On the memorial of Sts. Charles Lwanga and companions

At the Anglican Use Society's annual conference in Houston in 2009, Dr. Mary Moorman Armstrong delivered this talk about the grassroots ecumenism of Catholics and Anglicans as exemplified in the Ugandan Martyrs, whose feast day is observed today, June 3rd. In the second reading in the Office of Readings in the Roman rite Liturgy of the Hours, we read the following from Pope Paul VI's homily on the occasion of the canonization of these martyrs.

Who could have predicted to the famous African confessors and martyrs such as Cyprian, Felicity, Perpetua and -- the greatest of all -- Augustine, that we would one day add names so dear to us as Charles Lwanga and Matthias Mulumba Kalemba and their twenty companions? Nor must we forget those members of the Anglican Church who also died for the name of Christ.

On this memorial feast, read Dr. Moorman's talk and keep in mind these African martyrs who refused to compromise their virtue or faith; whose failure to comply with their earthly king's immoral demands earned them a place in the court of the one true King, our Lord Jesus Christ.

http://www.anglicanuse.org/AngEmb-3-01_Moorman.pdf

Choral Evensong to celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of the US Ordinariate

The congregation of St. Gregory the Great in Stoneham, Mass. will be celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the founding of the US Ordinariate on January 28th, with Boston Archbishop Sean Patrick Cardinal O'Malley as officiant.

Our Lady and Christian Unity

On the feast of La Virgencita we bring you an article from our Lenten 2010 issue (volume 3 no 1) comes this sermon by the very reverend Peter Stravinskas on Our Lady and Christian Unity. This was preached during Evensong for Our Lady of Walsingham, and tells the story of Our Lady of Siluva and Our Lady of Walsingham, but alludes to the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady. And in it Fr. Stravinskas preaches about the scandal of Christian disunity and the need for all Christians to take seriously Dante's short but powerful statement in the Commedia "In His will is our peace." Both that we find peace in doing his will and that we will have no peace until we do his will.

Ven con nosotros a caminar, Santa Maria, ven!

Read on at http://www.anglicanuse.org/AE_3-01_Stravinskas-Our_Lady_and_Unity.pdf

THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS

Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) – The awareness that the objective of unity may seem distant, but is always the aim of the path of ecumenism and common concern for the ills of humanity, especially human trafficking, were some of the key themes in the Holy Father's encounter with His Grace Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, in the Vatican this morning.

“The Lord’s question – 'What were you arguing about on the way?' – might also apply to us. When Jesus put this question to his disciples they were silent; they were ashamed, for they had been arguing about who was the greatest among them. We too feel ashamed when we ponder the distance between the Lord’s call and our meagre response. Beneath his merciful gaze, we cannot claim that our division is anything less than a scandal and an obstacle to our proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the world. Our vision is often blurred by the cumulative burden of our divisions and our will is not always free of that human ambition which can accompany even our desire to preach the Gospel as the Lord commanded”.

Despite these difficulties, “The Holy Spirit gives us the strength not to grow disheartened and invites us to trust fully in the power of His works. As disciples who strive to follow the Lord, we realise that the faith has come to us through many witnesses. We are indebted to great saints, teachers and communities; they have handed down the faith over the ages and they bear witness to our common roots”.

The bishop of Rome went on to remark that yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the archbishop of Canterbury celebrated Vespers in the Church of San Gregorio al Celio, “from which Pope Gregory the Great sent forth Augustine and his monastic companions to evangelise the peoples of England, thus inaugurating a history of faith and holiness which in turn enriched many other European peoples. This glorious history has profoundly shaped institutions and ecclesial traditions which we share and which serve as a solid basis for our fraternal relations”.

“On this basis, then, let us look with confidence to the future. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission represent especially significant forums for examining, in a constructive spirit, older and newer challenges to our ecumenical engagement. He also emphasised their shared “horror in the face of the scourge of human trafficking and forms of modern-day slavery” and thanked Archbishop Welby “for the leadership you have shown in opposing these intolerable crimes against human dignity”.

