Fr Barron, Atheism: The Opium of the Masses

Blessed Are We: Fr Robert Barron 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Listen to these fruiful words here. "The Beatitudes reveal the true path of joy is found not in grasping at power but in the willing surrender to God's mysterious grace."

The Rite: A Film Arriving in the UK on 25 Feb.

I would like to see this film when it arrives in the UK on 25 Feb. I am proposing a few of us gather together to go and see it on Sunday evening 27 Feb in London. If you live locally and would like to get together to view this film and perhaps meet for a discussion of the film and a drink after the viewing, please let me know in the comment box or send me an email at JeffSteel[at@]rcdow.org.uk.

See this story about a priest in the Archdiocese of Westminster .

Confession: The Forgotten Sacrament

I have just watched this DVD in its entirety with the family this evening and found it to be a wonderful gift for all. We all enjoyed it very much and it was such a blessing to hear my children say, 'it made me want to go to Confession.' What a wonderful gift that is and a joy to our Lord. The DVD is put out by St Anthony Communications Production and it comes highly recommended. The trailer gives you a sense of the gift that this video is. I will use it in school to help young people overcome the fear of going to the wonderful Sacrament of Confession.

Anglicans Coming to Terms with Transubstantiation: Why Not Lancelot Andrewes?

The only problem Andrewes seems to really have is with the use of the word transubstantiation and has mixed feelings about the use of nature and real change in his defence against the absence of the word in the Fathers. For Andrewes, grace works contrary to nature and changes the nature of something into some other thing but substantially a sacrament is not changed into the said object as a picture cannot be said to be the very someone it portrays. What Andrewes wishes to maintain is something that is not denied, though is often brushed aside in polemics. That something in regards to the sacrament is Andrewes’ push to maintain the sacrament as a sign. This comes out clearly in his defence of the Eucharist as a sacrifice. Perhaps Robert Sokolowski can help us here in our understanding of what it is that Andrewes wants to protect with his theology of the sacrament as a sign. Sokolowski describes the nature of the sign that the Eucharist is in the terms of a theology of disclosure. As this relates to the Eucharist as a sign Andrewes would be sympathetic to how Sokolowski describes the importance of the aspect of the signification and efficacy of the Eucharist as we guard the characteristic of it as a sign. He writes,

The fact of being a sign takes on particular importance in the Eucharist, because the Mass can be considered a true and proper sacrifice each time it is offered only if the sacramental appearance brings an increase in identity and being. If the new appearance did not have something entitative about itself—in the way in which manifestation in all its forms is a dimension of being—the present celebration would fail to distinguish itself appropriately from the event that occurred only once. The necessary range of differences would not be available to allow the sacramental re-enactment of the original action.

How this element of ‘newness’ is present in each Mass, Sokolowski reminds us of O’Conner’s work, Hidden Manna, that shows us that th Council of Trent left this theological issue open for further explorations. As the sacrifice in the Mass is new and not new, the protection of the Mass as a ‘sign’ is crucial to our understanding of what Andrewes is aiming to protect. With his aim to protect the sacrament as a sign he becomes incoherent at times in how he explains an objective presence and a real change in the nature of bread and wine and is still maintaining something more substantially of bread than the mere accidents of bread. Yet, it is important for us to understand that as far as Andrewes believed in the real presence it was a presence that was corporeal, objective and historical as an event identical to that event of the cross. This is where Andrewes is so different with the Reformers such as Luther and others who were in opposition to the Eucharist being a Christian sacrifice.

It would be odd to claim that the Fathers were arguing from an Aristotelian philosophy in regards to transubstantiation. But what one can find within someone like Gregory of Nyssa is the transmutation or what is termed transelementation that is very much like the later explanation of transubstantiation. It is within these parameters that I find Andrewes speaking with regards to his position. In a further response to Bellarmine, Andrewes draws from this sort of transmutation language to describe his understanding of presence. Bellarmine defends his view using Gregory of Nyssa who speaks of the power of benediction to change the nature of bread and wine. Andrewes says, ‘And we ourselves believe with Nyssa, by power of the benediction, the nature of bread and wine to be transformed, neither he nor we believe that they are transubstantiated.'

