Phone Message Transcript: Dec. 20, 1996
[appearing on Anne's fan phone line]

Please note: The area code for the phone number Anne gives below is 504.

"Merry Christmas. This is December 20 1996. This is Anne Rice and this message is mainly for you people in New Orleans and those of you out of town who have visited. A very vicious vicious vicious piece appeared in the paper this morning, in the Times-Picayune, written by a man named Angus Lind. He apparently does not understand what happened with my purchasing of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel. He apparently doesn't understand that the priest sold it to me and that not only am I going to restore the bulding and prevent it from being demolished, but that I've also extended the right of the Redemptorist fathers to use that chapel through '97 and '98 and in perpetuity if they wish to do it.

Mr. Lind has some sort of personal grudge and he says very mean and very hurtful things in his column and what I'm asking you to do is if you agree with me and you agree that this is unfair and you agree that this kind of persecution can really really reaaly hurt, deeply hurt and scar a person as it is hurting me, would you call Mr. Lind? The number at the Times-Picayune is 826-3449. That's 826-3449. If you don't get him you'll get a message machine and you can leave your message. Just...if you would, if you would leave a message of support for me, I would really appreciate it.

I love Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel--my mother graduated from school there, my father was an altar boy there. I love the building with my whole heart and I am among the many many many people who lost a chapel at sometime in her life.

Mr. Lind's last vicious comment in his column was that he hopes my TV series isn't a success, paraphrase. My TV series that I recently sold to CBS is set in the 6th District in New Orleans, which includes the Irish Channel and Dryades Street. These are poor areas and they badly need the money. If the TV series is a successs it will bring millions of dollars into New Orleans in jobs and catering money and actors jobs and all kinds of things and Mr. Lind I guess doesn't care about those people. He doesn't care about the people of the 6th District. He just cares about some myth he has in his mind...some fixed idea about the Perpetual Help Chapel.

I'm trying meantime to contact the Archbishop and Father Landry, the pastor, and Father Perrier, the Provincial, so we can go see him and maybe set him straight on this issue. But again, if you agree with me please call his number at the Times-Picayune, 826-3449.

It's just so hurtful to keep getting his jabs in the column when I'm so close to Father Landry and so close to the parish and so involved in St. Alphonsus School and so involved in Hope House and so proud of it.

It's just hurtful to have this keep happening. 826-3449 Angus Lind. Thank you."