“In attempting to respond to this urgent need, notable collaborative efforts have been initiated on the ecumenical level and in cooperation with civil authorities and international organisations. Many charitable initiatives have been undertaken by our communities, and they are operating with generosity and courage in various parts of the world. I think in particular of the action network against the trafficking in women set up by a number of women’s religious institutes”. He concluded, “Let us persevere in our commitment to combat new forms of enslavement, in the hope that we can help provide relief to victims and oppose this deplorable trade. I thank God that, as disciples sent to heal a wounded world, we stand together, with perseverance and determination, in opposing this grave evil”.

From the Vatican Information Service's Daily Bulletin.

See also the address by Pope Francis to His Grace Justin Welby earlier today.

Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue Releases Joint Statement: “Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment: Seeking a Unified Moral Witness.”

April 22, 2014
WASHINGTON—The Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the United States (ARC-USA) has concluded a six-year round of dialogue with the release of “Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment: Seeking a Unified Moral Witness,” approved at the most recent meeting February 24-25, 2014, at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. The meeting was chaired by Bishop John Bauerschmidt of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee; the Roman Catholic co-chairman, Bishop Ronald Herzog of Alexandria, Louisiana, was unable to attend for health reasons.

In 2008 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, asked the ARC-USA to address questions of ethics and the Christian life in the context of ecclesiology, in an effort to achieve greater clarity regarding areas of agreement and disagreement. They were aware that dialogue on these issues was also taking place between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion at the international level, and also in other bilateral dialogues between churches of various traditions.

The statement reflects on the way the two churches pursue the work of teaching and learning within the Christian moral life. It examines the extent to which their respective church structures influence the way they teach and what they teach on moral questions. Inquiries and discussions about moral formation and the teaching charism of the churches guided them in addressing this topic.

With a focus on two case studies concerning migration/immigration and same sex relations, the dialogue concluded that even if the moral teachings of Anglicans and Catholics diverge on some questions, they also share important common features. The statement delves into these differences and similarities and represents progress toward a more unified Gospel witness capable of addressing contemporary concerns in ways that are useful and attractive to all Christians, as well as larger society. As Bishop Bauerschmidt said, "ARC-USA has produced some important statements in the past. This statement represents the latest landmark in our journey together as churches, and is a valuable contribution to an important topic." The full text is available online here: www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/anglican/upload/arcusa-2014-statement.pdf...

Read the rest of the releast at: http://www.usccb.org/news/2014/14-066.cfm

Hat tip to Chris Buckley.

Pope Benedict prompted ecumenical friendships even as dialogue slowed

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate was marked by strong ties of friendship and esteem with the leaders of the world's Orthodox and Anglican Christians, but his papacy also coincided with a difficult time in the search for full Christian unity.

In the face of new obstacles to ecumenism -- particularly regarding the ministry of women, attitudes toward homosexuality and differences on ethical issues -- Pope Benedict often emphasized the role of prayer in seeking Christian unity, as well as the need for divided Christians to work together to protect religious freedom and defend traditional Christian values.

For Catholics coming from the Anglican tradition, the ecumenical highlight of Pope Benedict's pontificate was his decision in 2009 to establish personal ordinariates, jurisdictions similar to dioceses, which recognize their full communion with Rome while preserving some of their Anglican heritage.

Msgr. Jeffrey N. Steenson, head of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for former Anglicans in the United States and Canada, said, "Unambiguously, it is his ecumenical legacy."

Canadian Bishop Donald Bolen of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Catholic co-chairman of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission, had a slightly different view.

"The ordinariates for Catholics coming from an Anglican background are not a new form of ecumenism or the new hope for Christian unity," he said. "They are pastoral provisions for individuals and groups who, in conscience and after long prayer, have sought full communion with Rome while not wanting to leave behind their spiritual, theological and liturgical heritage.

