Command units. Thus the role of physical training is to prepare you for this mission. One can’t preach the Gospel of Christ, if you can’t get to the soldiers to do it. Physical Training also teaches endurance and perseverance through the body, which can therefor be put into ones prayer life in the spirit. When we look at the work done during Physical Training (PT) you are building the body to be stronger for a purpose. In this particular case, this is necessary for the salvation of souls in providing those sacraments of the Church. When soldiers see a Chaplain that can do well on their PT test, they want to follow said Chaplain, they see them as on the same level, someone to associate with and thus allows for a great ministry and provides a leader’s presence.

Military Training is the same way, in that through the study of military training, one can better understand combat not only in the way of this earthly combat, but also that of the heavenly places. Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) are like miniature fortresses, yet if one side of the FOB is weak, the entire thing can falter. It is the same way with our Prayer life, while we are not fortifying it with M249s or M240s or .50 cal machine guns, we are fortifying it with prayer and supplication of the spirit (cf Eph 6), through the Holy Eucharist and through Confession. To understand how this earthly combat works, allows us to open our eyes more to how the devil himself works to destroy us and make us fall into sin. If we leave a rampart, a battle side weak, without that proper prayer and sacramental life, he will bust through the walls and you will fall into sin. The necessity of this type of understanding allows you to learn how to strengthen yourself in Christ, through the sacraments and Holy Mother Church.

Your second question, “What does it mean to fight the Devil in the Physical Everyday life?”

This is simple, overcoming sin and living a life of Holiness and perseverance in the Spirit of Christ. The Devil uses everything to fight against us, to make us fall into despair to lead us away from our salvation. Our finances, our family, our friends, even ourselves. Thus when when Christ says “If you do not hate you mother, your father, your sister and brother, your wife and your kids and yes even yourself you cannot be my disciple.” (cf Luke 14:26, Matthew 10:34-39). He doesn’t mean to actually hate, but Christ realizes that we are in danger of falling away from the path of Holiness, away from the way of truth and eternal life if we are not cautious and weary, relying only on him who is our Lord and King. People will always discourage you from doing things that you know are right in your heart, when you have conviction in your heart, yet the world tells you no and God is saying yes, it is in this moment that you must say “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (cf Matthew 16:23). The physical battle everyday is won by maintaining a prayer centered life to Christ. This is the job this is the duty of every soldier of Christ, to polish the soul to be a light to the world so that men may Glory of the Father (cf. Matthew 5:14-16). This is what the Order would do for the Church, to lead its people to become this glimmer of light, this sparkling jewel in the Crown of God.

The mission of the Salvation of Souls is always present, especially as a Priest. The Brothers would be no different. Outside of their Military Duties they would lead God’s flock through retreats, through parish ministry, establishing new parishes in areas so that God’s truth may be spread throughout the world. The salvation of souls is to lead people to truth, and away from lies, by successfully preaching the Gospel of Christ. I’ve been preaching since I was 15 years old, I’m 23 now. I’ve been catholic for 3 years and the first 5 was as a Protestant Preacher. Preaching is the how we bring truth to a world that is starving for it, thus the order would continue this mission of the Church and partaking in the New Evangelization.

I hope that answered your questions, the devil is not physical, but he can take a physical form, through others he has tried to defeat Christ’s Holy Church for 2000 years and the order would be built to defend Christ’s Church from a secular society, by bringing to them the truth they are looking for, hungering for and most desperately need. Please if you have any more questions I will answer them.
 
Mcdale721 thank you for your response.

First off, most of these religious orders do some of the things that I have mentioned primarily retreats, parish work, education, the poor. All religious orders overlap in this aspect. When speaking of CFRs they work with the poor, the Jesuits work in Universities and Legionnaires work to building modern day apostles. They all have their work and job, but none of them have a primarily military ministry. Some of those orders won’t even allow military service to come from them.

The necessity of this order would be just that, to provide a need. Our Military is in dire need of Priests, and since the Archdiocese of Military Services does not incardinate their Priests, they have to pull them from other Dioceses, aka they have to be loaned to the Archdiocese and at any point that Priest can be pulled back to his diocese. This creates a problem because our service men and women suffer from this process. Yet if a Religious Order was formed with a basis of Military Ministry, working in VA Hospitals, providing religious retreats, helping those suffering from PTSD, but primarily through Military Chaplaincy. Those men who feel called to Military Chaplaincy would not have to go through the normal channels through a Diocese, but would be able to enter an Order whose primary mission is Military Chaplaincy to prepare them for that and give them a home to come back to. They could live out that call, that Charism and when they are done come back to the Order to participate in the other ministries of the Order. There are over 1 million registered Catholics in our Armed Services, currently its about 16000 catholic soldiers to one Military Priest Chaplain. How is that fair to our Service men and women who are not able to partake in the Eucharist in a combat zone, because the military doesn’t have enough Catholic Chaplains? Worst part is many are moving to Protestant faiths, thus falling into false theological concepts, because of the shortage of Priests to teach the faith. You have to remember most of our soldiers are young, they may not know the faith all that well, and thus are weak in falling into these theological flaws.

