Activists Plan for Cannabis Ceremony During Summer Eclipse

Members of a Catholic group plan to mark the August 21 solar eclipse with a cannabis ritual inside a major D.C. religious monument—and they plan to do so with or without permission.

The Catholic group known as The Healing Church requested permission to perform a cannabis-based ceremony in The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is the largest Roman Catholic church in the nation.

The leader of the Rhode Island church, Anne Armstrong,  told U.S. News that she believed the Washington D.C Shrine will accept the group’s request for a chapel. Since that plan has changed, it is assumed she will follow her contingency plan, to walk in and find a vacant corner for the prayer service timed with the August 21 celestial event.

Armstrong noted the cannabis oil that will be used, along with incense, will be full spectrum, including THC. “The holy chrism must have THC in it to be effective,” she said. The infused oil recipe is inspired by a Biblical recipe in Exodus 30:23 that says, “You are to take for yourself the finest spices: 500 shekels by weight of liquid myrrh, half as much fragrant cinnamon (250 shekels), 250 shekels of fragrant reeds . . . ” according to the International Standard Version of the text. Some consider that the “fragrant reeds” were cannabis. Cannabis is considered referenced several times in the Bible for healing and ceremonial use, according to supporters of cannabis for religious use.

After the ceremony, the group, which is expected to be about 75 people, will go outside and breathe in smoke through a ceremonial horn.

Thomas Venditti is founder of a group called Catholics for Trump and was helping Armstrong plan the event. “I stand with President Trump, that medical cannabis is good and that under medical comes spiritual,” he said. Venditti was the one who contacted the shrine for space but has withdrawn his request after the basilica contacted him.  He followed up with U.S News after the publication of their original article covering the story. He said he was unaware of Armstrong’s precise plans and that he would not personally defy church leadership. “If it turns out Anne is going to be there and she’s going to do that, I may just go to watch because that would be a pretty radical thing,” Venditti said.