"Welcoming them into the church and encouraging them to hold on to that heritage is a recognition on the part of Pope Benedict and the Roman Catholic Church -- arising from decades of dialogue -- that the diverse gifts given to different Christian communities should enrich the entire body of Christ," Bishop Bolen said in an email response to questions.

Msgr. Steenson said Pope Benedict's care for former Anglicans entering the Catholic Church "was and has been a project close to his heart for many years, even as Cardinal (Joseph) Ratzinger," head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith...

Read the entire story at Catholic News Service.

Speech by Archbishop Müller at Ordinariate Symposium

Ordinariate Expats has the link to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Archbishop Mueller's speech yesterday at the US Ordinariate's Anniversary Sympoisum, as well as the full text of the talk.

An excerpt from the talk:

At the very heart of the Christian faith is the revelation of the Blessed Trinity: God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three Persons united in the one Godhead. The revelation of the Trinity is not one doctrine among others, but it is God’s very self-manifestation in which God does not just impart some abstract knowledge about himself, but rather draws us in to the depths of the mystery of his life and love so that we might be saved, healed, and restored to relationship with him. The revelation of the Trinity encompasses the whole of the Christian faith, and therefore will be a helpful context for our reflection on unity. The communion of the Church flows from the communion of the Blessed Trinity, which is a model of unity not based on uniformity, nor is it a unity without substance.
The Father is the source and author of all life. He reveals himself, that is to say, he gives himself to the World in giving his Incarnate Son and he pours forth the Holy Spirit with the Son so that every aspect of this revealing self-gift might be illuminated and life-giving. The Church, receiving the gift of the Son and being vivified by the Spirit, responds in Eucharistic praise, offering back to the Father for the sake of the world the very gift she has received. This the Church does in the power of the Holy Spirit who effects the transformation of the Church’s gifts into the Body and Blood of Christ, the only acceptable sacrifice which brings salvation to the whole world.
The encounter with Divine Revelation and the dynamic of inter-Personal love in God characterizes the most basic shape of the Church which stands before the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit. Through our Eucharistic sharing in the death and resurrection of Christ, we, the many, are made one in Christ Jesus. This communion with Christ fashioned by the Spirit allows us access to the Father. Indeed, the greatest prayer of the Church is the oneour Lord gave us in which we call God not only his Father, but “Our Father”.
From the perspective of the world, this is indeed a new kind of unity different from all other human attempts at oneness. The history of the world demonstrates again and again that human beings often go about trying to construct unity by enforcing uniformity. When we think of how this has played out in governments and societies, particularly in the totalitarian regimes of the last century, we see that there is an inherent danger in this conception. Uniformity tends toward the elimination of those who do not conform or comply. Conversely, another way the world tries to achieve oneness is by simply overlooking or ignoring the differences that do exist, even to the point of allowing contradictory claims to truth. But this kind of liberal expansiveness, which is rather a hallmark of “latitudinarian” Anglicanism, brings about a unity that is naïve and ephemeral and is, in fact, unity in name only. It is relativism in the absolute and erodes the very foundation of truth upon which true ecclesial communion is built.
True communion is rooted in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a communion in which the diversity of the Persons is constituted and sustained by their essential relations. The Father is not the Son and the Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son, and yet each divine Person is who he is in relation to and in perfect communion with the other. This communion in difference is the key insight as we consider our participation as Church in the Trinitarian mystery. We are all called to discipleship and grafted onto the ecclesial Body of Christ through Baptism. Our unity with one another as members of the one Body does not destroy our distinctiveness. Clergy and lay, religious and secular, married and single, male and female, we all share an equal dignity and are formed into one Church through the profession of “one Lord, one faith and one Baptism”. Our distinctiveness and interdependence is a blessing for the Church and a source of its vitality.
The unity of the one and the many is a key insight of Anglicanorum coetibus. The unity of the Church is an image of the eternal unity of God, and according to that heavenly pattern, unity is not achieved by an elimination of distinctiveness. The unity of faith, therefore, permits a diversity of expression of that one faith. This is what is meant in the Apostolic Constitution when it says that groups of Anglicans can enter into communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. The diversity in liturgical expressions, in some governance structures and in parochial culture does not threaten ecclesial communion. The overarching structure which holds together these expressions is the faith of the Church, ever ancient and ever new, and expressed eloquently in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Article on the Malines Conversations by Msgr. Mercer

