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

Sunday, January 1, 2012

U.S. Ordinariate has established its web site

The Ordinariate of The Chair of St. Peter has established its official web site at

http://www.usordinariate.org/

The site is already well developed, and includes an extensive FAQ page, which includes the following:

General background on the United States ordinariate

When was the United States ordinariate established?

Pope Benedict XVI approved the creation of a U.S. ordinariate, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, on January 1, 2012. This was publicly announced on January 2, 2012. At the same time, the Vatican announced it would be led by Reverend Jeffrey N. Steenson, a married Catholic priest and former Episcopal Bishop of Rio Grande.

Who will run the ordinariate?

Father Jeffrey Steenson is a member of the faculty of St. Thomas University in Houston, Texas and has created the formation program for former Anglican clergy seeking to become priests for the ordinariate. He will be installed as the ordinary, on Feb. 19, 2012. He and his wife, Debra, have three adult children - two adult sons and a daughter – and a grandson.

Fr. Steenson will be assisted by Fr. R. Scott Hurd, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington. Also a former Episcopal priest, married and the father of three, he became a Catholic priest under the pastoral provision. Fr. Hurd will be on loan to the ordinariate for three years and will serve as Vicar General. He will be based in Washington, DC.
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