The Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham

From the website of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham:

Mgr Andrew Burnham: The Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham

Mgr Andrew Burnham, Assistant to the Ordinary, writes in this month's Portal: 

The Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham is to be published very soon now by Canterbury Press. In a month or two we shall have access to this very handsome publication. It will contain the Ordinariate’s own form of Morning and Evening Prayer, drawn from the Book of Common Prayer, together with the Litany, minor offices for use during the day, and a traditional order for Compline. 

The Coverdale Psalter will be included, as will lectionary tables which closely follow the not as yet well-known, but superb, two-year sequence of Scripture readings devised for the daily Office of the Roman Breviary. There will also be the Ordinariate Calendar and, most notably, a rich anthology of post-biblical readings drawn from the riches of the British spiritual tradition. This anthology complements the Roman Divine Office as well as the Ordinariate Office, for it will be possible to use many of the post-biblical readings for the Office of Readings. 

Evensong and Benediction 

Some will find themselves using the different Office books for different purposes – one for individual prayer and devotion, the other for public worship. Those who want to use the Roman Office books in the morning and the Customary in the evening – or the other way round – will be able to do so without too much difficulty. The particular value of the Customary is that it makes available one of the acknowledged treasures of the Anglican tradition – the public celebration of the Office, and in particular of Evensong. The reform of the Roman Office following the Second Vatican Council sought the development of the public celebration of the Office and, truth to tell, that is a reform yet to be realised. In these early days of the Ordinariates, there have been already many celebrations of Evensong and Benediction and it is intriguing to know not only that this has been in accordance with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict’s wish, but also that it has been his great pleasure, that this should have been so. 

Traditional language 

It is hoped that the Customary will be ecumenically helpful too. There has been a deliberate decision by the Holy See that the Ordinariate’s distinct Use should be predominantly in traditional language. This is not to criticise in any way the modern language translations and compositions of recent Anglican revisions. Rather it is a recognition of the value of the sacral language of the Prayer Book. Members of the Ordinariates in North America and Australia are great devotees of Prayer Book English. Moreover, the 400th anniversary of the 1611 Authorised Version of the Bible (AV) – and the immense popularity still of cathedral Evensong – shows that the British public too are aware of the beauty and importance of a traditional sacred dialect. It is that dialect which the Customary and the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible preserve and make available. 

‘Common Bible’ 

Why the RSV and not the King James Bible? The answer lies in the subtle development of the English Bible tradition. For accuracy’s sake, twentieth century students began to rely on the Revised Version of 1881-1894. Meanwhile the Revised Standard Version of 1946-1957 was becoming established and, in 1966, was accepted by Catholics and Protestants as a ‘Common Bible’. It was the first truly ecumenical Bible and brought together the two traditions – the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible and the Protestant Authorised Version. Thus, whenever the Customary quotes extensively from the Bible, it is the RSV that it uses. The Catholic Church in the 1970s in Britain opted (mistakenly as it now seems) for the ‘dynamic equivalent’ Jerusalem Bible translation. That version greatly helped public understanding of the Scriptures, but, like the Mass translation of the same period, was based on a theory of translation that is of great value in paraphrasing and communicating the meaning of, for example, modern literature written in other languages, but no longer thought appropriate for representing sacred texts written in ancient languages. 

Our prayer is that the Customary will be a treasury not only for the Ordinariates but for the whole English-speaking world. 

_______________________________

(Rorate note: the Amazon page for this book mentions Msgr. Andrew Burnham and Fr. Aidan Nichols OP as the editors.)