According to Andrewes, they are immutated but not transubstantiated. Gregory’s view does not equate with the Scholastic view of transubstantiation explained in medieval philosophy but it would be odd to say it would do. Many of the Fathers were in some form or another Platonist. Yet what they are saying, and this is why Andrewes gravitates to them for their language, is that by the power of the benediction the bread is at once changed into the body by means of the Word, as the Word itself said, ‘This is my Body.’

Though the Council was emphatic about its realism and its use of the term transubstantiation concerning a real objective conversion of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, it was not language that implied any sort of ‘materialistic view’ of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Council was content on maintaining the use of the language of Aquinas and leaving further speculations of the conversion to mystery and faith. With regards to the substance of bread and wine not being annihilated Aquinas writes,

After the consecration the substance of bread and wine is neither under the sacramental appearances nor anywhere else. But it does not follow that it is annihilated; for it is changed [convertitur] into the body of Christ. Likewise, if the air from which fire has been made is no longer here or there, it does not follow that it has been annihilated.

And so, the Ordinariate Story goes on...

Father Barron: Shocking Numbers on Abortion

Ordinariate Ordinary, Fr Keith Newton on Radio 4

If you forward to 9:27 into the programme, you can listen to Fr Keith Newton give an interview on the BBC Radio 4 Programme Sunday. Do have a listen!

Anglican Ordinariate and St James the Great, Darlington

Earlier this morning I was able to have a lovely conversation with Fr Ian Grieves, a friend and tremendous supporter of mine since before arriving in the UK some seven years ago. St James the Great was a place for my family to experience what a coming together of heaven and earth was like by the excellence it offered in the worship and love of God. It was known as the "Anglican Catholic Basilica of the North!" I am very happy to post a portion of Father Grieves' letter to his people concerning their decision to pray about the generous offer by our Holy Father, allowing Anglicans to be united to the One Holy Catholic Church. Father Grieves has been the parish priest of these faithful people for 22 years and has unapologetically led them in the Catholic faith and tradition since his arrival. As a result of the Holy Father's generosity, Fr Grieves continues in his pastoral care as a priest and "beggar showing other beggars where to find the Bread of Life." Below is a letter to his congregation. Do visit the web site of St James to get a sense of the beauty it offers in its worship and if you find yourself in the area of Darlington, do drop in for a visit and I assure you of a very warm welcome from priest and people alike. There is a lot of Food, Faith and Fellowship to be had at St James. May God bless them on their journey in faith and may he bring them safely into the Ordinariate!

....S. James the Great has always been about the proclamation of the orthodox, Catholic Faith, grounded, at first, in the principals of the Catholic Movement in the Church of England - sound theological thinking and a serious call to holiness of life. Worship and life at S. James has never been more concerned about what we wear than what we believe - sound belief in the teaching of the Catholic Church has always come first. If we are more concerned about the fashions in the sanctuary than what we believe as Christians, then we are lost indeed. Perhaps that is why there are so many, even in our own constituency, who think you can be a Catholic, without seeking visible unity with the Holy Father and the See of Peter! We, as Catholic Christians in the Church of England, have prayed for this and worked for this unity - this is the unity for which Christ prayed so that the world might believe.

Yes, it would be so easy to stay as we are, as many of my clergy brethren are; not to rock the boat and pretend all is well! It would be so easy for me personally to live at The Vicarage protected by the freehold, drawing my stipend and then my full pension at 65! And in ten years time, what would happen then? - no priest, or at best a half-time priest ordained by a women bishop of Durham or a quarter-time priest ordained by a male bishop who has been consecrated by a woman bishop! There is no future in staying where we are. In this matter we must not just think of ourselves, the here and the now, and of our own comfortable position. The C of E has changed beyond recognition - we all know that - it is dying - churches are closing, congregations are dwindling, vocations are few and money is short - 'and by their fruits you shall know them!' We, however, must lay aside pettiness, private judgement and a false loyalty to a Church of England which has turned its back on us, rejected what the majority of Christians believe and practice, and now publicly going back on a solemn promise to allow us our conscience and honoured place in the church. We must think of the future and future generations who will come and worship at S. James. We must think of others before ourselves and the larger picture - Christian unity in our own land, and this for us at S. James the Great means responding to the Holy Father's generous and considered initiative - THE ORDINARIATE.

