THE P RTAL
February 2011 Page 6
SnapdragonOne stroll around the supermarket will tell you that the very best produce ,
or at least the most valuable , is organic - that which is grown naturally and arrives on our shelves without having been manipulated by man or coerced against its own nature . People feel reassured by organic produce . It seems sound and healthy when things are allowed to grow naturally and in accordance with God ’ s will , and it is this ‘ feel good factor ’ associated with organic produce which allows the shops to deliver it with hefty surcharge . People will sacrifice for that which is wholesome .
Freshest Expression wholesome . An organic movement which , like the of Catholic Faith choicest fruit in supermarkets , grew naturally , without
Reflecting on the notion of a ‘ feel manipulation and in accordance with God ’ s will . good factor ’ turns minds to the English Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham . What authentic heartfelt
joy flowed through Westminster Cathedral when this freshest expression of Catholic faith burst into existence . As the new Catholic Ordinary and priests left the Cathedral , spontaneous cheers erupted and smiles spread across the faces of this eclectic congregation . It was an historic moment ! But what impressed Snapdragon , above all else , was the natural feel of proceedings . It felt healthy , logical , right . Or put another way - so terribly organic !
‘ Coming Home ’
It is the oldest cliché in the book for the Anglo-Catholic entering Catholicism to proclaim that it feels like ‘ coming home ’. But clichés are born from truth and experience , leading me to suggest that history will prove the erection of this Ordinariate as a pivotal moment , when Anglo-Catholicism , Newman ’ s legacy , found its collective way home . The Catholic movement within the Church of England reaches its destination and beckons our nation to follow .
The Rock From Which They Were Hewn
Long have individuals rejoiced at personal submission . But now their mono voice becomes stereo as countless cries resound as one . A spiritual exodus begins , a journey leading all Catholic minded Anglicans to the rock from which they were hewn . And far from being an awkward or embarrassing moment , as some might have feared , it was gentle , inspiring and
That the Church May Be One
Anyone doubting need only reflect on its patronage . The Ordinariate was dedicated to John Henry Newman . How fitting that his beatification should be followed by the reunion of his Anglo-Catholic movement . We move , in the words of the collect for his feast , out of the shadows and into the fullness of Catholic truth ! It is a journey to inspire in others that the Church may be one .
The Place Favoured by Her Many Miracles
It is this prayer for the conversion of England which leads to our other patron , Our Lady of Walsingham . Is there an Anglo-Catholic anywhere whose heart does not beat with love for her ?
Have any failed to be touched by her holy Shrine in Norfolk ? Here is the very heart of our Anglo-Catholic movement ! And here too , in this place favoured by her many miracles , is our signpost to the past and our prayer for the future .
‘ Our Lady ’ s Dowry ’
For Walsingham points us to a time before the sacking of monasteries , when Catholicism in this nation truly flourished . A time when the reformation divide had not wreaked havoc and when England was famed throughout the globe as the most Catholic of nations , ‘ Our Lady ’ s Dowry ’.
If the Ordinariate remains organic then what will be its fruit ? My prayer is nothing less than an end to division through the re-Catholicisation of this once Christian land . May Blessed John Henry Newman and Our Lady of Walsingham pray for us in our first fragile year of life .