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Msgr. Burnham speaks of "a rich anthology of post-biblical readings drawn from the riches of the British spiritual tradition. This anthology complements the Roman Divine Office as well as the Ordinariate Office, for it will be possible to use many of the post-biblical readings for the Office of Readings." It will be interesting to see to what extent the anthology draws from the writings of Anglican writers; Fr. Aidan Nichols OP had mentioned last year that the majority of readings in the anthology will be drawn from them. See last year's post: More on the upcoming liturgy of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The Life and Thoughts of Cardinal Merry del Val - III The conversion of the Anglicans

Besides the supreme ideal of the Priesthood, God placed in the heart of young Mgr. Merry del Val that which would always remain the great passion of his life: the conversion of the Anglicans. Under the guidance and at the service of the Supreme Pontiff, Leo XIII, in fact,he would work indefatigably – by prayer and action- for the return to God of that which was defined “the land of the Angels” England, his beloved homeland. 

 THE CONVERSION OF THE ANGLICANS 

 Having been ordained a priest, the young Monsignor finally hoped to be able to dedicate himself to the conversion of the great nation of his birth. This was the passion of his entire existence. But, though, in his untiring apostolic zeal, he had worked for the conversion of many Anglicans, Divine Providence had other plans for him. Meanwhile, notwithstanding his noble lineage, in 1889, during his free hours, he began to exercise his priestly ministry amongst the youth and the poor of the populous area of Trastevere, establishing the first foundations of that pious Association which would become one of the most beautiful jewels of his priesthood. 

 In 1891, Mgr. Merry del Val was nominated private Chamberlain of His Holiness. By this, the Holy Father Leo XIII called him to his direct service, admitting him to his noble pontifical Antechamber. The young prelate was not enthusiastic about this nomination, since he saw that his dreams of an apostolate amongst the Anglicans of his homeland would not be fulfilled. With humility of heart and words, he expressed to the Holy Father, his disturbance of heart, his desires and above all the request to be exempted from that duty, desiring to live as a simple priest. The Pope answered him with a question: “Tell me, Monsignor, are you disposed to obey the Pope and to serve the Church?” “Yes, if your Holiness commands it of me!” replied the young prelate, moved. “Very well,” concluded the Pope. At these words, which would mark his life, the Monsignor bowed his head to the will of the Vicar of Christ and set forth, without reticence, upon the path which the Lord had showed him. 

 In reality, Leo XIII wanted to make use of the young prelate above all for the questions regarding the Anglican countries, and in particular England. One can imagine with what ardent zeal and untiring charity Merry del Val would correspond to the desires of the Holy Father to help the return of the Anglicans to the bosom of the one Church. And in fact he played an important part in the editing of the Encyclical Ad Anglos regnum Christi in fidei unitate quaerentes of the 14th April 1895, in which the Pope recommended the unity of minds and hearts in one Faith alone, inserting also a marvelous prayer to the Sorrowful Virgin for the conversion of the “separated brethren” and their return to Rome, which was composed by the young Merry del Val. 

But still more incisive was his intervention in the difficult question of Anglican ordination, the validity of which had been disputed for centuries without any conclusions ever having been made. He well knew that the hope of the return of the Anglicans to the Church of Rome could not be nourished unless the question of Anglican ordinations was clearly defined. That is why he insisted that they should proceed to such a decision, without giving into compromises of any sort, nor to the pressure which came from the Anglican world. 

By this singular experience of the Anglican world and by the light which came to him from his intense prayer life, Merry del Val marked the fundamental lines of the Encyclical Apostolicae curae of the 13th September 1896 with which the Pope pronounced in a definitive way on the invalidity of the ordinations of the Anglican clergy. The Encyclical had a vast echo in the Anglican world as much as it had in that of the Catholic. This was followed by a publication of a study by the young Monsignor entitled: “Regarding Anglican Ordinations: An unpublished document on the religious situation in England,” which raised much interest. In it, the future Secretary of State revealed (apart from his profound knowledge of the Anglican world) his theological competence and ability as a polemist. He understood that the return of the separated brethren implied a conversion, and that such a conversion in order to be authentic, demanded the recognition of the specific error. 

 This always proved to be (and still proves to be) a huge obstacle due to national and individual pride, especially in the duty of recognizing as Supreme Pastor, he who for centuries had been pointed out to be the “antichrist.” But the unity of the Church can only base itself on truth. [To be continued.]