The Ordinariate provides us with an opportunity to stay together as priests and people, worshipping, loving and serving our Lord Jesus Christ through the Catholic tradition and our liturgical and musical heritage and enter into full communion with the See of Peter. We pray that the Church of England will be as generous as the Holy Father and allow us our buildings; buildings we have restored and refurbished at great cost to ourselves (we have raised over £150,000 to restore the church hall & almost £600,000 to restore the church). We have indeed come a long way in the last twenty odd years and we have much to give God thanks for - not least the renewal of our parish and congregation which now needs a secure future.

I hope you all will join me at Mass on Sunday 13th February 2011 at 10am, and afterwards in the Church Hall for a meeting to consider the Ordinariate. The principal speaker will be Father Keith Newton, formerly the Bishop of Richborough, who has given up everything to enter the Ordinariate, and who will give us: information, explanations, answer questions, and address concerns on the Holy Father's historic and generous offer to Anglicans.

Finally, in this matter, we must pray that God's will is done and not ours. It can be so very difficult to let go of our own will, to give up what we want, what we desire, what we find comfortable and nice, and embrace God's will for our lives. Yet, when we do, it is like opening a door into a new world - a world of freedom, of peace and truth. We must make the words of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane our own, 'Not my will but your will be done'.

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AS I PRAY FOR YOU, AND FIND GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS TO RESPOND TO THIS INITIATIVE WITH GENEROSITY AND VISION.

Your priest of 22 years,

Father Grieves

Gloria Chants for the New English Missal

The NLM have posted three of the chants for the New English Missal which will be implimented in September in the UK according to reports. I think all three of these are wonderful but the first two are my favourites. Which ones do the readers like? Do leave your comments!

ENGLISH CHANT MASS • Richard Rice • GLORIA from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Free Glory To God using the new ICEL translation (Roman Missal) from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Adam Bartlett Gloria from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Homily For Fr Andrew Burnham's First Mass, Aidan Nichols, O.P.

Homily for the ‘Primiz’ of Father Andrew Burnham

We are, at this Mass, on a cusp, or boundary, or threshold. What I have in mind is in the first place the ritual calendar we’re using. We are on the cusp between, on the one hand, the Christmas season, which celebrates the Theophany, the manifestation of God the Word as a human being to other human beings, and, on the other hand, so-called ‘Ordinary Time’, a time which is far from ordinary because it consists in the telling of his story, the story of the public ministry of the Christ as it unfolds in all its dramatic action.

Appropriately, then, today’s Gospel-reading points both backwards and forwards, and its key is the identification of Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’. Twice, actually, within a few verses of the Fourth Gospel, when the Baptist wants to identify who Jesus is, to locate him (so to say) on the map of salvation geography, these are the words he comes up with. The best explanation of that, I think, is that John the Baptist is rehearsing what it was his cousin told him. At the Baptism, the heavens were opened for Jesus, and in the open heavens he saw… well, what did he see? He saw himself as the Lamb, sent by the Father to make the atoning sacrifice which will reconcile to the Father Israel and all the world, and bring humankind home to the Father’s house. Jesus would go on to comport himself in just this fashion in his public ministry, in the strength of the Holy Spirit whose descent on him in the form of a dove verified what it was, in the opened heavens, that he saw.

The Lamb of God: that is the One we follow, it is how the God-man wishes to be known and loved. He came to make sacrifice for us. That is the impetus that drives his ministry forward till it reaches its climax in the Paschal Mystery of his Death and Resurrection. It is the attitude in which he still stands before the Father, showing the marks of his now glorious wounds. And it is why the continuing sign of that sacrifice – the Mass – is the true centre of the Christian religion.

In the Eucharistic sacrifice, we bring ourselves – all we do and are, all we have done and have been – to be, through purification and transformation, united with the Lamb, Jesus Christ, in his self-offering to the Father. All we did and do, all we have been and are, our life and labour, we should put (so the spiritual writers advise) onto the paten, into the chalice. Bishop Andrew – I’ve known Andrew so long and closely under that description I find it hard to break the habit – is celebrating today his first Mass in full union with the Catholic Church. What does this offering of the gifts mean, then, for him?

