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By Marcus Minucius Audens
Quaestor;
Paterfamilias, Gens Minucia
Feb. 12, 1999 CE (2751 AUC): My Nova Roma friends, I understand that this is the weekend that a Roman pays respects to his ancestors, and I guess if I can't do that properly, I can't be much of a Roman, so I will try this public ceremony.
As all of you know, while I do not worship the Gods of Rome I have sworn to respect them and to render to them the respect that they deserve within their world.
I do not have an indoor altar and I am informed that an outdoor altar is really not appropreate for this ceremony, so I have chosen this electronic net as the altar for my ancestors for this year 1999, and perhaps I will learn he proper way of doing things by next year.
I invite all your comments to this ceremony, and I pledge that I will listen carefully and closely to all such.
Oh Gods of the Romans who look down upon your Eternal City and the Provinces that extend from her boundaries provided by you to the Roman People in Your Devine Wisdom, I Most Humbly come here before you as a supplicant to ask for your recognition of one who long ago served you, and whose dedication to duty and willingness to learn and apply his skills for the greatness of Rome that you have in your Brilliance Created and which has inspired myself to follow in his stead and his lead to become a Student of Rome, and a Worker For Rome.I ask Most Humbly that you accept these gifts of bread, fruit, candleight and precious oils as a gift from the hands of the Paterfamilius of Gens Minucia and grant my ancestors their lasting peace and rest in the halls of the Gods of Rome.
While I cannot pledge my heart to you, Gods of Rome, I can pledge to you my respect, wonder and the admiration for the civilization that you have created. I further pledge myself and my Gens to the learning of your culture, your legends and your power, and having done so will always do my best to spread that word as widely as is within my power as long as life shall burn within my breast.
All this my Gens pledges to your magnificence in the honor that you provided to my ancestor of long ago Marcus Minucius Audens and his ancestors before him. In particular, I now with great respect, list the specific Gods that it is my belief that he (my ancestor) served during his lifetime:
The Special Blessings of these individual gods I now ask in the name of my adopted ancestor, his ancestors before him, and to all ancestors of this line wherever they may now be.
- The Legions of Rome--MARS;
- Ships and the Sea--NEPTUNE;
- Wine and Good Food--BACCHUS;
- Military Engineering--VESTA;
- Military Cartography--MERCURIUS.
I now terminate this appeal to the Gods Of Rome with Utmost Respect and with Boundless Admiration for their culture and heritage, and with the Trust and Assurance that they will again come into their own in the years to come.
Most Respectfully and Humbly;
Marcus Minucius Audens
