I am completely overwhelmed by the gracious emails, comments on the blog and the numbers of visits to my conversion story. I can say that since I posted my story yesterday morning the blog has received nearly 4,000 visits!! That is absolutely amazing when I am used to only about 350-600 per day on average. To all of you who posted such gracious responses to your own blogs about my story, thank you very much. The emails with invites for 'family days' and help getting settled have brought tears to our eyes. We feel like we are becoming a part of a very big family.It is so nice to get emails from families who say they also have six children or even more. When making this jump I was told to hang on to things around me to keep me floating and this has been so amazing because all of you appeared out of nowhere it seems. Thank you for your generosity and loving support for us. The prayers and Mass intentions mean everything to us right now as we feel like we are in a very in between stage of ecclesial life. But, this Sunday our family will worship together in a Roman Catholic parish in which we are preparing to be received.
All of my duties officially ended today and tomorrow morning I begin attending daily Mass in a Catholic parish. On Thursday I meet with the priest to begin discussing the process of our reception. Please pray for this time of transition as I move from saying daily Mass to a whole new way of life as a Christian.
Thank you all!
35 comments:
Consider This: The Universal Church will be praying for and with you. Roughly, that's a billion of us.
It is essential that you contact the St Barnabas Society in Oxford. You will find their website on Google. It is the successor to the Converts' Aid Society and is established to help people like yourself and your family in practical ways to settle down and make a new life in the Church. They have been wonderfully generous in the past and I hope they continue to be so. But, unless the rules have changed, they cannot offer or discuss help until you are received.
You are both wonderfully brave in coming to this decision because, unlike the many clergy who became Catholics after 1992, you will not be receiving substantial compensation or a pension to ease your path. This, to me, is an iron proof of the sincerity of your decision and I shall pray that you will be treated with comparable generosity because your family needs are great.
It is courage like yours that is an inspiration to others. Don't expect your future life to be perfect, the Church is an only too human institution and you will encounter every variety of Catholic, some of whose views might surprise you. But remember this, however 'liberal' a Catholic may be the church in which he works or worships has the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament, the sacraments, Mary and the Communion of Saints as an accepted part of the given and beneath superficial tensions lies the essential unity of the Church established on the rock of Peter. Trust God and Mary's prayers.
With congratulations and good wishes on your future happiness in the Church.
Good to chat on FB yesterday. It must be a huge relief for you all having actually taken the plunge, but also exitement/trepidation mixed up together as you take each step as it comes. Will pray specifically for all you ask, especially for Matthew's education - this is a crucial time. Love to you all. Nick
Well, Jeffrey, I blogged for the first time in two months about you! Check out: http://3rdmillennium.blogspot.com/
God Speed!
Do we need to be that specific in prayer? I expect God will already know what you need. (Or have some better ideas.)
Sure it's good to know intentions when people tell us to pray specifically. God will work it out as he sees fit when we pray for his will to be done. These are just immediate requests.
We prayed for you tonight in our family prayers & will be making your specifics a regular Rosary intention for the forseeable future!
Thank you Amanda.
I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian who was considering crossing the Tiber. I began reading various books and praying, trying to discern the right path. I put this decision on hold because I was overwhelmed with the obstacles I faced in conversion. However, the obstacles I face are nothing compared with yours. I am impressed with your faith and you have given me courage. I am praying for your specific requests. May God bless you and your family.
Juliana
What's the point of making the special requests then? If God already knows what the best thing to do is, and plans on doing it, and is immutable (so one can't change God's mind), and wiser than one to begin with (so has a better idea than one does oneself about the best course of action) then they seem a little superfluous.
Why is this such a problem with you? You don't have to pray it.
It's simply that it seems to me that it's philosophically and theologically flawed, so I thought I'd point it out. If I'm right, you get to learn something theologically and philosophically valuable, and if I'm wrong, you get to respond (though hopefully logically rather than simply rhetorically as you do here) and I get to learn something theologically and philosophically valuable.
It is a written prayer request not a theological abstract discussion into God's omniscience and human responsibility. Plus, my friends and family would like to know how to specifically pray not make philosophical and theological speculations, just loving prayers. See the other responses. That is what people are doing. Thanks be to God for them.
Fr.,
Not wishing to 'stick my oar in' when you're perfectly capable of defending yourself, I wonder whether Anastasia misunderstands the situation. Those of us who follow your blog will probably remember your entry on Gene Robinson's "prayer" in January, of which Giles Pinnock wrote:
"It's not a prayer - it’s a list of requirements directed at the Almighty by a liberal who knows beyond doubt that he knows better than God."
