James "Whitey" Bulger

James (Whitey) Bulger and his girlfriend
Apprehended at last!

Third degree, Jack Nicholson played the character modeled after Whitey Bulger in  the 2006 film that finally won Marin Scorsese the Best Director Oscar, The Departed.  Here is a clip of a documentary about the connection of the Hollywood film to the real-life Bulger.  

Here is the official trailer for The Departed and some fun clips from the movie.  THERE IS STRONG LANGUAGE AND EXTREME VIOLENCE IN THIS FILM.  I had a pretty vivid nightmare last night about running into Whitey Bulger last night.  You see, when he first moved to California, I was living there, just a few miles from him, down the beach!

Mr. Nicholson also played the main character in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 master horror movie of Stephen King's novel, "The Shining".

Stephen King is two degrees from Blessed John Paul II as we learned in the post that bears his name.  

Stephen King

Stephen King

3 Degrees

Third Degree: Stephen King
What tribute series of Halloween posts would be complete without my old neighbor, Stephen King.  I used to live in beautiful Bangor, Maine on the same street as Mr. King.  I never met the man, but his presence is felt all over the town.  He has shared his wealth with the city and made it a better place to be.  My hat is off to Stephen and Tabitha King for their kind hearts and great spirits.  (The ironwork on the gate is very cool too)

Second Degree: The Franciscan Friars at the Bakehouse

Note the funky hours

Brother Kenneth is ready for business.  Upstairs is the chapel.

Nobody lives in Bangor for more than a year without a visit to The Friar's Bakehouse at 21 Central Street, Downtown Bangor, ME.  They sometimes go on mission work, so call before you go.  207-947-3770.  I am SURE that Stephen, Tabitha, and all their kids, neighbors, friends, etc. know this place and have eaten there.  Not going to the Friars' Bakehouse in Bangor would be like not going to Zabar's in New York.  It just ain't done!

For a review of the bakehouse and how the cookies can convert click here.
Read an excellent blog post a la news story about the Bakehouse here.
For a wicked good Sausage Stew recipe click here.

First Degree: Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen:

The brothers made their way to Rome and met Benedict XVI at the beatification of August Cardinal Grav von Galen.  To find out why this man is a Catholic superhero click here. 

Karol Wojtyla (JP2) was familiar with Cardinal von Galen's writings and possibly a copy of his famous sermon against euthenasia.  No doubt, this helped bouy him up as he fought against the tide of Nazis in Poland.

Do you want your life to combine prayer and copius amounts of cinnamon?

Pining for a simple life in Maine?

Is brown your color? 

God may be calling you to be a Fanciscan Friar or Sister. 

  Check out the Fansicans in Bangor, Maine.