Ahh, go ahead … indulge
It’s the only Catholic outlet in the world that still sells indulgences.
But fortunately for the buyers, the indulgences offered by Spokane’s Kaufer Co. are a lot more delectable than the kind doled out by clergy during medieval times to people who could afford to pay off their sins.
The indulgences – aptly named “Jubilates” (Latin for “Rejoices”) – are tempting little pieces of dark or white chocolate sold in clay pots or small packages. For more than a decade, members of St. Ann’s Catholic Church have organized the sale of these indulgences to help the poor and others in need. In recent years, however, the money has benefited programs sponsored by the Lutheran church – the very institution founded by Martin Luther as a result of his outrage over the sale of indulgences.
“We just did a spoof,” explained Tom Westbrook, the longtime St. Ann’s parishioner who came up with the idea. “They’re very good chocolate that we refuse to call ‘candy.’ We call them indulgences. The big punchline is, we sell these indulgences then give the proceeds to the Lutherans.”
To expand that ironic twist on Christian history, the Catholics have now turned the chocolate-indulgence operation over to the Lutherans.
This holiday season, Spokane’s Kaufer Co. Religious Gifts and Supplies will continue to sell these indulgences for that favorite clergy person or just about any chocoholic on your list. The only difference now is that the profits will go straight to the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The project “turns a negative event that was a subject of contention into an indulgence – there is a sweetness to it all,” said Lutheran Bishop Martin Wells. “If it has the possibility of contributing to healing and to good will, especially between Catholics and Lutherans, then I’m all for that.”
Profits from the indulgence sale will benefit Grace Lutheran Church’s SPEAR project, an after-school program for neighborhood children, said Wells.
If you still don’t get the historical joke, here’s a quick explanation of what happened long ago: During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church sold indulgences, allowing people to donate money to clergy as a way to show repentance for their sins. The money helped rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, but it also financed the Crusades and helped pay for the luxurious lifestyles of a few bishops and priests. The practice among other reasons provoked Martin Luther to write his 95 Theses and eventually unleash the Protestant Reformation.
Another interesting Catholic-Lutheran connection pertaining to the current chocolate sale involves Martin Luther’s prayers to St. Ann, according to Wells. Long before he left the Catholic Church, Luther found himself invoking St. Ann’s name during a storm in which he was almost struck by lightning. He pledged to become a monk if she helped him survive that scary episode, and so he ended up becoming a Catholic priest. The rest, of course, is history.
Westbrook, who’s 80, came up with the indulgence idea 14 years ago as a way to raise money for the poor who lived near St. Ann’s in Spokane’s East Central. He contracted with Spokandy to make and wrap the chocolates and then asked Ed Sinclair, owner of the Kaufer Co., to sell the indulgences.
“It’s tongue-in-cheek, no irreverence intended,” Sinclair said. “Taken in that context, it’s a very clever idea that pokes fun at some of the divisions between the Lutherans and the Catholics. It shows how we can look with humor at ourselves and perhaps rise above the historical animosity and do some good.”
The mix of dark and white chocolate indulgences come in two packages – 30 pieces packed into a 5-inch glazed clay pot that features an etching of St. Ann Church’s distinct cupola for $35; and a cellophane-wrapped parcel with 20 pieces for $12.
Orders during the holiday season and also during Easter come from as far as Portland, according to Sinclair. Although it’s not a huge moneymaker, the project is able to raise at least $1,000 a year for those in need.
Some people – except, of course, history majors and others who might know a little bit about Christianity’s past – don’t get the joke, Westbrook acknowledged. But in any case, they’re chocolate, he emphasized, “and an indulgence is something nice you do for yourself.”