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

Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Children of the Ordinariate

by Joanna Bogle

The evening was hot and sultry, the first really warm day of the year. The church was an ugly modern one, with fans whirling in the ceiling in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the heat at bay.

But nothing could spoil the sense of being at a moment of history. There are occasions when you can hear, even in surroundings that do not seem very grand or important, the beat of time in a special sense. This was one such evening.

We were there to witness the uniting of a group of former Anglicans into full communion with the Catholic Church. They had come together following the call of Pope Benedict XVI in Anglicanorum Coetibus and were led by their former Anglican vicar. The vicar's wife had asked me to be her sponsor for Confirmation, and it was a great privilege and joy to take my place beside her in church...

Read the rest at Inside Catholic.
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