The monthly Update from the Sodality of St. Edmund, King and Martyr in Cambridge, Ontario has been released, and has a wonderful article by Msgr. Robert Mercer, CR. The full Update may be read here.

Close to Brussels in Belgium is an ancient city which Walloons or Francophone Belgians call Malines, and which Dutch speaking Belgians or Flemings call Mechelin. Its archbishop is always Primate of Belgium. He therefore wears the pallium, about which I wrote last month, and is usually a cardinal. Archbishop Desire-Joseph Mercier made a name for himself during Germany's occupation of his country in the First World War.

In last month's column I observed how little some Anglicans know about Anglicanism. How many know that this Belgian city was once the scene of serious talks about rapprochement between Canterbury and Rome? I myself am frequently reminded of this fact. The slow train to Amsterdam stops in Mechelin/Malines. From its window I gaze at all the medieval churches and wonder which of them might be the cathedral. On one of its walls is a tablet commemorating the Malines Conversation. Some time between the mid 1970's and mid 1980's the Superior of the Community of the Resurrection, Father Eric Simmons, was invited to the unveiling of this plaque. Two Archbishops of Malines, Cardinals Suenens and Daneel, have visited Mirfield. The latter celebrated mass at our high altar, with all the brethren in choir, though of course not communicating. In our Church of the Resurrection are the tombs of our first two Superiors, Bishops Charles Gore and Walter Frere, who participated in those Conversations. So every time I enter our church, walking past the tombs, I am reminded of Mechelin/Malines and the quest for rapprochement. Father Frere's personal attraction was Eastern Orthodoxy. He visited Russia four times before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. During the First World War he was acting principal of a Serbian Orthodox seminary in England. One of his last public acts was to sing the Anglican litany in the Russian cathedral in Paris. After his death a Russian nun stayed at Mirfield to paint a large icon to hang over his tomb. She fasted and made a retreat before painting our Lord's face. But it was Walter Frere who got the ball rolling for Malines.

Anglican bishops at the Lambeth Conference of 1920 issued An Appeal to All Christian People. In it they said that in the interests of reunion they would be willing to accept a form of commissioning from other churches in order that the ministry of Anglican clergy might be recognized by others. Frere noticed this and drew it to the attention of a Roman Catholic friend in France, Fr Fernand Portal. He in turn wrote to Cardinal Mercier. Viscount Halifax, a devout layman in Yorkshire, an enthusiastic ecumenist with a chapel in his manor house where he attended mass every day dark and early, got on with the practical arrangements.

Five Conversations took place between 1921 and 1926. Anglican participants were Gore, Frere, Lord Halifax, Dr Armitage Robertson, Dean of Wells cathedral, and Dr Beresford Kidd, Warden of Keble College, Oxford. Catholic participants were Fr Van Roey, vicar general of Malines, and three priests from France, Frs Portal, Pierre Batiffol, and Hemmer. In 1930 Halifax published The Conversations at Malines while Frere published Recollections of Malines in 1935. In 1996 Fr Bernard Barlow, a Catholic priest, wrote A Brother Knocking at the Door: The Malines Conversations 1921 - 1926. In 2011 there appeared a collection of essays called Walter Frere: Scholar, Monk, Bishop which covered many aspects of his multi faceted life, historian, liturgist, musician, one of the founders of CR, though curiously enough there is no chapter about his love of Orthodoxy. To this collection of essays Fr Barlow contributed a chapter on Malines.