Testimonies 

Cardinal Merry del Val, ardently zeal for the conversion of the English Protestants, for whom he would work so much, knowing well that the most valid means of defense of the apostolate is prayer, and that the Mediatrix of all graces is Mary, composed a beautiful prayer to the Sorrowful Virgin which the great Leo XIII, of happy memory, wanted to add a heartfelt appeal to his separated sons.

“O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, Thy dowry, and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in Thee. By Thee it was that Jesus, our Saviour and hope, was given to the world, and He hath given Thee to us that we may hope still more. Plead for us Thy children, whom Thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O Sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of Thy Son. Pray for us all dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God, with Thee in our heavenly home. Amen.

From: De vita Contemplativa, Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, Italy [Translation: Contributor Francesca Romana]

Events: Catholic Choral Evensong

The Institute of Catholic Culture informs that, this Sunday, Anglican-Catholic Solemn Vespers (Evensong) will be celebrated in the Saint Rita Catholic Church, Diocese of Arlington (3815 Russell Rd., Alexandria, VA 22305).

The service will be fully chanted and Fr. Eric Bergman will be assisted by Deacon and Subdeacon. The Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem are expected to be in choir.

More details in the flier (click for larger image).

The most beautiful poster in January

Welcome home!

From the local archdiocesan newspaper:

Baltimore Episcopal parish, priests to be received into Catholic Church

By Catholic Review Staff

Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter

Congratulations to the former Anglicans in America for their structure established today by Pope Benedict XVI, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter. Father Jeffrey Steenson was named to head the Personal Ordinariate.

More on the upcoming liturgy of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham

The "Ordinariate Portal" has belatedly published Part III of Aidan Nichols' talk on The Pope, the Ordinariates and the Liturgy. (Part 1 and Part 2. Rorate posted on the first two parts here; see this as well.) Part III includes the following description of the draft Ordinariate liturgy that was submitted to Rome in March of this year:

"...when with the promulgation of Anglicanorum coetibus a small liturgical commission was established, with responsibility from the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to see to the needs of a new situation, some difficulty was experienced in establishing a template likely to be acceptable to all and sundry. Overwhelmingly, English Anglicans had abandoned both the Prayer Book Eucharist and that of the English Missal tradition. They had accepted the reformed Roman liturgy, often with a few variations (such as the placing of the Sign of Peace before the Offertory) supplied from modern Church of England liturgical revision, as well as, typically, including the most beloved of such short Cranmerian texts as the Prayer of Humble Access.

The American Ordinariate for Catholics of Anglican Patrimony:FALL 2011

The Personal Ordinariate for Catholics of Anglican heritage in the United States is to be erected in the Fall of 2011 - at least, that is the wish of the Holy See. More details from Cardinal Wuerl's report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, delivered yesterday, on the first day of their Spring meeting:

Consultation on

Implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The upcoming liturgy of the Ordinariate

From the Ordinariate Portal, citing the Tablet:

The special Missal and prayer books to be used by the personal ordinariate of England and Wales have been completed and are now awaiting approval from Rome. Former Anglican worshippers in the ordinariate can expect “something quite different” from their new sacramentary, Mgr Keith Newton, the group’s leader told The Tablet. He had hoped the new liturgy would be in place in time for Pentecost on 11 June, when 54 former Anglican priests who have joined the ordinariate will be ordained Catholic priests, but that now seems unlikely and they will use the Roman rite in the meantime.

Aidan Nichols on Benedict XVI and his "Noah's Ark"

Over the past weekend, the Ordinariate Portal published Fr. Aidan Nichols' lengthy address to the Anglicanorum Coetibus conference in Canada (March 24-26, 2011): The Ordinariates, the Pope, and the Liturgy. Part 1 and Part 2.