What is said of the life and labour of any Christian is said with special force of the apostolic life and labour of an ordained person. ‘What we did and do, what we have been and are’: all Andrew’s former ministerial activity, inevitably, is signalled is these words and so it is now taken up into union with the Lamb’s oblation of himself, taken up in a new way as the sacrificial offering of a Catholic priest in the full, unclouded, indisputable, sense of those words.

What he has done, what he has been: as with all of us, that must mean the faults and failings from whose weight we ask to be relieved through this renewal of the Lamb’s oblation. But is also means the grace-supported actions which we join to the Lamb’s offering not for purification but for further enhancement. In the spring of 1843, Newman wrote to a correspondent, ‘At present… as far as I can analyze my convictions, I consider the Roman Church Communion to be the Church of the Apostles, and that what grace is among us… is extraordinary, and from the overflowing of His dispensation.’ I’ve left out in this citation a phrase in parenthesis for the sake of drawing attention to it now – ‘what grace is among us (which, through God’s mercy, is not little)’. The task before Andrew and the others in the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham is to translate into terms of Christian life, thought and worship, what that ‘not little’ grace has done, in the history of the Church of England – what it is that can be placed on the paten, put into the chalice, not for propitiation, in a spirit of repentance, but for the praise of God’s glory, in a spirit of thanksgiving. And this is the second sense in which we stand now on a cusp or boundary or threshold.

It will entail a very great deal of hard work. It is nothing less than the reconfiguring of Anglicanism by union with the Petrine centre and its criteria of orthodoxy. It is taking up again, in a totally fresh context, the task Newman set himself and his fellow Tractarians in 1837:

We have a vast inheritance, but no inventory of our treasures. All is given us in profusion; it remains for us to catalogue, sort, distribute, select, harmonize,and complete. We have more than we know how to use; stores of learning, but little that is precise and serviceable; Catholic truth and independent opinion, first principles and the guesses of genius, all mingled in same works, and requiring to be discriminated.’

And Newman closed:
[W]e need peculiarly a sound judgment,
patient thought, discrimination, a
comprehensive mind, an abstinence from
all private fancies and caprices and personal
tastes – in a word, Divine Wisdom.

We rejoice today for Andrew personally as a long odyssey is completed, but since no share in priesthood is ever conferred for the individual’s satisfaction but only for some wider good, we also have to draw attention to the task that awaits him. Newman spoke of the ‘concentration and adjustment of great Anglican authorities’. Andrew has already begun working on the liturgical dimension of this, entrusted by the Holy See with co-ordinating efforts on that front, in recognition of his outstanding competence in that area.

But there is more than that. There is bringing this new ecclesia particularis, this new ‘particular church’, into the movement for renovating the whole Church which we associate with the mind and heart of Pope Benedict, a movement which respects the Second Vatican Council but places it, by a hermeneutic of continuity, in the great Tradition as a whole. It is a movement towards the fullness of Catholicity, in which the fathers of the Oxford Movement can take effortlessly their place.

So, Father, let me leave you and this congregation with one final citation from the Blessed John Henry, ‘I have a work to do in England’.

Aidan Nichols, O. P.,

16 January 2011

Our Lady of Walsingham Ordinariate: ora et labora

The excitement of the establishment of the ordinariate in the UK has been running high all weekend and understandably so. It is not an every weekend occurrence that we are able to live such historical events in the Church that will be read by so many long after we have left this present life, but Saturday 15 January was one of those events and stories that were a part of this historical day are told and will continue to be told for years to come.

Today is now the time for prayer and work as they begin to establish themselves while all of us support them in that important calling of prayer and work. For so long, many of these men and women were in a defensive mode to justify their existence in an ecclesial community that tolerated them but didn't understand them. Those days of "us and them" are now over and it is not a part of the Catholic ethos. There is no more looking over the shoulders to defend oneself. The Church defends them and so there is no reason to be in a "fighting" mode. Now, it is really time for us all to pray and work for the evangelisation of our homes, communities and country. Those of us who came on our own as 'solo swimmers' have not forgotten our friends who are now making this journey via the caravan but supporting them in every way that we are able. I sincerely wish them all well and promise to pray and support them in any way possible.