One of Archbishop Mercier's friends and theological advisers was the Benedictine monk, ecumenist and liturgist, Fr Lambert Beaudin. So great was his love for Orthodoxy that he was founding Abbot of Chevetogne, a monastery in Belgium devoted to the rapprochement of Eastern and Western Christianity. Some of the monks observe the Rule of St Benedict and worship according to the rite of the Latin church, while other monks observe the Rule of St Basil and worship according to the liturgy of St John Chrysostom. But Abbot Beaudin was also benign towards Anglicanism. He wrote, "An Anglican church absorbed by Rome and an Anglican church separated from Rome are equally inadmissible". This later morphed into the mantra beloved of Anglicans, "United but not absorbed". Cardinal Mercier died of cancer in 1926, leaving his ring to Lord Halifax; it finally ended up in one of the chalices of York Minster. A signed photograph of Mercier hung in the Cloister at Mirfield.

The Conversations got nowhere at the time. Both churches took fright, "Lord give us unity but not yet", to misquote St Augustine of Hippo. But in October 2010 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement preparatory to the publication of Anglicanorum coetibus. The statement said: "Throughout the more than 450 years of its history the question of the reunification of Anglicans and Catholics has never been far from mind. In the early 20th century Cardinal Mercier of Belgium entered into well publicized conversations with Anglicans to explore the possibility of union with the Catholic Church under the banner of an Anglicanism "reunited but not absorbed". Since the Vatican Council, Anglican- Catholic relations have created a much improved climate of mutual understanding and co operation. With Anglicanorum coetibus the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion. Anglicanorum coetibus has provided a structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates."

Deo Gratias!

Msgr. Robert Mercer CR

Fr. Steenson interviewed on Houston Channel 8

The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth experiences Christian Unity with the the Pastoral Provision and the Anglican Ordinariate

Our Shepherd Speaks
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
One of the blessings about the life of Faith here in the Diocese of Fort Worth, especially with an eye to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, has been the lived experience of the Pastoral Provision and the recent announcement of the establishment of the "Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter" on January 2, 2012 at Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston,Texas.AsIsaidatthenewsconference, both are, I believe complementary, yet distinct expressions of the Lord's will that "all may be one." They are first ecclesial movements toward something — full communion with the See of Peter — and not away from something...

Read the rest of Bishop Vann's column in the February issue of North Texas Catholic, beginning on page 2.

New questions, challenges confront Episcopal-turned-Catholic leader

By Nancy Frazier O'Brien
Catholic News Service

BALTIMORE (CNS) -- Father Jeffrey N. Steenson is finding that there are a lot of new roads to travel and new questions to resolve since his Jan. 1 appointment as head of the Houston-based Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter for former Anglicans who want to become Catholics.

The former Episcopal bishop of the Rio Grande, who was ordained a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, N.M., in February 2009, was to be installed in his new post Feb. 12. Also in February, a class of about 40 former Episcopal priests will begin an intensive, Internet-based course of studies to become Catholic priests within the ordinariate.

Father Steenson and his wife, Debra, have three grown children and a grandson. Because he is married, he will not be ordained a bishop, but he will become a full voting member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He spoke to Catholic News Service during a busy day Jan. 22 at Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore, where he celebrated Mass, received a group of parishioners into the Catholic Church, performed a baptism and led an evensong service.

Q: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the ordinariate and yourself in the next months or years?

A: We have to create a set of norms to govern it -- I'm not a canon lawyer, but the canon lawyers call it particular law. None of that exists yet so that's what we've been working overtime on for the last month, just to try and create that. So there's the practical question of getting the legal and business structure set up, and I've noticed that there are so many questions about the ordinariate -- about what it is, what its mission is -- that it's easy for people to misunderstand or draw wrong conclusions. Like, the Episcopalians shouldn't think we're sheep stealing because we could never contact an Episcopalian directly. The Catholic Church wonders, "Will you fit in or will you just be a separate entity?" So we have to show that we're going to keep our patrimony, our identity intact but we're a fully functioning part of the Catholic Church and we have deep respect for the ecumenical protocols whenever there are these awkward situations coming up. So I would say this is very, very difficult. (Laughs) God is really going to have to watch over us in all this.

