The Anglican Patrimony and the New Evangelization

For those who have not visited the web site of the Anglican Use Society (www.anglicanuse.org), please do! 

The page devoted to Anglican Embers (http://www.anglicanuse.org/AngEmb.htm) has several free articles, and more will be made available in the coming months.

Yesterday we released "The Anglican Patrimony and the New Evangelization" by Msgr. John Jay Hughes. Msgr. Hughes article was published in the Advent 2012 issue of Anglican Embers, and is based on a talk he delivered at that year's Anglican Use Society conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

Amendment to Apostolic Constitution Complementary Norms Emphasizes Mission to Evangelize

We recently received some very good news from Rome that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, approved on May 31, 2013, a significant modification to the Complementary Norms for Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus, which establishes and guides the work of the Ordinariate.

The modification addresses a particular question of who is eligible for membership in the Ordinariate.  Here is the modification in the Complementary Norms:
5§2:  A person who has been baptized in the Catholic Church but who has not completed the Sacraments of Initiation, and subsequently returns to the faith and practice of the Church as a result of the evangelizing mission of the Ordinariate, may be admitted to membership in the Ordinariate and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation or the Sacrament of the Eucharist or both.
In communicating this modification, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stresses that the objective criterion of an incomplete catechesis is the baptized Catholic who lacks one or other of the Sacraments of Initiation (Confirmation, reception of the Eucharist).  Catholics may not become members of the Ordinariate “for purely subjective motives or personal preference.”
I certainly welcome this development, which further establishes our place in the work of the new evangelization.  Our primary mission remains the reconciliation of Christian people coming from the Anglican tradition who are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.  Particularly in North America, with large percentages of “unchurched” peoples, it is inevitable that we will encounter those who have no formal ecclesial relationships but who are seekers of truth.  The Great Commission thus becomes more and more the heart of our work.
The episcopal conferences of Canada and the U.S. have been generous and enthusiastic in their support of us in the Ordinariate, as co-workers of the Gospel.  It is heartening indeed to have this formal encouragement from the Holy See.
So let us renew our efforts to commend the Gospel to all people!

- Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson

from the web site of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter

Compassionate Evangelization

Dr. Barbara Elliott of the Center for Cultural Renewal, lecturer for the Catherine of Siena Institute and author of Street Saints: Renewing American Cities and Equipping The Saints addressed the Anglican Use Society's annual conference on Friday evening. The topic of her address was "Compassionate Evangelization in 21st Century America".

Fr. John Jay Hughes on The Anglican Patrimony and New Evangelization

The opening keynote talk at the Anglican Use Society Conference which was held in Kansas City, Missouri last week was given by Fr. John Jay Hughes. Fr. Hughes, the son and grandson of Anglican priests, was himself an Anglican priest for 6 years before entering the Catholic Church in 1960. He was conditionally ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1968. A Church historian and priest of the St. Louis archdiocese, he is the author of numerous articles and publications, as well as his autobiography No Ordinary Fool: A Testimony to Grace, the story of a man who, 57 years after ordination, is still in love with the priesthood.

His talk was entitled: "The Anglican Patrimony and New Evangelization: Observations by a Pre-Vatican II Convert"

Synod's Message to the People of God

The soon to be concluded Synod of Bishops, whose topic of reflection was "The New Evangelization" released their final syondical message to day. It reads in part:

5. Evangelizing ourselves and opening ourselves to conversion

We, however, should never think that the new evangelization does not concern us personally. In these days voices among the Bishops were raised to recall that the Church must first of all heed the Word before she could evangelize the world. The invitation to evangelize becomes a call to conversion.We firmly believe that we must convert ourselves above all to the power of Christ who alone can make all things new, above all our poor existence...

If this renewal were up to us, there would be serious reasons to doubt. But conversion in the Church, just like evangelization, does not come about primarily through us poor mortals, but rather through the Spirit of the Lord. Here we find our strength and our certainty that evil will never have the last word whether in the Church or in history: “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27), Jesus said to his disciples.

The work of the new evangelization rests on this serene certainty. We are confident in the inspiration and strength of the Spirit, who will teach us what we are to say and what we are to do even in the most difficult moments. It is our duty, therefore, to conquer fear through faith, humiliation through hope, indifference through love.

6. Seizing new opportunities for evangelization in the world today

This serene courage also affects the way we look at the world today. We are not intimidated by the circumstances of the times in which we live. Our world is full of contradictions and challenges, but it remains God's creation. The world is wounded by evil, but God loves it still. It is his field in which the sowing of the Word can be renewed so that it would bear fruit once more...

from the Vatican News Service

The New Evangelization is also the theme of this year's Anglican Use Society Conference in Kansas City. There is still time to register for this year's conference, to be held from November 8th through 10th.

UK Ordinariate to hold day conference on mission and evangelisation

Inspired by the Year of Faith, which opened this week, the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is hosting a one day conference on mission and evangelisation for members and supports of Pope Benedict’s vision for the reunion of Anglicans with the See of Peter.