Again, we offer our prayers and best wishes to the three ordinariate priests as well as Fr Alex and all converts who are soon to be ordained as priests (there is another one next weekend). These are exciting times for the Catholic Church in England and Wales and I am so grateful to God that he gave me the ability and support from my Catholic brethren that allowed me to come home to the Catholic Church in the summer of 2009. May the prayers of our Lady, Blessed JH Newman and all the Saints uphold and guide us into seeing God's Kingdom established in England as it is in heaven! May the Holy Spirit guide many more into the loving arms of Mother Church!

Photo used by permission from James Bradley

Another Anglican Convert Becomes Catholic Priest on 15 January 2011

There was of course a lot of excitement and attention given to the Ordinariate ordinations yesterday and quite understandably so. But, it is important that we not overlook another man who was ordained a Catholic priest yesterday in the A & B diocese. That priestly ordination was Fr Alex Hill who celebrated his first Mass today. Father Hill was formerly an Anglican priest who converted a few years ago and fulfilled his formation at Wonersh Seminary. Congratulations Father Alex and please know that we are thrilled to welcome you as one of our faithful Catholic priests. May God bless your ministry and your family!

Many thanks to Craig Aburn's FB album and his forgiveness for stealing his photo!!! :-)

Anglican Ordinariate Ordinations and the Making of History

(Photo James Bradley also on the Catholic Herald site.)
What a wonderful and solemn day it was to be able to be present at Westminster Cathedral, London for the ordinations of Frs Keith Newton, Andrew Burnham and John Broadhurst and the establishment of the The Personal Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman. I cannot help but believe that what was experienced there today was the making of history and what I truly believe is a realignment of the Church throughout the world. This was what I have only ever dreamed real ecumenism could be like. The joy and excitement in Westminster could be felt by everyone. It was a joy that was a result of the generosity of Pope Benedict XVI and his prayerful work for Catholic unity. It is a proud day to be Catholic!

I particularly would like to congratulate Fr Keith Newton for being appointed the first Ordinary by the Holy Father. I have a great respect for Fr Keith in how he has handled himself throughout this transition and in his prior ministry in the Church of England. He has always been willing to help me and give me advice when I was an Anglican priest and not directly under his jurisdiction. He is an excellent choice.

Over at the Catholic Herald you can read the statements and homily from the ordinations. More about today to come later. For now, check out some wonderful photos here. If you're not already following de cura animarum, please sign up to do so.

Anglican Ordinariate, Lancelot Andrewes and Pope Benedict XVI

After reading so much in the news of late concerning the establishment of the Anglican Ordinariate, I felt it appropriate and somewhat of an interesting exercise to revisit Lancelot Andrewes and say something about where he might have been today if he were alive. My conclusion is that Andrewes would be quick to join the Ordinariate and would have thrown off his love affair with the Crown.

In a sermon preached before King James I at Greenwich, in 1606, we find a clear example of how Andrewes establishes his Eucharistic theology within the theological context of his ecclesiology. For Andrewes it is the day of Whitsun that brings forth the seal and signature of God upon all that has taken place in the life and ministry of Jesus. Whitsun is the in Quo signati estis. Quoting Ephesians 4.30 he references this text as the basis for making this feast the final signature of God for all that has happened in our redemption. The great mystery of Filius datus est nobis and Spiritus datus est nobis are the great mysteries of godliness. It is our union with Christ in His incarnation and our union with the Spirit wherein God is made manifest in the flesh as we become partakers of his divine nature (2 Peter 1.4). Andrewes says, ‘Whereby, as before He of ours, so now we of His are made partakers.’ Just as the promise of the Old Testament looked forward to the Incarnation, and the promise of the New Testament to the sending of the Spirit, we therefore become consortes divinæ naturæ (2 Peter 1.4). Referencing Tertullian Andrewes says, ‘the coming of Christ was the fulfilling of the Law, the coming of the Holy Ghost is the fulfilling of the Gospel.’

The result of receiving the Spirit is manifested by unity. From the text being considered in this sermon it is unity of mind and unity of place. The Spirit is the knot of unity between the community of the Trinity and also the knot of unity symbolising the hypostatic union. What makes us like God is when we manifest the spirit of unanimity.

Faith to the Word, and love to the Spirit, are the true preparatives. And there is not a greater bar, a more fatal or forcible opposition to His entry, than discord, and dis-united minds, and such as are “in the gall of bitterness;” they can neither give nor receive the Holy Ghost. Divisum est cor eorum, jamjam interibunt, saith the Prophet; [Hos. 10.2] “their heart divided,” their “accord” is gone, that cord is untwisted; they cannot live, the Spirit is gone too.