Nichols characterizes the Pope's reach-out to four specific groups -- conservative "Catholic" Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox, the Society of St. Pius X, and Anglo-Catholics -- as an invitation to them to board the "Noah's Ark" that is the Catholic Church in the face of the flood of relativism, secularism and militant Islam:

Aidan Nichols OP on the future liturgy of the Ordinariate

From a recent interview with Fr. Aidan Nichols OP, published in the English Catholic:

The Church of England Anglo-Catholics, from what I understand, do the ordinary form of the Roman liturgy. In the TAC (Traditional Anglican Communion -- Pascal) elsewhere in the world, there is a love for distinctly Anglican liturgies with Book of Common Prayer language, though corrected where necessary. What liturgical dimensions do you see as “gifts to be shared” with the wider Church as the AC suggested?

“English Anglo-Catholics (I gather) tend to retain some elements of the Prayer Book tradition, notably for weddings and funerals. Their parishes may also have Evensong and Benediction. But they will be asked to consider using the distinctive liturgical book which has been prepared for the English Ordinariate once it has received recognition from the Holy See (hopefully by Pentecost) – otherwise they cannot claim to have much distinctive patrimony, liturgically speaking. One reason why there is to be a distinct English book for those with an Anglican Communion background is because the TAC congregations who predominate elsewhere have a different liturgical history which will need to be taken into account. Relevant gifts could include: a high sacral register of liturgical language; the Catholicism-compatible elements in the historic Prayer Books; the Use of Sarum; the better aspects of modern Anglican revision.”

Ordinariate for Australia to include Japan?

It would be a good precedent if Ordinariates were not always limited to the area of one "Episcopal Conference". From Western Australia's Catholic newspaper The Record:

AN Ordinariate for Anglicans to enter the Catholic Church is set to be established in Australia by Pentecost this year, and will include Japan. ...

The Traditional Anglican Communion, a group of disaffected Anglicans who have been seeking full communion with Rome for years, will host a festival in Perth on 26 February at Holy Family Catholic Church in Como for the Anglican Ordinariate for Australia. 

TAC Bishop Harry Entwistle - one of four TAC Bishops in Australia and the Torres Strait Islands who will be ordained as Catholic priests, likely just before the Ordinariate is officially established, told The Record the festival is a public statement that “this is no longer just a theory, it’s really happening”. “It’s an opportunity to gather those who are more than just casually interested,” he said of the festival, which is for Catholics and Anglicans who, like the TAC, have long been disillusioned with the Anglican Church’s liberalisation with female clergy, among other things. ...

Bishop Entwistle, of TAC’s Western District encompassing WA, is part of an implementation team that includes officials from the Holy See and Bishop Elliott, who is himself a convert from Anglicanism. ...

Bishop Entwistle’s vision for the Western District of the ordinariate will include weekly Masses at his Maylands base of Saints Ninian and Chad Church and monthly Masses in areas outside Perth including Albany and Bunbury. Anglican Catholics in these areas will attend ‘regular’ Catholic Masses between these monthly Masses until more priests are ordained to service these areas.

Japan’s Anglican Catholics constitute a small group led by a retired Anglican Bishop. Bishop Entwistle said the Japanese are happy to adopt a Western Ordinariate like Australia as they are among a persecuted minority. However, he said that the “one size fits all” concept does not apply to Ordinariates around the world.

First Anglican Ordinariate erected

As expected, under the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, the Holy Father today erected the first Personal Ordinariate for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church, the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman, with Father Keith Newton appointed as the ordinary. As a married priest, he will not be ordained a bishop.

Full note of the Holy See Press Office:

"In accordance with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' of Pope Benedict XVI (4 November 2009) and after careful consultation with the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has today erected a Personal Ordinariate within the territory of England and Wales for those groups of Anglican clergy and faithful who have expressed their desire to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church", reads an English-language communique released today. "The Decree of Erection specifies that the Ordinariate will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and will be placed under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman.

"A Personal Ordinariate is a canonical structure that provides for corporate reunion in such a way that allows former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of their distinctive Anglican patrimony. With this structure, the Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum coetibus' seeks to balance on the one hand the concern to preserve the worthy Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions and, on the other hand, the concern that these groups and their clergy will be fully integrated into the Catholic Church.