It seems obvious in light of this that you wouldn't just replicate the procedure with the 'liberal' replaced by 'Catholic'! My own view of prayer is that what we pray, request prayers for, give up to the community of prayer (etc.) is about *practicality*: God knows what we need, but other people don't, and it's through other people that God can most easily act. Be assured that you are in *my* prayers, and the prayers of any London friends I'm in touch with.
Father, your announcement comes as no surprise to me. I especially expected it when you made your pilgrimage to Rome and more still when you asked our prayers for a special intention when you got back.
I am an Anglo-Catholic living in Canada where, believe me, things are much worse than in England. In our diocese (Toronto) there is no parson's freehold and if a priest does not believe in the ordination of women he had best keep it to himself because it the bishop knew he could be removed.
And yet one plugs on. As a layman I can speak freely and I do. At the same time, I have learned to choose my battles and to disagree without being disagreeable.
I speak from the rare position (on this blog) of having been raised a devout Roman Catholic and then discovering that the Papal sword can swing both ways, especially when wielded at the local level. My faith was very much formed by the Liturgy. The Paschal Mystery became real to me through my experience of the Sacred Triduum. And yes! I even looked forward to liturgical reform which, I thought, would make the Liturgy more effective.
But the Roman Catholic Church in the late 1960's and early 70's became virtually unrecognizable. One could be ridiculed for believing in the value of something that had been taught from the pulpit only the year before. Liturgically, most of the damage seemed to be done by priests who would later run off and get married. The substance of the Faith remained though sometimes barely and the statistics show how Bl. John XXIII's vision was turned into a nightmare.
I held out for about ten years and, for the record, reception into the Anglican Church of Canada involves no repudiation of the Pope (though obviouly he would not have approved of my reception).
It is Our Lord's will that we all be one and I can't picture that unity without the Papacy at it's centre. But that said, no honest appraisal of that tragedy which was the Reformation can ignore the signal failure of the Popes at that time in their role as the Servants of the Unity of the Church. I suspect that Pope Benedict the Wonderful (and I mean that) would be the first to agree.
I believe that we Anglicans do have a lot to offer a united Church not only in terms of our culture but in other areas such s the use of power (not to be confused with authority where we Anglicans Are a complete laughing stock). The abuse of power and influencen teh RC Church have done a lot of harm.
I believe it is my vocation to stay and fight and pray for that goal of unity. I have always looked to you as one of the heroes in that struggle, Fr. in your clear and logical posts as well as in the wonderful example of your family life with six kids. A tip of teh biretta (if I had one)to your wife Rhea.
So now you are leaving us in our struggle and I'm sure I am not alone in feeling bereft but you must go where you feel God is calling you. You go with my prayers and respect. PLease don't become triumphalist as some converts to Rome do.
And I close with two questions. You say you will be concelebrating for Corpus Christi. Do you still consider yourself to be a priest?
Will this affect your thesis regarding Launcelot Andrewes?
Anastasia: When we pray for an intention we make ouselves channels of God's grace in the fullfilling of His will with regard to that intention. Our Lord told us to ask in His name and our prayers will be answered. Maybe not as we want but our prayers will be brought to bear on the situation. We should be humbled and awed that God chooses to "need" our co-operation this way.
God also tells us to "Ask and ye shall receive..." Just because he knows all things doesn't mean he'll just hand things to us. I know my child needs help with her homework but if she just sits there frustrated, she's not learning humility in asking for help.
Congrats to you and your family Father! What a true blessing and witness you are in trusting God. My family and I will most certainly keep you and your prayer requests in our prayers.
Pax Christi,
DDW
A fellow former Anglican, Tiber Swim Team Class of 1980, sending up prayers as requested!
It's not a theological or philosophical thing, but a human thing, to ask for specifics. We _need_ specifics, it's how God formed us, and how he expects us to respond. "And in all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." Matthew 21:22.
May St. Teresa of Avila's prayer help you as it did me.
"Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things pass away: God never changes. Patience obtains all things. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing; God alone suffices."
Teresa also dealt with corruption in the Church. She didn't just hold out, she did something about it. You'll hear a lot about corruption, esp. nowadays, but the Faith is never changed by the actions of the faithless within it. Screw your courage to the sticking place, whatever you're faced with, and we'll all be humbly grateful.
Your comments on dissent are spot on - it's more than just a matter of competing opinions. That's why I couldn't stay Anglican either. Also, I have never seen a reason for leaving the Church that wasn't trumped by all the reasons for coming to her.
I'm also grateful to nunblogger on twitter today, where I discovered you. Excellent blog you have, looking forward to reading more and exploring your links. Currently learning how to breathe with both lungs, as I delve into the joys that the Eastern Churches, from Antioch to Ukraine, have to give to the whole Communio.