The conference, which will take place at the church of St Patrick, Soho Square - itself described as ‘a beacon of hope’ for the New Evangelisation - will have keynote presentations from experienced ‘practitioners’, and the opportunity for discussion, questions, and answers.

Fr Allan Hawkins, Parish Priest of St Mary the Virgin in Arlington, Texas, is a former Anglican clergyman who was received into the Catholic Church and ordained under the Pastoral Provision of Blessed John Paul II. Since the advent of the Pastoral Provision, Fr Hawkins has grown and developed a Catholic parish community within the Anglican liturgical and spiritual tradition. Earlier this year it was announced that the parish will transfer to the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.

Fr Paul Richardson is a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster. He was formerly Assistant Bishop of Newcastle in the Church of England, previously working in Norway, and as a missionary in Nambaiyfa, Papua New Guinea. He was Principal of Newton Theological College, Popondetta, Dean of Port Moresby, and subsequently Bishop of Aipo Rongo, Papua New Guinea, and later Bishop of Wangaratta in Australia.

A spokesman for the Ordinariate said, “This is an exciting opportunity for us and our supporters to begin to think in a strategic way about the development of our mission. We are integrated into the Catholic Church by virtue of our communion, but the Year of Faith presents us with an opportunity to think about the ways in which we can contribute - as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham - to the work of the New Evangelisation, claiming back these lands for Mary’s Dowry’.

The conference takes place on Friday 9 November 2012 from 11.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. No charge is made, but a donation of £10 is requested, plus a further donation to help cover the cost of lunch, which will be provided. To register your interest, please email media@ordinariate.org.uk.

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For those of you, my readers, who are not up to crossing the pond, the Anglican Use Society's Annual Conference is November 8-10 in Kansas City. Register for the AUS conference here.

The Sacred Liturgy and the New Evangelization

Msgr. Edwin Barnes of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham writes about the Sacred Liturgy as a means of the New Evangelization:

“The Sacred Liturgy is at the centre of the new evangelization,” said the Bishop of Frejus-Toulon in announcing an international conference on the Sacred Liturgy next summer. So as this year of faith begins our little Ordinairate Group in Bournemouth is trying to do something about bringing with us into the Catholic Church an Anglican emphasis on the beauty of holiness. Almost the first thing we did on arrival at Our Lady Queen of Peace was to acquire (through good Church of England friends in Southampton) copies of English Hymnal.

That book has come as a revelation to some of the long-time Catholics who join us at Mass now and again. "But there are hymns by St Thomas Aquinas! And Blessed John Henry Newman! And G.K. Chesterton ... how wonderful!"...

Read the rest of his post at Fr. Barnes' blog Ancient Richborough.

This is directly relevant, of course, to theme of this year's Anglican Use Society Conference. You can get full information on the conference and register to come at the conference web site.

"The New Evangellization" is the theme for weekend conference for UK Ordinariate

Father James Bradley writes:

Something For The Weekend

This Saturday the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham welcomes Professor Tracey Rowland to lead our thoughts on the New Evangelisation in the thought of Pope Benedict XVI, with a particular attention to the role we have in that important work from our unique place in the life of the Church.

Professor Rowland is the Dean and Permanent Fellow of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, Australia, and the author of numerous articles and several excellent books (including two works on Pope Benedict XVI). She is an engaging speaker and holds a passion for the New Evangelisation, and also for the Ordinariate project, about which she has spoken previously...

Read the whole post at his blog Thine Own Service.

Homily by Cardinal Wuerl at Ordination Mass of June 23, 2012

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter has posted the homily given by Archbishop Donald Cardinal Wuerl at the Saturday ordination of Frs. Mark Lewis, Ed Meeks and Rick Kramer. Of note in the Cardinal's homily is the following:

Reunion between Anglicans and Roman Catholics has been the goal of ecumenical dialogues which were inaugurated in 1966 by Pope Paul VI and Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. Today we see the first fruits of these efforts with this ordination.

I would like to share with you this morning these few thoughts on what is happening — the ordination to the priesthood of these three men; why it is happening — why we have the sacrament of orders and the ministerial priesthood, and where the priesthood will be lived today – the context of our ordination, this new moment in the life of the Church...

Today our celebration is a visible sign of the communion of faith spread throughout the whole world and how it is anchored in Rome, where Peter lives now, bearing the name Benedict XVI.

But there is a wider cultural context for your ministry today. You are priests of the New Evangelization. All around you are those for whom the Gospel has lost its savor. Your ministry will be to those who were too often taught that their Catholic faith and its life-giving message is an option. To them you are sent today. As Jesus commissions you: “You will be my witnesses.”

You are the priests who will re-propose Christ as the answer to a world staggering under the weight of so many unanswered questions of the heart. There is even more in answer to the question, “Where do you exercise your ministry?” We are called to be priests in the circumstances of our day with all of its challenges.

