This interesting article profiles the Reverend John Ruth, the priest at St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Hazleton, PA. Ruth has been a practicing magician for some 40 years and occasionally presents magic during Mass to illustrate religious points.

"I was always attracted to the mysteries that entertain people," Ruth says in the article. He mentions that perhaps there isn’t much difference between the basic elements of illusion and religion and presents an example of how Jesus used simple items such as bread, stones and water, and so do magicians. Also, all of Jesus' miracles conjured something from nothing, a common theme in many magic tricks.

"The secret is not the best part of the magic trick...we are trying to have faith in what we can’t see," Ruth says in the story. "Magic helps us get in touch with things we can’t explain."

Please click here to read the story.