DaVigil Code—September clue

This clue appeared in the September 2006 issue of Today’s Parish Minister:

The church possesses many treasures. One of our most prized is still hidden away from many Catholics. Use these clues (which will appear in each issue for 2006-2007) and your knowledge of tradition (both East and West) to discover where our treasure lies. And remember, don’t be evil.

The parenthetical phrase “(both East and West)” is an indication that this clue has something to do with the Eastern Rite tradition. The last phrase, “don’t be evil,” is Google’s famous motto. So you might have to Google something.

The next part of the clue is a word scramble: “nepgip phcrie.”

Unscramble the word to get: “pigpen cipher.” What’s a pigpen cipher? Ask Google! Then you will discover that the odd looking characters below are written in pigpen cipher.

—χρυσός στόμα

Using a key that you can find through a Google search, you would decode the cipher to read:

IF ANYONE HAS ARRIVED
EVEN AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR
LET HIM NOT FEAR
ON ACCOUNT OF HIS DELAY

There appears to be an attribution below the text, and it written in Greek. If you Google the phrase, you learn that it translates to “Golden Mouth” or “Golden Tongue.” That’s the nick name for St. John Chrysostom, the great Eastern Rite church father.

So what is Chrysostom referring to? Stay tuned for more clues!

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