In his January 19, 2012 talk to the bishops of Region IV, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, spoke of another challenge – one connected with and flowing out of the need for a New Evangelization – the call to defend religious freedom.

In that talk I was privileged to hear in person and which I gave to each priest, deacon and seminarian at the Chrism Mass, our Holy Father taught us:

“Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion...the seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life.”

You are being ordained for a Church whose roots go centuries back into the past, whose ministry is exercised in the present and who continually looks forward to the future and the realization of the kingdom. Neither nostalgia for past moments, nor anticipation of future glory should distract us from the reality of the now.
Accept for yourself Saint Paul’s advice to Timothy whom he ordained and sent to serve, “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word and with the imposition of hands...” Always rejoice in the gift of grace you have just received and let your gladness and joy be apparent and generous.

Read the whole homily at the site of the US Ordinariate.

New Evangelisation & Church Planting

From the blog of Vincent Uher comes this reflection on the November conference of the Anglican Use Society.

The Anglican Use Society, which predates the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, will be having its 2012 Conference around the theme of the New Evangelisation of Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Wonderful news! But remember a New Evangelisation Conference does not a missionary make. But with the proper catechetical instruction and reference points in the New Evangelisation of Blessed Pope John Paul II you will have the most fertile intellectual ground from which to develop your local mission strategies. I hope the Ordinariate would develop a common mission strategy. A consideration may be that perhaps because you are scattered all across North America in relatively small groups the really important task is to develop your local mission strategy in concert with the Church's invitation to the New Evangelisation rather than a directive from the Ordinariate itself.

Papers will be given by most excellent speakers at the Conference relating to the New Evangelisation and the Anglican experience, and some issues will be explored in a presentation by Fr. Scott Hurd, the Vicar General of the Ordinariate, and Mr. Marlon de la Torre of the Pastoral Provision Office in Fort Worth, Texas that I think will be very key: "Pastoral Considerations and Future Directions in the Pastoral Provision and in the Ordinariate". One would hope that a common mission strategy could be developed for both the Pastoral Provision parishes and clergy and the Ordinariate... but there is a great danger if it is simply a strategy delivered from on high, top down. The great chance you have is to collaborate as clergy and laity in the whole process because your numbers are so small that you could all gather in one Great Conference ... even by satellite uplink technology.

I note in particular that there will be a presentation on financing start-ups and new congregations by C. Denis Green. I sincerely hope many more such informational presentations will be made targeting the particular issues of planting new churches. This will be a very different thing for the Ordinariate than what is normally done in the dioceses of the USA. Because the Ordinariate comes from an Anglican wellspring, I would hope they would look to the whole Boot Camp for Church Planters experiences that are out there in order to tailor one for the Ordinariate's own needs and one for the needs of the Pastoral Provision parishes.

Without the fresh ideas coming from this very successful movement a priest starting a new congregation will be tempted to simply do what he knows from his own experience and what he tries to apply from what he has studied or heard. It can be so much easier than trying to reinvent the wheel. It's been done. So if you are starting up a new Ordinariate congregation, try not to rely on the fact that you are coming from existing congregations with their structures and customs and merely replicate those. Take advantage of the expertise that largely comes from the committed Evanglical part of the Protestant Churches and make it your Catholic own.

Starting a new parish can be the most difficult thing in a priest's life. It can also be the most rewarding. By making use of the Church Planting models, needless stress upon one's wife or children can be avoided. And needless stress and troubles can be avoided for you too by simply learning some of the strategies for growth in the contemporary post-Christian culture as well as strategies for avoiding the pitfalls of parish formation and life.

The Rev. Tom Herrick of Titus Church Planting is one of the best in Church Planting in North America, and as he is an Anglican in North America you will likely find a sympathetic soul prepared to challenge the hell out of you to bring in new souls for the Lord of the harvest. Some of you may well know him from courses he has taught at various venues including Nashotah House. I would hope you would seek out someone like him as you new priests and deacons plant your new communities of Catholics of the Anglican Patrimony.

More established congregations from a TAC background might also consider the model of a "restart" that is found in Church Planting strategies since you are in fact restarting your communities within a new context and now have all of the fulness and beauty of the Catholic Church and your Anglican heritage to offer.

Admittedly, many, many souls will be drawn to your new churches because of the profound reverence and beauty of your liturgies that are so different from the normative Latin rite but are not as big a leap as the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy. You will be that place just right to worship God and watch the family grow.

I offer these thoughts as a person who has no authority beyond the authority of the Lay State as enunciated in Christifideles laici of Blessed Pope John Paul II ... which in short means I am called to the front lines of the battle for souls sharing in Christ's threefold office as prophet, priest and king. I am not connected to the Ordinariate in anyway except for that I pray for its clergy, religious, and people daily.

Do visit Mr. Uher's blog Tonus Peregrinus where he shares the fruits of his reflections.