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

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Royal relation Father Ignatius Spencer could become a saint

A distant relative of Princes William and Harry has moved a step closer to becoming a saint.

A Vatican investigation has declared that Father Ignatius Spencer, who is buried in Merseyside, lived a life of "heroic virtue".

The priest, who is buried in the church of St Anne and Blessed Dominic, in St Helens, was a great, great, great uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Rome has to verify two claimed medical cures to declare someone a saint.

Father Ben Lodge CP, who is responsible for promoting Father Spencer's cause, said the Vatican's move was "good news".

Born George Spencer in 1799, he was the youngest child of the second Earl Spencer, who was First Lord of the Admiralty at the time.

Noted preacher
He grew up at Althorp, where Diana Princess of Wales is now buried, and was an Anglican clergyman in the area before his conversion to the Roman Catholic Church scandalised some sections of Victorian society...

Read the rest at the BBC online.

Hat tip to Deacon Greg Kandra at The Deacon's Bench.
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