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, July 7, 2011

Anglicans on the Move

07/05/2011
by CHARLOTTE HAYS
One of the first American parishes to respond to Pope’s offer will mark a special feast day this October.



BLADENSBURG, Md. — “As we began to think about certain matters, our hearts began to melt, and we moved towards Rome,” said Father Mark Lewis, rector of a church that was formerly St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Bladensburg, Md.
St. Luke’s has made headlines as the first Episcopal church in the Washington, D.C., area and the second in the state of Maryland to avail itself of Pope Benedict XVI’s offer to Anglicans. That offer was outlined in Anglicanorum Coetibus, an apostolic constitution that makes it possible for groups of Anglican congregations to enter the Catholic Church
For the St. Luke community, that will happen on Oct. 9, when Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington will receive them into the Catholic Church.”
The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith last fall put Cardinal Wuerl in charge of coordinating the entry of Episcopal parishes into the Church...


Read the rest in The National Catholic Register

Hat tip to Mary Ann Mueller.
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2 comments:

  1. RobertJuly 16, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    Can the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont PA work out a similar deal with their church property. Lease with a purchase option.

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  2. Steve CavanaughJuly 22, 2011 at 5:02 PM

    Hi Robert,

    Unclear. It's a different bishop in Pennsylvania and the relationship with the bishop has been strained; but it is not impossible. Definitely something to place before the Lord in prayer, although I'm sure Fr. Moyer and his flock will have beat us to that!

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