The rift that existed within the Church in England and on the Continent was a display of a lack of credibility to the world. Andrewes found himself between the extremes of Popery on one side and Puritanism on the other and knew that someone had to be raised up to heal this division in the Church if there ever was going to be a great outpouring of the Spirit. With obvious anguish in his heart over this rift he stated,

And who shall make us “of one accord?” High shall be his reward in Heaven, and happy his remembrance on earth, that shall be the means to restore this “accord” to the Church; that once we may keep a true and perfect Pentecost, like this here, errant omnes unanimiter.

It is the above quotation where I find the generosity of Pope Benedict XVI most evident. High is the Holy Father's reward who is indeed bringing about a Pentecost today. The second point of this ‘accord’ included unity of place as well as unity of mind. It was uniformity that created ‘the bond of peace.’ This bond of peace is something that is outward and hence visible to the eye. Therefore, Andrewes invokes Hebrews chapter ten and the necessity of not removing oneself from the congregation. The call going out to the Church is build upon one foundation, namely Christ, and to live under one roof, thus being in one house. This is how the Apostolic life was set forth according to Andrewes’ understanding of what it meant for the Holy Spirit to be sent upon the Church. ‘Division of places will not long be without division of minds.’ In his characteristic way, Andrewes realised once more that, in this manner, the Church had begun and thus in the same way, of unanimity and uniformity, the Church must continue. Andrewes was not naïve about the depth of the division in the Church.

What he was certain of was the necessity to have Eucharistic fellowship under one roof while we work out the differences that we have. He notes that our being ‘in one and the self-same place’ must be our ground. Andrewes adds his own additional thoughts from his reading of the Fathers that summed up how this unity ought to be approached by the phrase, dum complerentur. The Apostles were called to faithful waiting until they were perfected with the Spirit. In a predictive manner, Andrewes noted how, even in his own time, these words were despised, as even then very few wished to tarry and wait on the Lord, preferring to have things immediately.

Andrewes’ call to patient waiting through the celebrating of the Feasts of the Church is a reminder to all that every detail of division will not be worked out immediately. Therefore, dum complerentur. Yet, in waiting, we come to the altar together while patiently labouring to firm up the unity we possess in Christ and that is seen in the Eucharistic rite.

Well, this waiting is coming to an end because the Holy Father is fulfilling what Andrewes could have only dreamed about in his deepest times of rest. We are watching the unfolding of a perfect Pentecost!

Ordinariate Practicalities

Bishops' Statement
Who will look after the Ordinariate parishes?
The Ordinariate parishes will be served by priests of the Ordinariate, appointed by the Ordinary. They may be assisted by a parochial vicar (assistant priest) and/or a deacon. Pastoral and finance councils will also be established in the parishes. Diocesan clergy and religious, with the consent of their diocesan bishop or religious superior, may also assist in the pastoral care of the Ordinariate under the supervision of the Ordinary when and where it is deemed suitable. Similarly, clergy incardinated into the Ordinariate should also be available to assist in the pastoral care of the faithful in the local diocese.

What liturgy will the members of the Ordinariate celebrate?
The Ordinariate will not be a Ritual Church; that is, the Ordinariate will not be principally defined by the liturgical rites it uses. In addition to the Roman Rite, some of the liturgical rites of the Anglican tradition which have been adapted and approved by the Holy See may be used by the members of the Ordinariate. It is expected that in due course, suitable rituals (Sacramentary, Divine Office, etc.) will be promulgated for Ordinariates across the world. However, as it will be fully a part of the Latin Catholic Church (as distinct from the Byzantine, Maronite, Chaldean Catholic Church, etc.) the Ordinariate will always be able to use the Roman Rite.

What churches will the Ordinariate use?
Because the previous places of worship used by the clergy and groups who will form the Ordinariate were in the ownership of the Church of England, it is unlikely that it will be possible for them to continue to be used by the Ordinariate members. In most cases therefore, Ordinariate congregations will probably use their local diocesan Catholic church for the celebration of Mass and other liturgies. In some places there may be a diocesan church which is no longer needed to serve the needs of the local parish community; these could prove suitable for use by the Ordinariate. Essentially, the needs of each Ordinariate group will be carefully assessed by the Ordinary and the most suitable pastoral arrangements will be made by him in collaboration with the local diocesan bishop.

