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, July 1, 2012

Southern California Ordinariate Day


30 June 2012 

I ask your prayers for Tuesday, July 3, as thirty-six members composing the entirety of the new Ordinariate community of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Oceanside, California, and twelve members (with two more intending to be confirmed as soon as possible later on), a part of Bl. John's, Orange County, will be received into full communion and confirmed Catholics! Please pray for these fifty people and their families as they become the first members of the Ordinariate here in California!

 (Fr. George Ortiz-Guzman during a Maundy Thursday service.)

Please also pray for George Ortiz-Guzman, who is the administrator of St. Augustine's, and for William Ledbetter, who are in the ordination process, and being received on the third also.

At this same service, I will also be ordained a priest, Deo volente, to serve the new community of Bl. John's. To say that building a parish from scratch in Orange County, and rebuilding a parish in San Diego County, are monumental understakings, is just hardly accurately describing this scenario! But we are composed of very dedicated and faithful people who are putting their all into seeing this happen. And everyone knows that the purpose of this endeavor is the salvation of souls, and the unique way in which the Ordinariate can help faciliate this.

If you live in California and can schedule some time away from work on Tuesday at 11:00am, please join us at the Mission Basilica.

Bishop Brown of Orange, Bishop Flores of San Diego, and Msgr. Steenson of the Ordinariate will be present for this momentous occasion.

From the Anglican Patrimony blog

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