CALISTOGA County officials have ordered Castello di Amorosa the imposing castle winery south of Calistoga to stop usingthe chapel on its property for weekly church services, saying it isnot a permitted activity for the winery. Planner Suzie Gambill said churches are allowed in all zoningdistricts, but they do require a special-use permit from thecounty. The operation, opened in 2007 in the unincorporated part ofNapa County, is permitted as a winery, but its special-use permitsays nothing about religious services. Services were discontinued last month. The winery, often known simply as the Castle, is a soaringrecreation of a medieval Tuscan fortress, including an armory, adungeon, banquet halls, and other typical features and amenities.Included in that design is a large chapel characteristic of theera. For about three years, the Castle has invited Father Peter Talcottof St. Helena to celebrate a traditional Mass in Latin in thechapel, drawing a crowd of several dozen every Sunday. The Mass is not a performance or promotional event; it is a regularreligious service open to the public and the room is a consecratedCatholic chapel. It has not been used for weddings and othercelebratory services, since those are tightly regulated under thecounty s winery ordinance, which is designed to restrictcommercial and other non-agricultural activities on the sprawlingAgricultural Preserve, established in 1968. Gambill said Castle owner Dario Sattui is free to apply for theadditional permission to use the chapel as a church on Sundays, buthe would need to subject the use to all the usual reviews by countyagencies, including traffic and building code compliance. Castle spokesman Jim Sullivan said the winery is still consideringwhether to apply for the new permit. Meanwhile, the chapel remains open for tours and visitors, Sullivansaid, and the faithful are still free to pray privately or to lightvotive candles. Sullivan was low-key in his reaction to the closure, saying merelythat the county s move was unfortunate for the people whoattend regularly. Talcott, however, was more pointed, calling the county s order nonsense. They approved building the Castle, they knew it had a chapel init, he said. You don t put a chapel in there just to look at;you use it. The Castle s service was among just a handful of places in thearea where Catholics could attend a traditional Mass celebrated inLatin. For almost 50 years, the church has discouraged the LatinMass in favor of a newer version celebrated in local languages. Talcott, who is an ordained priest but is not assigned to a parish,said he has courted the disapproval of church leaders byexclusively offering Masses in Latin for more than a decade. Hecontinues to perform the service in Latin at various locations inSanta Rosa as well. I performed the new Mass (in English) for 18 years, Talcottsaid. To me, it just seemed really namby-pamby, watered-downProtestantism. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Badge Slot Punch , China Custom Medical ID Bracelets, and more. For more , please visit ID Card Holder Lanyard today!
Related Articles -
Badge Slot Punch, China Custom Medical ID Bracelets,
|