THE
P RTAL
April 2013
Page 3
EDITORIAL
This and that
by Will Burton
Pope Francis and Fr David Waller
Pope Francis has bemused the media, yet has
received a mostly positive welcome. He is, as Mgr
Keith Newton says elsewhere in this edition of T he
P ortal , a man of humility, prayer and faith. T he P ortal
joins the rest of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of
Walsingham in welcoming the new Pontiff.
His Holiness is reported as calling for a Church
of the poor, a Church for the poor, and even a poor
Church. Thus we were interested in something
on Fr Ed Tomlinson’s blog (www.tunbridgewells-
ordinariate.com/blog/). It was written by our old
friend and Ordinariate priest within the Diocese
of Brentwood, Fr David Waller.
Pope Francis’ recent comments have
made me think quite deeply about
the Ordinariate and its contribution
to mission. The more I think (always
dangerous) the more I wonder if we might
not have a particular role to play in the
Pope’s prophetic vision of a “poor church”.
We are travelling light: few buildings,
no pensions, masses at ‘inconvenient
times’. But our priests are working hard, looking
after Ordinariate groups, but also serving diocesan
parishes where there is a shortage of priests, spending
hours in schools, and assisting the local dioceses
whenever there is need.
Our laity are giving generously (considerably more
so than many Diocesan Catholics), they are using
their different skills to serve the Ordinariate and
wider Catholic church, they have left the comfort
and security of the buildings they have worshipped in
all their lives, they now worship at times which may
be inconvenient but they do so happily and rejoice
to be Catholics. Our congregations are growing
as Diocesan Catholics attend (often in addition
to attending a diocesan mass) because they feel
nourished by this particular approach to homiletics
and liturgy. And passers by come in and links are
made and the new evangelisation lives.
It may just be that this pontificate will enable us
to understand ourselves and our patrimony a little
Chrism Mass in the church of The Assumption, Warwick Street
more. In any case, we should not worry but simply
be faithful. We joined the Ordinariate because we
believed it offered a means for mission. We will be
known by our fruits not by paranoia.
papal coat of arms
The Vatican has released a new version of the
Papal Coat of Arms that incorporates a few
changes. For the Marian symbol, instead of
a five-pointed star, there is now an eight-
pointed star, which also represents the eight
beatitudes. The nard flower representing
St Joseph, patron of the Universal
Church, has been made to more closely
represent that flower. Finally, Francis’
motto “miserando atque eligendo”
underneath the shield has been placed
upon a scroll of white parchment with a
red backing.
Portal Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi
Together with Mgr Keith Newton, our Ordinary,
fifty-three pilgrims enjoyed a splendid time in
Rome and in Assisi. To mark this occasion, we have
a special four-page Pilgrimage supplement. Some
of the pilgrims themselves have contributed to this
supplement. Make sure you book early for our next
Pilgrimage, to the Holy Land in November 2014.
Chrism Mass
The Monday in Holy Week saw the Ordinariate
celebrate its Chrism Mass in the church provided for
it: The Assumption, Warwick Street, just off Regent
Street in London. The Papal Nuncio was the Principal
Celebrant once again, and our Ordinary gave an
interesting homily. Our priests concelebrated and our
seminarians (bar one) assisted the servers. The Mass
was accompanied by lovely music and stirring hymns.
The church was packed full with a large congregation.
All in all, it was an uplifting occasion and there were
many blessings received.