Will any Catholic be able to attend a Mass celebrated within an Ordinariate parish or by an Ordinariate priest? Yes. Any Catholic, whether a member of the Ordinariate or a member of a diocese, will be able to attend Mass, receive Holy Communion and participate in the liturgies of an Ordinariate parish or celebrated by an Ordinariate priest. However, they would not be registered members of the Ordinariate and would remain under the ordinary jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop where they are resident.

Similarly, registered members of the Ordinariate are free to attend Mass, receive Holy Communion and participate in the liturgies of any diocesan parish but they would remain under the ordinary jurisdiction of the Ordinariate.

The Pulp.it Blog Newsite

I have been asked by a reader to post about a new blog that tracks all the Catholic blogs and News blogs with updates throughout the day. The pulp.it site searches far and wide for the best orthodox punditry in the Catholic blogosphere and puts them all in a single post twice a day*. Give the site a visit.

Pope Benedict Celebrates Epiphany

In his homily, Pope Benedict said that the story of the wise men who followed the star reveals that the universe is not the result of chance, as some would have us believe.

“Contemplating it,” he said, “we are invited to read something profound: the wisdom of the Creator, the inexhaustible creativity of God, his infinite love for us.”

The Pope exhorted the faithful not to let our minds be limited by theories that, even if they are true so far as they go, and not in competition with the faith, can nevertheless bring us only so far.

“In the beauty of the world, in its mystery, its greatness and rationality,” said Pope benedict, “we cannot fail to read the eternal rationality; we can not help but be guided by it to the one God, Creator of heaven and earth.”

The great king, Herod, saw not with the eyes of reason, but with those of worldly power, who was disposed to do anything at all in order to assure his grip on it.

“Herod,” said the Holy Father, “is a character whom we do not like, whom we instinctively judge in a negative way for its brutality. But we should ask ourselves: maybe there is something of Herod in us? Perhaps we, too, on occasion, see God as a kind of rival? Perhaps we too are blind to his signs, deaf to his words, because we think they put limits on our lives and do not allow us to dispose of our existence howsoever we will?

“Dear brothers and sisters,” he continued, “when we see God in this way we end up feeling dissatisfied and unhappy, because do not we let ourselves be guided by Him who is the foundation of all things. We must remove from our minds and our hearts the idea of rivalry, the idea that giving space to God means imposing a limit for ourselves; we must open ourselves to the certainty that God is omnipotent love who takes nothing away - no threat, indeed, He is the only one capable of offering us the opportunity to live fully, to experience real joy.

After Mass, the Holy Father prayed the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square, during which the Holy Father had greetings for the faithful in many languages, including English:

I greet all the English-speaking visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer. On this, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the Church rejoices in the revelation of Jesus Christ as the light of all peoples. May the light of Christ’s glory fill you and your families with joy, strengthen Christians everywhere in their witness to the Gospel, and lead all mankind to the fullness of truth and life which God alone can give. Upon all of you, and in a special way upon the children present, I invoke the Lord’s abundant blessings!

Vatican Radio

Our Lady, Westminster Cathedral, Former Anglican Bishops and Religious Sisters Reception into Holy Mother Church

It has been a wonderful day today. I attended Westminster Cathedral Solemnity of Mary Mass and witnessed the reception into the Catholic Church of three former Anglican bishops, Andrew Burnham, Keith Newton, and John Broadhurst along with two of their wives and three sisters who were formally members of the community at Walsingham. The Mass was beautifully sung and parts of it were set to the Lourdes Mass. The Mass was very well attended.

Having served with these former Anglican bishops as a priest and fellow member of SSC, it was good to see them finally take the step of faith and enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Bishop Alan Hopes preached an encouraging homily on the Mother of God and added encouraging words about those on the journey who were a part of the Ordinariate. Though I was an Anglican priest in the C of E, I am not pursuing the Ordinariate route, yet I am pleased to see those who are taking the gracious opportunity and now the necessary steps to being united to the Truth and becoming a part of the family of Catholics. God bless them and may many more follow their lead!