"For doctrinal reasons the Church does not, in any circumstances, allow the ordination of married men as bishops. However, the Apostolic Constitution does provide, under certain conditions, for the ordination as Catholic priests of former Anglican married clergy. Today at Westminster Cathedral in London, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, ordained to the Catholic priesthood three former Anglican bishops: Reverend Andrew Burnham, Reverend Keith Newton, and Reverend John Broadhurst.

"Also today Pope Benedict XVI has nominated Reverend Keith Newton as the first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Together with Reverend Burnham and Reverend Broadhurst, Reverend Newton will oversee the catechetical preparation of the first groups of Anglicans in England and Wales who will be received into the Catholic Church together with their pastors at Easter, and will accompany the clergy preparing for ordination to the Catholic priesthood around Pentecost.

"The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church. The initiative leading to the publication of the Apostolic Constitution and the erection of this Personal Ordinariate came from a number of different groups of Anglicans who have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has now come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion".

Personal Ordinariate for Former Anglicans in England and Wales to be erected this week

As reported in The Catholic Herald:

A Statement from the General Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

THE ESTABLISHMENT IN ENGLAND AND WALES OF A PERSONAL ORDINARIATE FOR GROUPS OF FAITHFUL AND THEIR CLERGY FROM THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION ENTERING INTO FULL COMMUNION WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Introduction

On or before 15 January 2011, it is expected that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish a Decree which will formally establish a ‘Personal Ordinariate’ in England and Wales (from here on referred to as ‘the Ordinariate’) for groups of Anglican faithful and their clergy who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. . . . .

See The Catholic Herald to read the remainder of the announcement and guide to the Ordinariate.

An auspicious start

[7:00 AM] January 1, 2011: the pieces of the English and Welsh (British?) Anglican Catholic Ordinariate begin to fall into place. Caritas in Veritate seems to have been the first to report:

I have heard on the grapevine that five former Anglican bishops, their wives and three former Anglican nuns from Walshingham are to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Chuch at 12.30pm tomorrow, New Years Day, at Westminster Cathedral.

I presume that the former bishops concerned (and their former dioceses) are: Andrew Burnham (Ebbsfleet), Keith Newton (Richborough), John Broadhurst (Fulham), Edwin Barnes (assistant bishop, Winchester) and David Silk (assistant bishop, Exeter).

This will be the first step on the road to the eventual establishment of the Ordinariate for former Anglicans who wish to be in full communion with the Catholic Church.

Several other blogs have confirmed it (tip: reader P.K.T.P.).

(UPDATE by CAP 1/2/11: The formerly FiF-affiliated C of E "flying bishops" John Broadhurst, Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton, three nuns from the Anglican shrine in Walsingham and the wives of two of the former C of E bishops were received into the Church at the 12:30 P.M. Mass in Westminster Cathedral on January 1, 2010. See Three ex-Anglican bishops are received into full communion and First Anglicans are received into the Roman Catholic Church in historic service. Further articles can be found on blogs such as Caritas in Veritate, The Anglo-Catholic, English Catholic, De Cura Animarum, and Valle Adurni.)

Ordinariate in England and Wales: January 2011

In less than two months, the first Ordinariate established according to the norms of Anglicanorum Coetibus will be established in England and Wales. Let us all pray for this incredible canonical achievement, which is a great hope for all Catholics and a precedent of particular relevance for Traditional Catholics.

From the website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales:

In collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome, the Bishops of England and Wales have been preparing for the establishment of an Ordinariate early in January 2011. Although there may be practical difficulties in the months ahead, the Bishops are working to address these at a national and local level.

Five Anglican Bishops who currently intend to enter the Ordinariate have already announced their decision to resign from pastoral ministry in the Church of England with effect from 31 December 2010. They will enter into full communion with the Catholic Church early in January 2011. During the same month, it is expected that the Decree establishing the Ordinariate will be issued and the name of the Ordinary to be appointed announced. Soon afterwards, those non-retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood for service in the Ordinariate.