While the name is only a filler for the moment until, by God’s revelation, I can prayerfully be given a new one, I do expect it to change. 🙂
 
Adam_Cook said:
I spend most of my time worshiping God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One must understand that such an endeavor could only be formed by the will of God. As a devout Catholic, I apologize that I made the assumption that you would understand this most basic of theological truths. While the word God is not strictly stated, one must understand that the defeat of the devil can only be done by the power of Christ. It is my fault to assume that one would understand this, I will look to re-edit the response to give a clearer clarification of this.

The emphasis is an will always be a sacramental life of Confession, the Holy Eucharist, common life and regular observance of the three evangelical vows and of the basic tenants of the Order. To dare assume that I worship my enemy is down right absurd and slightly insulting. The primary responsibilities of this order is clerical in nature, therefore a Priest of Jesus Christ. Besides since these are the most basic tenants, and understandings of the workings of the Order, a religious order of the Catholic Church is bound to be understood as following the Magisterium of the Church, the Bible and the Traditions that have been laid down by the Church Fathers.

Again my apologies if I didn’t make that clearer within the post.
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I wouldn’t worry too much about feeling slightly insulted. That’s just your overly developed sense of self-importance in reaction. I’m sure you’ll master that in due course.

and, Yes, do be more explicit in mentioning God. You may appear to be completely out of balance otherwise.

God bless!
 
Adam_Cook said:
Mcdale721 thank you for your response.

While the name is only a filler for the moment until, by God’s revelation, I can prayerfully be given a new one, I do expect it to change. 🙂
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Most of us are not given revelations like this! God usually expects us to think these details through with the brains He has endowed us with. Unless we have a rare direct revelation from God, we seldom know in particular things what His will is. We do know most of the time what is out of bounds (sin) but not what among good things is the best for us personally to choose.
 
St Paul of the Cross first named the Passionists “The Poor of Jesus”. This was what writers refer to as a ‘slug’ name, just so they can find the particular work again. What he describes in his first rule was, in fact, the ‘spirit’ of the order (generic name for religious community). Those who came after him said it was too mystical, and wanted it to be more practical. What they were talking about was the ‘life’ of the order. Both have to be there.

In the actual printed copy of the Rule of St Augustine, there are two sections referencing what I have described above.

There are also old copies of religious rules on google books. Even though they are dated, I would recommend that you read through them and get a gist of what is to be included.

I believe the “Order of the Church Militant” is indeed a ‘slug’ name, and will change once the charism is actually lived. You are living your own third order right now, and this needs to be noted on paper. I would highly suggest speaking with the Archbishop of the Military Services, but don’t get discouraged if he doesn’t buy into it. He will be directing you to greater discernment if he does that.

Blessings,
Cloisters

PS: please disregard any ‘straggler’ comments, if any, at the bottom of the page. Smartphone not wanting to cooperate.

My advice is to live it out as much as you can in your own life.
 
how would this be any different other than physical exercise, from the Archdioeses of the Military that already exists, an i might have stated that wrong…

Doesn’t a military chaplan already go through a psyc exam an other things, minus having to do phsyical exercise, what is a chaplan not doing that this order would be doing ?

or rather what would be quick bullet points that anyone who would need to seriously consider this be able to see an go , ah okay here are the differences…

keep researching and tweeking .
 
Adam_Cook said:
One can’t preach the Gospel of Christ, if you can’t get to the soldiers to do it. Physical Training also teaches endurance and perseverance through the body, which can therefor be put into ones prayer life in the spirit. When we look at the work done during Physical Training (PT) you are building the body to be stronger for a purpose. In this particular case, this is necessary for the salvation of souls in providing those sacraments of the Church. When soldiers see a Chaplain that can do well on their PT test, they want to follow said Chaplain, they see them as on the same level, someone to associate with and thus allows for a great ministry and provides a leader’s presence.

Military Training is the same way, in that through the study of military training, one can better understand combat not only in the way of this earthly combat, but also that of the heavenly places. Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) are like miniature fortresses, yet if one side of the FOB is weak, the entire thing can falter. It is the same way with our Prayer life, while we are not fortifying it with M249s or M240s or .50 cal machine guns, we are fortifying it with prayer and supplication of the spirit (cf Eph 6), through the Holy Eucharist and through Confession. To understand how this earthly combat works, allows us to open our eyes more to how the devil himself works to destroy us and make us fall into sin. If we leave a rampart, a battle side weak, without that proper prayer and sacramental life, he will bust through the walls and you will fall into sin. The necessity of this type of understanding allows you to learn how to strengthen yourself in Christ, through the sacraments and Holy Mother Church.

Your second question, “What does it mean to fight the Devil in the Physical Everyday life?”

