Update on the Ordinariate in Canada

From the Update of the Sodality of St. Edmund, King and Martyr by Gary Freeman

Over the past 6 months a number of Anglican communities, across Canada, have been received into the Catholic Church, and are Ordinariate-bound, in accordance with Pope Benedict's Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus.

Communication is not the best, yet, but allow me to set out the 'facts' as I understand them: The first and second groups of Anglicans to be received were in Calgary - the former Anglican Church of Canada Parish of St. John the Evangelist, and the Toronto Ordinariate Group (all of whom were former members of the Anglican Church of Canada) who were both received on December 18, 2011.

The third group to be received, and the first Anglican Catholic Church of Canada community to be received, was ours, now The Sodality of St. Edmund, King and Martyr. We were received on January 1, 2012.

The fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh groups to be received were Victoria (The Fellowship of Blessed John Henry Newman), Ottawa (The Sodality of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary), Spencerville (The Sodality of St. Barnabas), and Barrhaven (Holy Nativity), who were all received on April 15, 2012.

The eighth and ninth groups to be received were Oshawa (The Sodality of the Good Shepherd), and (the Sovereign Mohawk Territory of) Tyendinaga (Christ the King), who were received on April 22, 2012.

With the exception of 'Calgary' and 'Toronto', all the other groups were former ACCC communities. While no firm dates have been established, there are 3 other groups (all former ACCC communities) currently preparing for reception.

Contact Gary Freeman for additions, corrections, etc.

The North American Ordinariate now boasts 11 Communities

The web site of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter now lists 11 member communities. With this new juridical status and the upcoming diaconal and priestly ordinations and incardinations, the Ordinariate will move beyond the drawing board into a flesh & blood reality. See the list at the Communities page.

First Weekly Anglican Use Sung Mass in Toronto

With the establishment of a weekly Anglican Use Sunday Mass in Canada's largest city an important element of the New Evangelization called for by Pope Benedict begins to take shape in this city.

Anglicans, Catholics of various rites along with others not yet in communion with Rome are invited to explore the meaning of our Lord's call to unity in the Body of Christ - ut unum sint - "that they all may be one". This is the central focus of the Anglican Use Sodality of Toronto and it will be its measure of success as those seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit find a place to experience the unity and peace of full communion with the universal Church...

Read the rest at Peregrinations.

Hat tip to the Deborah Gyapong writing at the Anglo-Catholic blog.

Msgr Steenson addresses the "Anglican Ordinariate Fellowship" in Beverly, Mass.

Rev. Juren Liias serves as MC as Msgr Jeffrey N. Steenson, leader of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, addresses a crowd of about 100 people in St. Margaret's Church in Beverly, Massachusetts. Following his address which you can view below, there was a question and answer period in which Msgr Steenson addressed queries from how could Catholics support this initiative to what the status of the divorced & remarried would be in the Ordinariate.
Following the talk and Q & A, a Mass was celebrated, in which three people from the Fellowship were received into the communion of the Catholic Church.

Fr. Phillips writes about Our Lady of the Atonement & the Ordinariate

Fr. Christopher Phillips of Our Lady of the Atonement in San Antonio wrote two letters to parishioners and friends of OLA which were posted on Facebook. They are republished here in chronological order.


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Friday, May 4, 2012


Dear Friends,

Fr. Jeffery Moore (our parochial vicar) and I had a good meeting with Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller and Bishop Oscar Cantu to discuss issues surrounding the Ordinariate and what that might mean for the parish. All of us desired to do what is best for the people of Our Lady of the Atonement Church, and it was in a spirit of cooperation that it became evident to me that for the sake of the continued stability and unity of our parish community, the best course of action at this time is to withdraw our request to enter the Ordinariate and to remain in our present status as a Personal Parish of the Anglican Common Identity, as is stated clearly in the Decree of Erection by which we were founded in 1983.

The archbishop recalled his recent visit to the parish, commenting on how impressed he was with the Academy students, with our facility, and with the sense of the sacred found here. He expressed his respect for the fruitful and particular ministry of our parish, and he looks forward to strengthening our bond of communion, as do we.

What does this mean in practical terms? Our liturgical and devotional life does not change, our patrimony remains intact, and our clergy and people remain together as one parish family.

I’m grateful for the archbishop’s warmth and for the respect he has for our heritage, and we look forward to deepening our relationship with him.

From the time of our founding we have been under the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Atonement. She has never failed us, and she did not fail us today. We continue under Our Lady’s patronage, and that of her Divine Son, in union with the Holy Father and with the bishops in communion with him.

Thank you to all who prayed for this important meeting. All of us there felt the presence and power of the Holy Ghost.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Christopher G. Phillips


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Saturday, May 5, 2012


Dear Friends,

It’s difficult to communicate important information by way of email – there’s an understandable tendency for recipients to forward them all over the place, and there is always the strong possibility of someone misinterpreting them. However, I do want to reiterate some of the points I made in yesterday’s email about my meeting with Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller and Bishop Oscar Cantu.

1. The archbishop is NOT preventing the parish from seeking entrance into the Ordinariate at this time, or at some future time. He was clear about that, and is very respectful of our right to make that request any time.

2. It is important to all of us that we preserve the integrity and unity of our parish – church and school, clergy and people, buildings and patrimony – and at the present time the only way we can insure this is by remaining as we are; namely, a Personal Parish of the Pastoral Provision, rather than a parish of the Ordinariate. We all want the parish to be able to continue as it is, with our clergy and people intact, and with our church and school serving those who want to be here. At some point we may be able to have that in the Ordinariate -- but this is not the time.

3. Our way of worship – our liturgy, our devotional life, our music…everything we treasure and maintain – will be able to continue uninterrupted, and the archbishop and his auxiliary bishop have stated their support and admiration for what is done here.