It is expected that the retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood prior to Lent. This will enable them, together with the Ordinary and the other former Anglican Bishops, to assist with the preparation and reception of former Anglican clergy and their faithful into full communion with the Catholic Church during Holy Week.

Before the beginning of Lent, those Anglican clergy with groups of faithful who have decided to enter the Ordinariate will then begin a period of intense formation for ordination as Catholic priests.

At the beginning of Lent, the groups of faithful together with their pastors will be enrolled as candidates for the Ordinariate. Then, at a date to be agreed between the Ordinary and the local diocesan Bishop, they will be received into the Catholic Church and confirmed. This will probably take place either during Holy Week, at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday or during the Easter Vigil. The period of formation for the faithful and their pastors will continue to Pentecost. Until then, these communities will be cared for sacramentally by local clergy as arranged by the diocesan Bishop and the Ordinary.

Around Pentecost, those former Anglican priests whose petitions for ordination have been accepted by the CDF will be ordained to the Catholic Priesthood. Ordination to the Diaconate will precede this at some point during Eastertide. Formation in Catholic theology and pastoral practice will continue for an appropriate amount of time after ordination.

In responding generously and offering a warm welcome to those seeking full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church within the Ordinariate, the Bishops know that the clergy and faithful who are on that journey of faith will bring their own spiritual treasures which will further enrich the spiritual life of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The Bishops will do all they can to ensure that there is effective and close collaboration with the Ordinariate both at diocesan and parish levels.

Finally, with the blessings and encouragement they have received from Pope Benedict’s recent Visit, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are resolved to continue their dialogue with other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities on that journey towards the communion in faith and the fullness of unity for which Christ prayed.

Preparing to swim the Tiber

From Damian Thompson's blog:

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.

As bishops, we have even-handedly cared for those who have shared our understanding and those who have taken a different view. We have now reached the point, however, where we must formally declare our position and invite others who share it to join us on our journey. We shall be ceasing, therefore, from public episcopal ministry forthwith, resigning from our pastoral responsibilities in the Church of England with effect from 31st December 2010, and seeking to join an Ordinariate once one is created.

We remain very grateful for all that the Church of England has meant for us and given to us all these years and we hope to maintain close and warm relationships, praying and working together for the coming of God’s Kingdom.

We are deeply appreciative of the support we have received at this difficult time from a whole variety of people: archbishops and bishops, clergy and laity, Anglican and Catholics, those who agree with our views and those who passionately disagree, those who have encouraged us in this step and those who have urged us not to take this step.

The Right Revd Andrew Burnham

The Right Revd Keith Newton

The Right Revd John Broadhurst

The Right Revd Edwin Barnes

The Right Revd David Silk

"The question of how it is to continue is a serious one."

John Broadhurst, Anglican bishop of Fulham, Chairman of Forward in Faith and one of the three bishops of the CofE reported to have gone to Rome in order to "set in motion steps that would allow priests to convert to Catholicism en masse", (in the words of the Sunday Telegraph), has issued the following statement regarding said trip to Rome:

I feel as your Chairman that I should say something about the reported trip to Rome. As you all know, I am interested in the Ordinariate. I had the opportunity to accompany Bishop Andrew and Bishop Keith to the Vatican to discover what was intended. As Chairman of Forward in Faith International it was important that I was present, as FIF Australia is totally committed to it. Also many members in America and here are actively interested. I can say nothing more about the visit.



However, I am embarrassed by the leak to the press that we had visited the Holy See. All of us have expressed an interest in the Ordinariate and so it is obviously necessary to understand exactly what is intended and how the Ordinariate will be implemented. We were certainly neither negotiating nor plotting. The leak came as a real surprise to me as it happened whilst I was abroad. As we had not informed others of our visit, who leaked it - and why - is a very serious question. It risks damage to the Church of England, and to Catholic Anglicans in particular, as well as to the forthcoming visit to the UK of the Holy Father. It also has serious ecumenical implications. To say it was malicious would seem to fit the facts.