This is simple, overcoming sin and living a life of Holiness and perseverance in the Spirit of Christ. The Devil uses everything to fight against us, to make us fall into despair to lead us away from our salvation. Our finances, our family, our friends, even ourselves. Thus when when Christ says “If you do not hate you mother, your father, your sister and brother, your wife and your kids and yes even yourself you cannot be my disciple.” (cf Luke 14:26, Matthew 10:34-39). He doesn’t mean to actually hate, but Christ realizes that we are in danger of falling away from the path of Holiness, away from the way of truth and eternal life if we are not cautious and weary, relying only on him who is our Lord and King. People will always discourage you from doing things that you know are right in your heart, when you have conviction in your heart, yet the world tells you no and God is saying yes, it is in this moment that you must say “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (cf Matthew 16:23). The physical battle everyday is won by maintaining a prayer centered life to Christ. This is the job this is the duty of every soldier of Christ, to polish the soul to be a light to the world so that men may Glory of the Father (cf. Matthew 5:14-16). This is what the Order would do for the Church, to lead its people to become this glimmer of light, this sparkling jewel in the Crown of God.

The mission of the Salvation of Souls is always present, especially as a Priest. The Brothers would be no different. Outside of their Military Duties they would lead God’s flock through retreats, through parish ministry, establishing new parishes in areas so that God’s truth may be spread throughout the world. The salvation of souls is to lead people to truth, and away from lies, by successfully preaching the Gospel of Christ. I’ve been preaching since I was 15 years old, I’m 23 now. I’ve been catholic for 3 years and the first 5 was as a Protestant Preacher. Preaching is the how we bring truth to a world that is starving for it, thus the order would continue this mission of the Church and partaking in the New Evangelization.
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Bro— don’t let anyone discourage you! You are right on track with where the Holy Spirit is leading the true believing Church. We are entering an era of STRONG spiritual warfare, as well as increased earthly military warfare. And Catholics MUST get better at understanding how to PREACH the Gospel of Christ!

*"From that time Jesus began to **preach **his message: ‘Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!’ (Matt 4:16-18)

“Jesus went all over Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, **preaching **the Good News about the Kingdom, and healing people who had all kinds of disease and sickness.” (Matt 4:22-24)

“Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons.” (Matt 10:7-8)*

We need exactly what you are talking about. We also need to understand how to work in the Divine charisms (gifts of the Holy Spirit). It is what Jesus did, and what He commands us to do-- in even GREATER ways…

You obviously understand the needs of our Catholic military personnel, and have a unique perspective/gifting for their encouragement. Keep up the battle! And thanks for opening our eyes to the needs of our fellow brothers in Christ who serve in the military.
 
Adam_Cook said:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing today to ask for your ideas on a proposal for a religious order that I am praying about forming, its name is the Order of the Church Militant.

One would be wondering what my reasons for making said Order is. Well I think the best thing to do is to tell you about the Order first.

Order of the Church Militant (O.C Mil.) would be a religious order that is founded on the very basis of Military Ministry through Military Chaplaincy. All brothers would be required to serve as a military chaplain for a period of 4 years, they would be screened for psychological disorders or illnesses, be prepared physically for the rigors of military life, mentally through philosophical and theological formation, and spiritually through a spirituality of Spiritual Warfare and the salvation of souls. I would like to only briefly explain this.

The three basic tenants of the Order “Spiritual-Mental-Physical” are the three basic tenants that formation would be based on, as is in most formation programs. They would take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and the Order would work closely with the Archdiocese of Military Services so as to provide brothers in formation the opportunity to work as Military Chaplain Candidates. Formation would be up to 9 years for schooling and novitiate. The novitiate would consist of testing the individual on whether or not they can handle not only the spiritual rigors of the order, but also the mental and physical rigors of the order through assidious study in truth, and physical programs of work and PT that would allow the novice to be prepared for military lifestyle and work. Physical Training would be considered a Sacred Task, in that everyone of the Order would be required to pass standards of Physical Excellence.

Brothers would be required to serve up to 4 years in a service branch, once they have done so, should they decide to leave military service they will return to the Order to continue to participate in the other directives of the Order. Primarily those who are not participating in Active Duty Military Service will be participating in a mission of the Salvation of Souls. This mission would be primarily based on Spiritual Warfare. Through their time in military ministry, not only would they gain valuable tools from their military experiences, but they would be able to better learn how to form the soul in a way to fight off the evil one, and grow others to do the same. This religious order would be focused, for those not in Military Service, on forming the souls of those they come in contact with through spiritual formation against a prowling lion, looking for someone to devour ( cf.1 Peter).

In today’s society the necessity of defending yourself against the devil is necessary in every portion of one’s life. Yet if one can truly understand the very battlefield arrayed against you, then one can be able to destroy the enemy and safeguard the temple from the arrays of the evil one. The Brothers will focus on this ministry through publications, religious retreats, parishes and the formation of academic institutions that are focused on forming the whole person, primarily seminaries for diocesan and religious who can enter into a Sacred spot to study and grow spiritually in a spirituality that is focused primarily on countering the devil in every manner and in every action of not only the spiritual life, but the physical everyday life.

This is only a small bit of what I have so far, if anyone could give me ideas on what they think, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
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Sounds like you have been watching a lot of Michael Voris.
 
I apologize for not getting back to you guys as of late, its been hectic with the Christmas season and I finally have a small break this morning.

I would like to thank you for all of your comments, I will continue my research and get back to you all. Please if anyone else has any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to ask.

God Bless.
 
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