I know the decision to withdraw our parish request to enter the Ordinariate is unexpected, and some of you might be perplexed. As you know, I have been very excited about the prospect of being in the Ordinariate, but I had to weigh every aspect of this, and decide what would be truly best for us. The stability of our parish is something I know you would not want to discard lightly, and this decision provides us with the best and safest way to continue to “preserve, nurture and share” our Anglican patrimony, as we have done for the past twenty-nine years.

As we have opportunities to deepen our communion with our Father-in-God, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, let’s make the most of them. He was genuinely moved to learn that we will be remaining in his jurisdiction for now, and he looks forward (as do we) to strengthening our ties with the archdiocese which has been our home for so long.

The time may come when we are prepared to enter the Ordinariate, and when the Ordinariate will be in a better position to receive us as we are. We can be grateful that God has used our parish, in some small way, to prepare the ground for the establishment of the Ordinariate in this country. As strange as it seems for us not to be part of it from the very beginning, the time is not yet right. 

Let’s all pray for the success of the Ordinariate, and especially for the men who are preparing for ordination over the next few months. No matter what jurisdiction we’re in, we’re all working for the same end – the building up of God’s Kingdom!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Christopher G. Phillips

Statement on St. Mary of the Angels, Hollywood, CA

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

May 5, 2012

The rector, wardens, and vestry of the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Hollywood, CA, have previously expressed a desire to become a part of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter within the Catholic Church. However, a number of issues relating to the parish's corporate structure, the Catholic formation of its clergy and members, and the resolution of some management concerns have yet to be resolved. The Ordinariate thus has no jurisdiction over St. Mary of the Angels; however, individual parishioners are welcome to join the Ordinariate if they wish to do so. The gift of full communion requires a spirit of reconciliation and the healing of relationships, and to this end, the Ordinary, Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson, offers his prayers for all involved.

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Earlier today a letter was posted online that purports to be from Msgr. Steenson on this very topic. Whether the letter as posted is accurate or not, I certainly cannot say, but it certainly was not addressed to the part who posted it, and it seems inappropriate to repost it here. Interested parties will find it via a simple search.

What is clear is that the Church of St. Mary of the Angels in Hollywood is having a difficult time of it, and as we can be sure that the last thing the enemy of Christ wants is a thriving, orthodox parish in that area, and so has long fought against them. I hope my readers will join me in praying for this parish and all those places that preach Christ in the face of opposition from the world, the flesh and the devil.

Anglican Use Mass in Toronto, Ontario

Anglican Use Masses are being held every Sunday at 1:45pm at Sacré-Coeur (the Church of the Sacred Heart) at 381 Sherbourne St in downtown Toronto. This week there will be a professional choral ensemble to lead the congregation in the music of the sacred liturgy, including a polyphonic setting of the Mass by Willan. There is free parking behind the Church on the northeast side, which can be accessed by the lane on the east side of Sherbourne just north of Carlton and the Church.

New Pastor Named for Our Lady of Walsingham Parish in Houston, Texas

May 2, 2012

Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson, the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, announces the appointment of a new pastor for the principal church of the Ordinariate, Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, TX. Father James Ramsey, the pastor, retired on April 30.

Charles Hough, IV, who has received the necessary permission from the Holy See to be ordained as a Catholic priest, will assume this office on July 1, after his ordination. He and his wife, Lindsay, together with their two sons, will move from Fort Worth to Houston in June.

"Chuck Hough comes from a family with a very distinguished record of ministry, and he has himself demonstrated significant leadership gifts while serving in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth,” said Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson. "His father served for many years as canon to the ordinary in Fort Worth, one of the best mentors for ministry there can be."

He was received into the Catholic Church during the Anglican Use Conference in Arlington, TX, a year ago. A former Anglican priest, he has been preparing for Catholic ordination through the Ordinariate’s formation program at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston. Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth, one of three bishops initially appointed by the Holy See to oversee the creation of the new Ordinariate, will ordain him a priest in June...

Read the rest at the web site of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

Hat tip to Mary Ann Mueller.

40 Ordinariate groups in English Ordinariate

Msgr. Newton, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham writes:

Nevertheless much has been achieved in the short time since the Ordinariate was erected in January 2011. We now have 60 priests, the most recent being Fr James Bradley and Fr Daniel Lloyd ordained at the end of April and both under 29 years of age. We now have a working Governing Council, which meets every three months to counsel and advise me. Around 200 more people were received into the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate this Easter.

There are more than 40 Ordinariate groups of varying sizes meeting regularly for Mass and other devotions. Two of our priests have begun to study Canon Law by distance learning from Louvain University so that we can eventually have our own Canon Lawyers. Despite having to travel long distances, almost all our clergy were present at our first Chrism Mass at St James’ Spanish Place which was an inspiring and uplifting occasion. Several young men have offered themselves for ordination and will this month attend a selection panel. At the end of the month we hope that around 20 former Anglican clergy will be ordained to the Diaconate in Westminster Cathedral - God willing.

Read the rest of his column, and much else besides, in the May issue of The Portal magazine.

Pope makes donation to Ordinariate

Pope Benedict XVI has offered a generous donation to the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham to help support its clergy and work. The Vatican nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Antonio Mennini said the gift "is a clear sign of (the pope's) personal commitment to the work of Christian unity and the special place the ordinariate holds in his heart.”

A May 1st press release announcing the donation said that “the gift will help establish the ordinariate as a vibrant part of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.”

Msgr. Keith Newton, who heads the Ordinariate, said, "This gift is a great help and encouragement as we continue to grow and develop our distinctive ecclesial life, whilst seeking to contribute to the wider work of evangelization...

Read the rest at the site of Vatican Radio.

Hat tip to Charles Gilman.