Q: Are there special challenges to governing a church jurisdiction that covers so large a geographical area?

A: I'm sure there are going to be many, and it's primarily going to be for the clergy to be able to build relationships with each other. We're going to be virtual in so many respects. We're going to really depend on technology to keep communication open. Our formation program for the clergy is going to be run via a really high-tech Internet system that will allow real-time, two-way communications, which I'm told has never been attempted before in any kind of a theological exercise. So that will be hard, and I'm concerned that a small group -- I mean, this church (Mount Calvary) is not going to have any problems -- but a small group that is out in the middle of nowhere doesn't feel isolated and forgotten. So we will have to work really hard on that...

Read the rest of the interview at Catholic News Service.

Hat tip to Mary Ann Mueller.

The Holy Spirit is at work in the ordinariate

By WILLIAM JOHNSTONE
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
William Johnstone explains how he overcame his initial misgivings about Pope Benedict XVI’s historic offer to groups of Anglicans

When the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus was first announced I had a few reservations. I was sceptical about the idea of group reception into the Church. My experience as a former Anglican clergyman has convinced me that it is not possible to sugar the pill of conversion. It is a process that involves giving up familiar things for the sake of the truth.

I also wondered if this was an option for the majority of Anglo-Catholics that I knew. The High Church wing of the Church of England has become more Roman in recent years. Many clergy have used Catholic liturgies for the whole of their ministry. It would be ironic if converting to Rome meant adopting Anglican forms of worship for the first time.

Quite recently, I happened to read some of the original Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) documents. This gave me a new understanding of the ordinariate and a conviction that it is a profoundly ecumenical gesture...

Read the rest at The Catholic Herald.

Anglicans, the Ordinariate, and the Unopened Gift

Feb 8, 2011
Jordan Hylden
It is hard to remember now, but it is true: for the better part of the last hundred years, Anglicans were at the forefront of the ecumenical movement for Christian unity, with the Episcopalians in the lead. In 1886, the Episcopal bishops proposed the Chicago Quadrilateral as a means for “the restoration of the organic unity of the Church” in the face of its “sad divisions.” In 1888, the rest of the world’s Anglican bishops lent their voices to the proposal at Lambeth, and in 1920 extended it into a heartfelt “Appeal to All Christian People” for church reunion.

The Lambeth appeal in large part set the agenda for the Faith and Order movement of the twentieth century, which itself was spearheaded by the Episcopal missionary bishop Charles Henry Brent. Anglicans and Episcopalians were not the whole story, of course, but it is without question that they played an outsized and crucial role.

It is a proud history, but it all seems part of the past now. Today, it is probably closer to the truth to say that Anglicans are at the forefront of our “sad divisions,” with the Episcopalians once again at the helm. Two weeks ago, the Anglican primates met in Ireland, but key archbishops representing a majority of the Anglican faithful did not attend. The same was true for the last Lambeth conference, from which hundreds of bishops absented themselves, and which opted for open-ended discussion groups in place of its historic practice of issuing common resolutions.

The Anglican Consultative Council, which the 1968 Lambeth conference envisioned as a means to foster greater unity and communication among Anglicans worldwide, is in wide disrepute and deep disarray, with key members having resigned and its present form in constitutional question. And the Archbishop of Canterbury, the historic see that has long held it all together, is regarded by many on both the right and the left as either irrelevant or feckless. As Ephraim Radner not long ago concluded, each of the instruments of Anglican communion is broken, and it is not clear how, when or if they will ever be mended.

It is into this context that three Church of England bishops were received into the Roman Catholic Church last month as priests, as the first fruits of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus issued by Pope Benedict XVI not much more than a year ago...

Read the rest on the First Things: On the Square blog.

