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

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Report from Holy Trinity Reading

Thank you to those who sent messages of support ahead of our meeting last evening. It was a very beneficial meeting and a whole range of issues were discussed. We were pleased to have representatives with expertise and knowledge in a number of areas: a seminarian, a priest able to advise on implications of canon law both Anglican and Roman Catholic, and two FSSP priests from Reading, Fr de Malleray and Fr Leworthy who were able to share their own experiences of being a part of the Fraternity of S. Peter, Church sharing and self-financing.
I was greatly encouraged by the thoughtful questions which were raised, and the courage which many people are displaying. There is much still to consider not least to do with buildings and financial structures. Much of this is in the hands of various hierarchies and we wait to hear further news from both the Roman Catholic and Anglican hierarchies as to how churches intending to take the leap into the ordinariate may proceed. In the meantime we continue to pray for guidance by the Holy Spirit...

Read the rest of Fr. Elliott's report at his blog Holy Trinity Reading.

Hat tip to Christian Campbell at the blog The Anglo-Catholic.

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