Re. specific petitionary prayers: I think David's response is spot-on when it comes to general petitionary prayers, but it doesn't really address my concerns about the coherence of *specific* petitionary prayer in particular. Speaking for myself (and this is a subjective rather than a normative claim) I find it rather spiritually arid to list a set of specific requests, rather than simply holding the person in my heart before God and trusting God to know what's best. I think that Jeff's response to the question (re. loving prayers rather than abstract theological speculation) is somewhat off: it comes across as an instance of emotional blackmail, and also suggests that we shouldn't let reason get in the way of doing what we feel like. Ironic, given his previous comments on women being 'emotional' and men being 'reasonable' (given that I am a woman and here seem to be defending and instantiating the place of reason in faith).
Anyway, I'm glad the specific prayers are gone. Jeff, if you simply want to let people know what you want in case they can help out at the practical level, why not simply say as much? Sometimes being straightforward is the best course of action....
Interesting question from David about whether you still consider yourself to be a priest. I, too, would be interested to know the answer.
Anastasia, I think your resoning in this entirely flawed and I cannot get my head around the reason you want to make a prayer request into a theological debate. Why do you even care about what I think about my priesthood? What I have to do is be prepared, make my confession and receive Holy Communion as a Catholic. That is what the Church says I am to do and so that is what I do. I prefer that this post remain what it is. A post asking for prayer. Feel free not to pray.
Oh, I am praying, don't worry.
I just thought it was an interesting question about priesthood. I thought this blog was about exploring issues in faith? So I was interested to hear your answer. If the blog has a different purpose, maybe you could make it explicit? I may well have misunderstood its focus.
Jeff, your recent decision to cross the Tiber has come as no surprise. However I wonder how the members of the parish you have left behind feel given that you were ordained some 15 months ago. Please be assured of our prayers for you and your wonderful family as we ask for God's blessing in everything you do.
The parish was a little shocked but not too surprised. They are a gracious group and they are very supportive. It is a sad departure but one they understand due to where I am theologically. It has been a steady journey as the story shows.
This is a theological site but not all posts warrant theological debate when all that is asked for is prayer.
Well, I have no problem with you asking for prayer - and will pray for you (as I have already said)
;-)
I have just finished the post about your journey, and now it's in Spanish, both at:
http://la-buhardilla-de-jeronimo.blogspot.com/2009/06/cruzando-el-tiber.html
and at:
http://infocatolica.com/blog/buhardilla.php/cruzando-el-tiber
So, you'll have some more people praying for you and for your family, here in Argentina (and in Spain, etc).
May God continue blessing you.
Oops:
That should have been: "I have just finished TRANSLATING..."
WELCOME HOME! You and your family will be in my prayers (I have remembered you in my prayers since I discovered your blog)! It is my hope that you will be quickly moved through the Pastoral Provision. In any event I am very glad to have you one with the Church.
Pax,
Will Riley
I remember most of your specific requests and will make mention of them to the Lord just the same.
Anonymous prayer abuser,
If this abusive behaviour continues without having any backbone to reveal your identity leaving a post that I have removed twice now, may I humbly ask you not to visit my blog or comment anymore? If you feel you must do this sort of juvenile thing I really feel sorry for you. Please stop and grow up. If you are a Christian and if you have a priest you may wish to visit him for confession. I will pray for you that the Lord would remove the bitterness and unhappiness in your heart.
Dear Jeffrey,
I pray for you and your family and will bring your needs to my prayer group next week.
It is nice to see so much support for your decision. I guess there will always be people who will challenge you and question your motives. Maybe that's a part of growing in faith too, as I've discovered recently in my life.
God bless.
God bless you, my brother! Prayers for you and your family as you enter full communion with the Catholic Church!
Fr. Deacon Daniel
Greek-Catholic Deacon
it is common practice in Catholicism to ask, Please pray for my intentions. no further info is given and none is asked for.
a great blog for you to look at would be What Does the Prayer Really Say?
I am a convert too, welcome home. Those of us who are already across the Tiber are building a pontoon bridge so you don't have to swim. This supercedes the old rope and pulley system. 8-)
Father,
I've been reading your blog for what seems to be about two years. As many Anglo-catholics with close ties to Rome are probably feeling right now, I feel sadness at your loss from our fold, and gladness for the journey you are now making.
I hope that the St Barnabas Trust will be able to assist you and your family. May I ask (delicately), as you were only recently trained and ordained in the CoE, are they asking you to repay any training fees or PhD grants?
as one former anglican to another, welcome and all the best for you and your family. God bless from australia!
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