Hat tip to Mary Ann Mueller

Anglican Catholics Then and Now

Last weekend, in London, three Anglican bishops and their families were received into full communion with the Catholic Church in a very public ceremony in Westminster Cathedral. Three Anglican nuns and some laypeople were also received. By Easter it is expected that the Anglican Ordinariate will have been set up, and up to 50 more Anglican priests will be received into the Catholic Church along with a significant number of laypeople.

This public reception is in marked contrast to the manner in which I, and many others were received into the Catholic Church in England in the mid 1990s. At that time "ecumenism" was still the main priority for the Catholic bishops of England and Wales as well as the Anglican establishment. There was a pact between the rulers of both churches that the defections to Rome would be low key. No one wanted to rock the ecumenical boat. Consequently, the publicity machines of both churches went into overdrive to downplay and minimize what was happening. In fact, in the mid 1990s there were not fifty Anglican priests who converted but 500. Some even reckoned the numbers to be between 750 and 1000. The reason it was difficult to establish how many of us converted to the Catholic faith at that time was because certain categories of Anglican priest didn't register in the official tally. Retired clergy, clergy in minor posts like hospital chaplains and school chaplains or priests who were only ordained for a short time all failed to appear on the official lists. This was on purpose. Both the Catholic and Anglican hierarchy had done a deal that the numbers would be deflated, those receiving converts into the Catholic Church were told specifically to make the reception low key. Those of us resigning our livings and being received were told to keep a low profile. So, for example, my wife and I received private instruction at Quarr Abbey and were received on a Tuesday evening in the crypt in a very quiet and private Mass...

read the rest of Fr. Longenecker's thoughts at his blog Standing on My Head.

Hat tip to Mary Ann Mueller

Five Anglican bishops resign to convert to Rome: statement

by Damian Thompson
November 8, 2010

Here’s the statement by Bishops Andrew Burnham (Ebbsfleet), Keith Newton (Richborough), John Broadhurst (Fulham), Edwin Barnes (assisant bishop, Winchester) and David Silk (assistant bishop, Exeter):

Like many in the catholic tradition of Anglicanism, we have followed the dialogue between Anglicans and Catholics, the ARCIC process, with prayer and longing. We have been dismayed, over the last thirty years, to see Anglicans and Catholics move further apart on some of the issues of the day, and particularly we have been distressed by developments in Faith and Order in Anglicanism which we believe to be incompatible with the historic vocation of Anglicanism and the tradition of the Church for nearly two thousand years.
The Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum cœtibus, given in Rome on 4th November 2009, was a response to Anglicans seeking unity with the Holy See. With the Ordinariates, canonical structures are being established through which we will bring our own experience of Christian discipleship into full communion with the Catholic Church throughout the world and throughout the ages. This is both a generous response to various approaches to the Holy See for help and a bold, new ecumenical instrument in the search for the unity of Christians, the unity for which Christ himself prayed before his Passion and Death. It is a unity, we believe, which is possible only in eucharistic communion with the successor of St Peter...

Read the rest at Mr. Thompson's blog Holy Smoke.

Another article on this development is posted at the BBC.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has issued a statement regarding this decision of the five bishops:

"I have today with regret accepted the resignations of Bishops Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton who have decided that their future in Christian ministry lies in the new structures proposed by the Vatican. We wish them well in this next stage of their service to the Church and I am grateful to them for their faithful and devoted pastoral labours in the Church of England over many years."

The Messenger - Anglicanorum Coetibus Edition

The Catholic League, an ecumenical group founded in 1913 to promote the visible unity of Christians around the Bishop of Rome, has just published a special edition of The Messenger entitled Anglicans and Catholics in Communion: Patrimony, Unity, Mission. From the Society's web site:

Anglicans and Catholics in Communion, a special edition of The Messenger, is issued to members Monday 25 October 2010. Its focus is on the issues surrounding the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus and examines the vast question of Anglican Patrimony, as well as the implications for the new ecclesial structure in terms of Christian unity and of evangelisation.

