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

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Reception of Jürgen Liias into Full Communion

Fr. David Barnes, pastor of St. Mary's and administrator of St. Margaret parishes in Beverly, Massachusetts, posted this week about the reception of former Episcopal/Anglican priest Jürgen Liias into full communion.
There's a pretty good chance that I am the most blessed(not bless-ed) priest in the world. I am given the privilege of being part of some extraordinary things.

This evening, at one of my two parishes (St. Margaret in Beverly Farms), I had the privilege of concelebrating Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the context of that Mass--offered by Fr. Scott Hurd, Vicar General of the Anglican Ordinariate in the United States and a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC--my friend and brother in the Faith, Jurgen Liias was received into the Catholic Church and Confirmed. The Mass was attended by Anglicans who have been the beneficiaries of Jurgen's Anglican ministry and by Catholics from all over who packed the church in joyful celebration of Jurgen's reception into the Catholic Church...

Please do read the entire post, an uplifting and encouraging message.

Hat tip to Fr. Stephen Smuts for reposting this.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend this Mass on Mary-Day with several other members of the Anglican Use congregation of St. Athanasius in Brookline, and recorded the Mass. You are welcome to view the video on YouTube. This was an Ordinary Form Mass, as it was the Holy Day Mass for the parish, but the music was thoroughly Anglican.




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