Australian Synod Endorses Request for Ordinariate

August 1, 2010
by Deborah Gyapong

Here's the news we have been waiting and hoping for: the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia has endorsed their bishops' request for an Ordinariate.

Australian Synod votes on Anglicanorum Coetibus.

The Synod of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia (one of two Traditional Anglican Communion Provinces in Australia – the other being the Church of Torres Strait) met at Saint Stephen’s College, Coomera, for four days from 27th – 30th July.

The Synod worked through a series of seminars on “Power and Trust in the Church”, “Child-safe environment: reporting child abuse and neglect” and “Occupational Health and Safety” in response to changing legislation in Australia. A representative from the Synod insurers, the Catholic Church Insurances Ltd, was present for two of the sessions of Synod.

These seminars were conducted by Lay Canon Cheryl Woodman, who has just completed four years of Masters–level study in order to be qualified to head the Professional Standards work of the Australian TAC. She is also a Chaplain (working mainly with sex offenders) at South Australia’s principal prison.

Also on the agenda were resolutions designed to move the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia further along the path of accepting and implementing the Apostolic Constitution. Many Synod members were clearly unsure at the outset about the need and value of Professional Standards, but were scarcely into the first seminar when the importance became obvious. This work on three mornings of Synod laid the groundwork for a church intending to grow...

Read the rest at the blog The Anglo-Catholic.