The list of contents is attached here. A form is also included for non-members who would like to request a copy, subject to availability.

The collection of two dozens articles seeks to bring together the wide range of considered comment and analysis of the Apostolic Constitution as well as thinking on the future shape and ethos of the proposed Ordinariates. Alongside the official documentation and commentaries, there are major contributions from

* Cardinal William Levada
* Bishop Peter Elliott
* Aidan Nichols OP
* Canon Robin Ward
* Professor Eamon Duffy and
* An Interview with Cardinal Walter Kasper

Hat tip to Fr. Hunwicke

Gathering of Anglicans and Catholics in Texas confirmed...

Father Christopher Phillips has confirmed that a meeting for those interested in an Anglican Ordinariate in the US gather at his parish in San Antonio in mid-November.

Becoming One

Would it be helpful for those of us in the United States who are Ordinariate-bound to come together for a time of prayer, mutual encouragement, and the opportunity to get to know one another better? We’re going to become one family soon, and our paths up to this point have been fairly diverse. It would be good for our various groups to work towards becoming one group.

After speaking with different individuals, it’s been proposed that we get together at Our Lady of the Atonement Church in San Antonio, Texas. It’s impossible to find a date that’s convenient for everyone, but several thought that November 16-18 would be good. We could have our first gathering on that Tuesday evening, spend all day Wednesday together, and then head back to our homes on Thursday. This will give us time for prayer together, an opportunity to introduce ourselves to one another, and to share information about this process we’re all in, leading up to the establishment of the Ordinariate.

Archbishop Falk is planning to be here, as is Bishop Moyer...

Read the rest at The Anglo-Catholic blog and get in touch with Fr. Phillips if interested. I did check, and from Boston, Southwest Airlines can get someone to San Antonio and back for around $275.00.

Anglicanorum Coetibus Is a Prophetic Gesture

September 19, 2010
by Br. Stephen Treat, O.Cist


The Holy Father's address to the bishops at Oscott College contained only one paragraph on the Apostolic Constitution, but, notably, it was the last. I think it's safe to say that it can be thought of as his last word to the local hierarchy:

The other matter I touched upon in February with the Bishops of England and Wales, when I asked you to be generous in implementing the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus. This should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute postitively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics...

Read the rest at The Anglo-Catholic blog.

When compromise trumps apostolic tradition

George Weigel has a post on the upcoming trip of Pope Benedict XVI to England, and the difficult relationship between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. A highlight from his essay:

The Telegraph's sense of what has "preserved the church for more than 400 years" is misplaced, I fear. Elements of sanctity, intelligence, and beauty have been nurtured in the Anglican Communion for more than four centuries by the work of the Holy Spirit, who distributes gifts freely, and not only within the confines of the Catholic Church. Thus there have been great Anglican theologians and noble Anglican martyrs in the Anglican Communion, which has also given the world a splendid patrimony of liturgical music and a powerful example of the majesty of the English language as a vehicle of worship. None of this has had much, if anything, to with a "tradition of compromise."

Read all of Mr. Weigel's column in The Boston Pilot.

BENEDICT XVI TO VISIT UNITED KINGDOM FROM 16 TO 19 SEPTEMBER

VATICAN CITY, 5 JUL 2010 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. released the following declaration at midday today:

"Accepting the invitation of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, and of the Bishops' Conferences of England and Wales, and of Scotland, His Holiness Benedict XVI will make an apostolic trip to the United Kingdom from 16 to 19 September.

"In the course of his trip, the Holy Father will visit Her Majesty the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, and preside at the celebration of the Eucharist in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. In London he will meet representatives from the worlds of politics, culture and business in Westminster Hall, participate at an ecumenical celebration in Westminster Abbey, and preside at a celebration of the Eucharist in Westminster Cathedral and at a prayer vigil in Hyde Park. Finally, he will preside at the celebration of the rite of beatification of Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman at Cofton Park, Birmingham".

from the Vatican Information Service Daily Bulletin