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

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Ordinariate to Welcome Four Members in Northern Virginia

CONTACT: Fr. Randy Sly
703-433-6770 / frsly@slynet.org


Potomac Falls, VA, January 15, 2013—The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter will receive four new members into full communion with the Catholic Church at a Mass this Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Potomac Falls, Virginia.

The St. John Fisher Ordinariate Community (SJFOC) is the Northern Virginia mission of St. Luke’s Catholic Parish, Bladensburg, which is affiliated with the new U.S. Ordinariate established by Pope Benedict XVI as a home for Episcopalians and other Anglicans who desire to join the Catholic Church but retain elements of their heritage. Stephen Smith, Judith Smith and Anne Marie Whittaker from Alexandria, VA will be received into full communion at the Mass.

Fr. Randolph Sly, who is assigned as an Associate Priest for St. Luke’s, serves Chaplain of the SJFOC. A former Anglican priest archbishop who was ordained a Catholic priest in June of 2012, he celebrates a weekly Anglican Use Mass at 5pm on Sunday at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church. He and the St. John Fisher Community are also planning other special monthly events, such as Choral Evensong and seminars, to be held at centralized locations in Northern Virginia. They extend an invitation to Episcopalians, Anglicans and other non-Catholic Christians who are interested in Catholic faith and Anglican liturgy to attend and or all of these services.

Fr. Sly explained, “With our vision of establishing an Ordinariate parish in Northern Virginia, we are very blessed to welcome three former Episcopalians to the Catholic faith. As a former Anglican myself, I am confident that there are many more Anglicans and non-Catholic Christians on a similar journey.”

Fr. Mark Lewis, the Priest Administrator of St. Luke’s Parish, Bladensburg, MD, who brought 80 of his former Episcopal Church parishioners to the Catholic faith, will also be a concelebrant.

The members of SJFOC will host a gala reception after the Mass, and all are welcomed.

In addition, Fr. Scott Hurd, who currently serves as the Deputy to the Bishop to aid in the administration of the diocese, will be on hand after the Mass to sign his book, Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach; copies will be available for sale for $9.95.

Where: Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church
46639 Algonkian Parkway
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
Tele: 703-433-6770
Web: ourladyofhope.net
When: Sunday, January 20, 2013, 5:00 PM
Contact: Fr. Randolph Sly, Chaplain
Saint John Fisher Ordinariate Community
Tele: 703-433-6770
Email: frsly@slynet.com
Web: www.stjohnfisherva.org

###

The formation of the new Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter on January 1, 2012, has accelerated interest in Pope Benedict’s Anglicanorum coetibus, which allows Anglicans and Episcopalians to join the Roman Catholic Church while retaining key elements of their liturgy, music and fellowship. The “first wave” of ordinations to the Catholic priesthood began in the spring of 2012 and the second class of prospective Ordinariate priests is currently in formation.
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