I have a deep love for the Church of England and its Anglo-Catholic tradition in particular. The question of how it is to continue is a serious one. Though the signs in General Synod do not look good, many still hope for proper provision in line with previously made promises. Our visit must not be allowed to colour these discussions.



Others believe the Pope's offer gives a very real chance that much that is valuable in our tradition can be preserved. All need to try, carefully and prayerfully, to read the signs of the times.

"Union with the Catholic Church is the goal of ecumenism"

On Saturday, March 6, William Joseph Cardinal Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, delivered an address at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Titled, "Five Hundred Years After St. John Fisher: Pope Benedict's Initiatives Regarding the Anglican Communion," the address recounted the background to the Holy Father's recent Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus and discussed hopes and prospects for uniting Anglican groups with the Catholic Church.

An unofficial transcript of Cardinal Levada's address is available at Salt + Light. Here follow a few key excerpts:

Cardinal Walter Kasper, current President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, addressed this point in an intervention given in June 2006 to the House of Bishops of the Church of England during its discussions on the ordination of women to the episcopate. In his talk he said this: “Because the Episcopal office is a ministry of unity, the decision you face would immediately impact on the question of the unity of the Church and with it the goal of ecumenical dialogue. It would be a decision against the common goal we have until now pursued in our dialogue: full ecclesial communion, which cannot exist without full communion in the episcopal office.”

As we met with Anglican consultants in the preparation of Anglicanorum coetibus, these bishops and theologians themselves proposed the Catechism of the Catholic Church as the norm of faith for the corporate groups of Anglicans who might avail themselves this new instrument for full corporate union with the Catholic Church. Thus, I would also characterize the Catechism as an ecumenical initiative of Pope Benedict XVI and of his predecessor.

Union with the Catholic Church is the goal of ecumenism—one could put, “we phrase it that way”. Yet the very process of working towards union works a change in churches and ecclesial communities that engage one another in dialogue, in actual instances of entering into communion do indeed transform the Catholic Church by way of enrichment. Let me add right away that when I say enrichment I am referring not to any addition of essential elements of sanctification and truth to the Catholic Church. Christ has endowed her with all the essential elements. I am referring to the addition of modes of expression of these essential elements, modes which enhance everyone’s appreciation of the inexhaustible treasures bestowed on the Church by her divine founder.

The new reality of visible unity among Christians should not thought of as the coming together of disparate elements that previously had not existed in any one community. The Second Vatican Council clearly teaches that all the elements of sanctification and truth which Christ bestowed on the Church are found in the Catholic Church. What is new then is not the acquisition of something essential which had hitherto been absent. Instead, what is new is that perennial truths and elements of holiness already found in the Catholic Church are given new focus, or a different stress by the way they are lived by various groups of the faithful who are called by Christ to come together in perfect communion with one another, enjoying the bonds of creed, code, cult and charity, in diverse ways that blend harmoniously.

"On the Gathering of Anglicans"

Archbishop John Hepworth, primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, has released an important pastoral letter, "On the Gathering of Anglicans," dated 20 Jan. 2010 and addressed to the bishops, clergy and lay faithful of the TAC, regarding the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus and the TAC's request for full, corporate communion with the Catholic Church. The pastoral letter is published in its entirety at The Angl0-Catholic, and includes the petition the TAC had sent to the Holy See, requesting the Pope's fatherly guidance in bringing the members of the TAC into unambiguous unity with the Catholic Church in a way that would preserve that which is good in Anglican tradition. Below are just a few excerpts, including reflections of Archbishop Hepworth in which he gently calls on the TAC's bishops, priests, and deacons to submit to re-ordination, since that is what Rome will requires:

Our Petition

. . . It is fundamental to the life of the church that its bishops and the churches they lead be in Eucharistic Communion with the See of Rome to which bishops of the ancient church looked as the instrument of unity and Catholic authenticity.

