As Kansas Catholics pray, a Satanic group's 'black mass' turns violent, with arrests

(OSV News) -- A Satanic group's effort to conduct a "black mass" at the Kansas Statehouse March 28 turned violent, leading to arrests, while across the street the state's Catholic archbishop led hundreds in peaceful prayer before the Eucharist for those who "seek to mock our merciful God."

Satanic Grotto founder and president Michael Stewart was taken into custody at the Capitol by Kansas Highway Patrol.

Also arrested was counterprotestor Marcus Schroeder, whom Stewart struck in the face after Schroeder twice sought to grasp a piece of paper from Stewart's hands, amid an apparent invocation of Satan in the Capitol rotunda.

Two others were arrested that day as well: Jocelyn Frazee and Sean Anderson.

On March 12, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly declared Satanic Grotto would not be allowed inside the Capitol building, moving the "black mass" outdoors. However, Stewart had pledged to defy that order.

Video footage taken by photojournalist Eric Ives of WIBW television in Topeka shows that prior to entering the building, Stewart stood on the Capitol steps, holding what appeared to be a broken celebrant's host. He then denounced Jesus Christ before casting the host to the ground and grinding it underfoot in an act of public desecration.

Catholics believe that upon their consecration at Mass, the bread and wine become Jesus Christ -- body, blood, soul and divinity -- while still retaining the appearances of bread and wine. The Catholic Church teaches in its catechism that the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life," with the reception of the Eucharist forming faithful into a single body sent forth to "fulfill God's will in their daily lives."

Ahead of the "black mass," Stewart had boasted of having secured a consecrated host and an unspecified quantity of consecrated wine. But he later walked back that claim in court, after Archbishop Naumann sued for the return of the Eucharist, stating that all sacred species are the property of the Catholic Church. The case was dismissed March 20 following a hearing where Stewart and fellow defendant Travis L. Roberts, the Satanic Grotto's vice president, admitted under oath they did not have the sacred species.

It is also not clear if the host in Stewart's possession at the March 28 "black mass" was actually a validly consecrated Eucharist -- or if it was still just ordinary bread. Celebrant hosts -- like the one Stewart held in the video -- are always consumed by a priest at Mass after the consecration, while smaller consecrated hosts are distributed to the people at holy Communion and are therefore more vulnerable to theft.

During the outdoor portion of the Satanic ritual, Stewart appeared to first demand Christ manifest himself in the host, and then delivered a tirade against Christ, saying, "We command you to confess your impudent deeds, your inaccessible crimes ... we would drive the nails deeper into your hands; we would press down the crown of thorns on your brow. ... Impotent king, fugitive God, silent God!"

As Stewart ground the host under his heel, an unidentified man from the crowd dove forward to retrieve and consume the fragments. Video shows Stewart viciously kicking the man on the ground before officers intervened.

Stewart went indoors next, indicating to journalists who followed him the location in the building at which he had planned to hold the entire event. He then began his Satanic invocation, which sparked a melee.

April McCollum, public information officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol, told OSV News by email that Stewart -- whose group had been issued a permit to gather on the east side outside the Capitol building from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm." -- entered the Capitol at approximately 11:28 a.m., having been advised "by the Department of Administration that he could enter the building but was not permitted to perform any demonstrations in the Capitol.

"Mr. Stewart entered through security and walked to the first-floor rotunda where he initiated his dedication to Satan," said McCollum in the email. "An altercation occurred between Mr. Stewart and Mr. Marcus Schroeder before they were both taken into custody."

Video obtained by OSV News shows Stewart standing in the rotunda with his arm raised, reading aloud from a sheet of paper, surrounded by a small crowd of media and other individuals. Schroeder can be seen reaching for the paper, with Stewart punching him after the second attempt. Police tackled Stewart immediately thereafter.

Stewart has been charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly. Frazee and Anderson were arrested for unlawful assembly, while Schroeder was detained for disorderly conduct. The cases will be submitted to the Shawnee County, Kansas, District Attorney's Office for review, according to Kansas Highway Patrol.

McCollum said in her email that in addition to Satanic Grotto, two other groups had been issued permits for demonstrations at the Capitol. A Rally for Reparations was authorized on the building's south side, and the political advocacy group CatholicVote was allowed to gather on the northeast side of the Capitol.

Amid the demonstrations, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, celebrated Mass with Eucharistic adoration at Assumption Church, located across the street from the Capitol and part of Mater Dei Parish.

Addressing some 400 attendees, Archbishop Naumann described Stewart's event as "a sad day for Kansas, when our Capitol is being used for ... Satanic worship that is intended to mock God, mock Jesus Christ, mock all people of faith, mock all Christians and in particular mock our Catholic faith.

"I understand and appreciate our right as Americans to free speech and free expression," said the archbishop. "What I do not understand is why we are giving our Capitol as a venue for what is truly hate speech."

He noted that the event "is intended to foster confrontation and conflict," since "Satan always attempts to create confusion and foster chaos."

Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, lamented the violence, stressing that the conference had cautioned against engaging in any confrontations with the Satanic group or its supporters.

The altercation and arrests capped a month-long saga surrounding the "black mass," which Stewart had sought to perform in the Capitol so that "God will fall and Kansas will be embraced by the black flame of Lucifer."

Yet amid the anguish and outrage sparked by the "black mass," both Archbishop Naumann and Weber pointed to the faith and devotion evident among Catholic faithful.

"As a tiny group seeks to mock God and faith in God, we gather to give glory to God and praise him for his goodness," said Archbishop Naumann. "We unite in prayer and adoration of God, to pray for mercy and grace for ourselves and those who seek to mock our merciful God."

The archbishop reflected that most Satanists are in reality atheists, who use Satan "as a symbol of rebellion in their desire to shock and mock persons."

While Christians "believe in the reality of Satan ... we need not be afraid" of him, "if we're close to Jesus, if we're following Our Lord," said the archbishop.

If anything, the day's incidents served to caution faithful against having "things that we make more important than spending time with Jesus," Archbishop Naumann said.

He urged prayers for those seeking to desecrate and denigrate the Catholic faith, pointing to the example of St. Bartolo Longo, a 19th-century Satanist who was converted back to the Catholic faith particularly through a profound devotion to Mary and the rosary.

Weber told OSV News that his team had distributed prayer cards featuring the saint during the demonstrations.

"In churches all over the state, it was just a wonderful sense of solidarity," Weber added. "Jesus is alive."