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

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Anglican parish opts for Catholicism...

An Anglican parish in Calgary is taking a leap of faith by becoming the first church in Canada to accept an offer from the Vatican to join the Roman Catholic Church.

Parishioners of St. John the Evangelist church recently voted 90 per cent in favour of joining the Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict last year offered Anglicans the opportunity to join the Catholic Church while still maintaining much of their own liturgy and traditions.

The proposal was made in a bid to attract Anglicans dissatisfied with the direction of their church, which has in recent years accepted female priests and same-sex unions.

Father Lee Kenyon said his parishioners at St. John's are not leaving out of anger.

"We didn't vote to leave the Anglican Church of Canada, we voted to accept the invitation of the Pope," said Kenyon, who will be ordained as a Catholic priest despite being married with two children.

Many elements of the conversion must still be negotiated -- including what will happen to the century-old church, which still belongs to the Anglican diocese...

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Anglican+parish+opts+Catholicism/3909605/story.html#ixzz16ziXdbcV
Read the rest in The Vancouver Sun.

Hat tip to Deacon Greg Kandra at The Deacon's Bench blog.

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