The first principle of the Ordinariate is then about Christian unity. St. Basil the Great, the Church’s greatest ecumenist, literally expended his life on the work of building bridges between orthodox brethren who shared a common faith, but who had become separated from one another in a Church badly fragmented by heresy and controversy. He taught that the work of Christian unity requires deliberate and ceaseless effort...St. Basil often talked with yearning about the archaia agape, the ancient love of the apostolic community, so rarely seen in the Church of his day. This love, he taught, is a visible sign that the Holy Spirit is indeed present and active, and it is absolutely essential for the health of the Church.

- Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson, Homily on the Occasion of his Formal Institution as Ordinary

Friday, December 18, 2009

Groups of Anglicans

In the last several weeks, I have been contacted privately by quite a few individuals interested in the possibility of forming new Anglican communities to be brought under the personal ordinariates authorized by Anglicanorum Coetibus. I have had the pleasure of corresponding with Anglican priests from the Episcopal Church, ACNA, the Anglican Catholic Church, and other Continuing Anglican jurisdictions. And I have heard from laymen not only in Anglican jurisdictions but also from ordinary Roman Catholics and Protestants of every variety. These unsolicited contacts seem to be indicative of a huge groundswell of interest on the part of folks, from diverse backgrounds and faith traditions, in the Holy Father’s response to traditionalist Anglicans in the recent Apostolic Constitution...

Several correspondents have expressed a desire for an information portal, a communications hub, or a “clearinghouse” for regional information on emerging groups hoping to avail themselves of the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution. This might take the form of a discussion forum with subgroups for each locality in which there existed (or interest was expressed in founding) a Catholic Anglican community...

I am willing to provide the technological framework to facilitate just such an online portal. Indeed, the necessary software would only take a few days to install, configure, and integrate into The Anglo-Catholic site. I am willing to bear the burden of administration and maintenance for the overall site provided there is sufficient interest in the project...

Read Christian's entire post on this topic, at the blog The Anglo-Catholic.

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