. . . The fullest statement of contemporary Christian belief, the bishops [of the TAC] believe, is to be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is deeply biblical and patristic, and addresses matters that puzzle and confront Christians at the present moment. The bishops understand that not everything in the Catechism is of equal authority, and also understand that the faith must be proclaimed to every generation in language that accurately portrays what the Church has received. Therefore they acknowledge that the Catechism is the most complete and authentic expression and application of the Catholic faith in this moment of time, and that they signed a copy on the altar as attesting to the faith they aspire to teach and hold. None of the bishops would claim to understand every aspect of the faith with perfection, and none would claim to teach perfectly at all times. But they do claim to aspire to teach and to hold the faith that is set forth in the Catechism. . . .

The Standard of Belief

. . . Many members of our community have been using the Catechism as a reference and a sourcebook for years. Its language is contemporary and its methodology, based on the Scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, and the liturgical Creeds, is already familiar to Anglicans.

Many of the things being denied at this moment in the world have been taken for granted for centuries. The nature of God, the revelation of God in Christ, the nature of holy scripture, the authority of Christian moral teaching about life and sexuality, the attack on the nature of marriage, and the widespread abandonment of holiness of life (especially among some of those consecrated to religious and priestly life), have all posed enormous problems for those who seek to teach and understand the Christian faith. The Catechism is a contemporary document addressing contemporary problems of contemporary unbelief.

What of the re-ordination of clergy?

. . . Not only the ordination of women to all three sacred orders, but the redefining of the Anglican understanding of itself as part of the “Church Catholic” that the ordination of women has necessitated, has introduced more than grave doubt about the validity of any Anglican Communion ordinations. It is now difficult to determine whether any particular Anglican Bishop has any intention to do as the Church has always done, when he (or she) specifically intends to do that which the Church has never done. The almost complete elimination of what was once a dominant Anglo-Catholicism from many provinces of the Anglican Communion has removed the clearest statement of Catholic belief about Holy Orders from the Anglican consciousness.

. . . It is my wish, and I believe the wishes of my fellow bishops, that every deacon and priest in our Communion has a certainty of validity that rests, not on the winning of a theological argument, not on the best that was available at the time, but on the indisputable certainty of Catholic practice. I have said to a number of priests that when they are saying Mass in the crypt of St Peter’s on the tombs of the Apostles, I want them to be able to look to one side and the other and to know with absolute certainty that their priesthood has the same objective reality as the priesthood of those on either side.

Finally, I commend this development to your prayers and the deepest parts of your conscience. I believe with all my heart that this is a work of God and an act of great generosity by Pope Benedict. The Anglican tradition that we treasure will only survive, I believe, across the generations yet to come if it discovers the protection of apostolic authority. It is my cherished wish that each of us can stand at the altar with our fellow Christians and receive the same Eucharistic Christ. That is the ultimate test of unity. In the centuries since the church in the West became fractured there has been no offer such as the one that is now before us. For Anglicans, Unity has been a dream beyond reach. Now it is a dream that can be fulfilled. I understood when I became a member of the Traditional Anglican Communion (in a dark period of my life when it became impossible to practice my priesthood in a diocese about to ordain women) that this was a Communion heading towards a goal. It had separated from the Anglican Communion. Instead of drifting at the whim of wave and wind, it had chosen to head towards the only realistic destination, that from which Anglicans had separated centuries before. I was grasped by that vision of those who founded this Communion. We are now in the waves just beyond the harbour entrance. Pray God that we have the courage to enter and make our homes there.

Msgr. Graham Leonard 1921-2010

I have total confidence always in the loving power of God and in His objectives for humanity. I trust God totally and, because I believe in God, I believe in the Church that He has given us and that is why I have hope. It is this Church that must carry to fulfillment the plan of God for the salvation of man. (Source)

(H/t for the news to The Anglo-Catholic. More can be found here, here and here.)