THE
P RTAL
February 2012
Page 16
F a t h e r P e t e r ’s P a ge
A second Spring...
It was exactly a year ago in The Portal that I wrote, with enthusiasm,
about the creation of The Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham following its
creation on that historic day, 15 th January 2011.
It was, you may remember me writing,:
“a grace-given time for the good of the
Church in this land” and “If anyone had
any doubts before that God’s hand was
at work that day- the day of the creation
of the Ordinariate – let them take
note.” Now, twelve months further on
another incredible event has happened
– which once again has confounded the
critics.
United States
On January 1, 2012, the
Solemnity of Mary, the Mother
of God, the Personal Ordinariate
of the Chair of St. Peter was
established in the United States.
This has demonstrated – if one
really needed such proof – that Anglicanorum coetibus,
the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Benedict XVI
(promulgated in on November 4, 2009), establishing
“Personal Ordinariates” for those of the Anglican
heritage entering full communion with the Catholic
Church while maintaining distinctive elements of
their theological, spiritual, and liturgical patrimony -
was for the worldwide Anglican Communion and not
just for England.
disdain and incredulity
I can still recall how the Press, following the decision
in November 1992 by the General Synod of the Church
of England to change the historic apostolic ministry,
treated with disdain and incredulity a suggestion by
myself that I hoped that the Pastoral Provisions of the
United States (which had allowed communities to be
reconciled with the Catholic Church whilst retaining
some aspects of their spirituality) should be explored
for England and allowed to flourish in America.
Fr Jeffrey Steenson
Now, our friends in the USA have their own
Ordinariate and their own Ordinary: Fr Jeffrey N
Steenson (pictured above). This is wonderful news,
both personally, and for all of us.
At a personal level, I have known Fr Jeffrey
over many years (and I don’t just say that
because we both have the same private
hobby of being pilots!) but because I
have witnessed his work as Rector of
the Church of the Good Shepherd in
Rosemont, and at St Andrew’s Church in
Fort Worth, Texas, and his appointment
as Episcopalian Bishop of Rio Grande.
His commitment and understanding of
Catholic Anglicanism always shone through;
and with his deep spirituality and
profound knowledge of Patristics,
he is the ideal choice for our
American friends.
worldwide provision
But more importantly, it is historic
and exciting news for the life of The Ordinariate
worldwide. It is another dramatic sign that the hopes
and wishes of Pope Benedict XVI are being fulfilled in
creating a worldwide provision in perpetuity for those
Anglicans who wish to be reconciled with the Holy
See, and yet cherish and want to retain parts of their
heritage.
No longer can people falsely claim that that “the
Pastoral Provision has no future”: there will now be
a succession of priests for its continuum. Never again
can cynics say that “The Ordinariate of Our Lady of
Walsingham was a one-off phenomenon”: the creation
of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter has killed
such an interpretation stone-dead.
Now, in our prayers and hopes, we await news from
Australia, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, and other
parts of the Anglican Communion where Catholic
Anglicanism once found root and who are coming to
realise where their true future lies.
“Come home . . .
the Welcoming party is getting bigger all the time!
Father Peter