THE P RTAL
March 2012 Page 8
Snapdragon
Proud to be where I am
Lots of comments have been circulating that a tremendous amount has happened in the space of a year . It was only at the start of Lent 2011 that many of us left our much loved churches , found new spiritual homes and went through the rites of Reception . We are now excited to see more people coming along the same route . In the excitement of the newness of it all , we would have said “ yes ” to anything ! We were caught up in the euphoria of a chapter of history being written . It had its painful moments , but once the momentum had begun , all we wanted was to see it come to fruition – and it has !
clarity
Since then , what has struck me most of all when attending the receiving of new members into the Catholic Church has been the clarity of what is being asked for . After the recitation of the creed the candidate states “ I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes , teaches , and proclaims to be revealed by God ( my italics ).”
The celebrant continues , “ N ., the Lord receives you into the Catholic Church . His loving kindness has led you here , so that in the unity of the Holy Spirit you may have full communion with us ( my italics ) in the faith that you have professed in the presence of his family .”
Be assured then ….. it is the Lord who brings you to this moment . Then , standing there witnessing this ceremony still feeling a very new Catholic , I hear the words “ that you may have full communion with us …” - all of a sudden I feel very proud to be where I am . Yes … an awful lot has happened ! It ’ s not a form of escape from where we were … but a sense of relief to find ourselves where we are and desirous that the same loving Lord will beckon others into the same fold .
I really feel part of “ his family ” in a way that I have never experienced it before . Before you ask or even think it – the reception process makes no demand to reject anything of your past Christian experience or ministry . More than a few of my Anglican friends simply refuse to hear that : using it as the ultimate excuse for not being willing to even consider the move into full Communion with the Church .
The legislation grinds on
The General Synod has met : and it has deliberated ( yet again ) on the issue of the episcopacy being opened up to women . Clearly many are tired of the old arguments being rehearsed yet again . The time has come for a definitive solution . Is the outcome any different from what we would expect ? No : is the honest answer . But the most important thing to report on their deliberations is …… it is no longer our concern .
leave it alone
We simply don ’ t need to engage with it . Leave it to others who think they can win concessions . The House of Bishops has never come up with an adequate solution over the last twenty years , so why would they change their spots now ? That ’ s something else more than a few of our Anglicans friends need to heed . But it ’ s not our concern now : leave it alone . All we have to do is to be ready to swell our ranks and provide a welcome to those who come to the realisation that a definitive solution has been found – and we are now a year old and proud of that fact !
Rome Pilgrimage : for our Bournemouth group the highspot was the Confirmation of Brian and Barbel Copus , pictured here with Mgr Keith and their Sponsors , Sue Vine and Fr Edwin Barnes
Rome Pilgrimage : Happy Pilgrims in the Church of St George in the Marsh ( San Georgio Palabro ) which was the titular church of John Henry Cardinal Newman , our Patron