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 31, 2010

Reception of Five Anglican Bishops, their wives, and three Nuns at Westminster Cathedral tomorrow

December 31, 2010
by Father John Boyle

I have heard on the grapevine that five former Anglican bishops, their wives and three former Anglican nuns from Walshingham are to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church at 12:30pm tomorrow, New Year's Day, at Westminster Cathedral.

I presume that the former bishops concerned (and their former dioceses) are: Andrew Burnham (Ebbsfleet), Keith Newton (Richborough), John Broadhurst (Fulham), Edwin Barnes (assistant bishop, Winchester) and David Silk (assistant bishop, Exeter).

This will be the first step on the road to the eventual establishment of the Ordinariate for former Anglicans who wish to be in full communion with the Catholic Church.

I have found nothing about this anywhere on the internet, which all seems rather strange. It is, surely, a momentous occasion.


For comments, visit Fr. Boyle's blog Caritas in Veritate.

Hat tip to Fr. Zuhlsdorf.

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See the related article "Three Brave and Wise Men" at the blog of Sevenoaks, St John the Baptist.

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Another related article ("Blogday 2010 (or Thereabouts)") mentions 6 bishops; and so perhaps this number includes Bishop Mercer, retired ordinary of the tiny TTAC church in England:
Tomorrow, there will be six former Anglican Bishops entering into the first Ordinariates in the U.K. One is a former Rector of the Parish where I am Reader (though this appears to be in a very nominal sense) from whom I seem to have inherited this peculiarly hybrid ecclesiology and the desire to give it a rational footing. As far as I can make out (and I simply haven't had time to sit down and think about the fine details) the issue surrounding the whole Ordinariate scheme is the issue of space...
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