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, March 7, 2013

Ordinariate Establishes Governing Council

Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson, Ordinary of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, has appointed the Ordinariate's first Governing Council to assist him in governance and pastoral matters:

Appointed
Rev. Eric Bergman, St. Thomas More, Scranton, PA
Rev. William (Doc) Holiday, Church of the Incarnation, Orlando, FL
Rev. Charles Hough IV, Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston, TX
Rev. Mark Lewis, St. Luke's, Bladensburg, MD
Rev. Edward Meeks, Christ the King, Towson, MD
Msgr. Peter Wilkinson, Blessed John Henry Newman, Victoria, BC

Ex officio
Rev. Jon Chalmers, Vice Chancellor
Very Rev. Charles Hough III, Vicar for Clergy
Very Rev. Lee Kenyon, Vicar Forane, Canada
Very Rev. Scott Hurd, Vicar General

The purpose of the Governing Council is to assist the ordinary in shepherding the faithful; provide a forum for discussion between the ordinary and priests on issues of pastoral significance; foster and promote priestly life and ministry; and fulfill requirements established in Anglicanorum coetibus and the complementary norms.

"I am very pleased to establish the first Governing Council of our priests. I will depend upon the members for their wise and thoughtful counsel as we guide the development of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, and thank them for their willingness to take on this new responsibility," said Msgr. Steenson.

The Council, which has 8-12 members, is required under the Holy See's norms for ordinariates. Initial members are appointed by the Ordinariate for two years. Subsequently, at least half of the members will be elected by the presbyterate of the Ordinariate, with the other members either ex officio or priests appointed by the Ordinary. They will serve five-year, renewable terms.

The Governing Council holds rights and responsibilities accorded by Canon Law to the Council of Priests and the College of Consultors. Council members have deliberative votes in three circumstances: when choosing a terna of names to submit to the Holy See for Ordinary, when proposing changes to the Complementary Norms, and when formulating statutes for the Governing Council and the Pastoral Council, and the Rule of Houses of Formation.

The Council also advises the Ordinary on a range of issues, and must be consulted by the Ordinary when establishing territorial deaneries; admitting candidates to Holy Orders; establishing, suppressing or notably altering a personal parish; opening or suppressing a house of formation; approving a program of formation for the purpose of transmitting the Anglican patrimony; or selling or giving away property that meets a value threshold determined by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for its members.
Fr. Mark LewisFr. Doc Holiday
Fr. Charles Hough IIIFr. Eric Bergman
Fr. Scott HurdFr. Jon Chalmers
Fr. Ed MeeksFr. Lee Kenyon
Msgr. Peter WilkinsonFr. Charles Hough IV
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