THE P
RTAL
Father Peter ’ s Page
The beginning of The Ordinariate ?
November 2012 Page 20
I write this , reflecting on the 25 th October . This used to be what was referred to as The Feast of the Forty Martyrs of England & Wales . It has now been transferred , and combined with the Beatified Martyrs of England and Wales , celebrated on 4 th May .
‘ personal ’ reason
My ‘ personal ’ reason for still ( privately ) ‘ keeping ’ October 25 sacrosanct is two-fold : Firstly , one of the brave among the 40 Martyrs was St John Stone of Canterbury – the very saint to whom my University Chaplaincy is dedicated ; and being a ‘ local ’ saint I think it doesn ’ t do the students any harm to remind them ; Secondly , it is because I was fortunate to be in Rome that Sunday in 1970 when Paul VI canonised them and I heard , with my own ears , words which excited me then – and still do . Words which I enthusiastically talked about afterwards with Archbishop Michael Ramsey using then the , often over-worked , word : ‘ historic ’.
Reverend Doctor Harry Smythe
I was fortunate to meet with the Reverend Doctor Harry Smythe , then the official representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury , who was greeted in the opening paragraph of Paul VI ’ s homily . But it was the words that were the climax of the homily which have stayed with me , with an excitement that has never diminished . They were – and are , still – so important that they deserve to be quoted in full ( emphasis mine ):
the blood of these Martyrs
“ May the blood of these Martyrs be able to heal the great wound inflicted upon God ’ s Church by reason of the separation of the Anglican Church from the Catholic Church . Is it not one - these Martyrs say to us - the Church founded by Christ ? Is not this their witness ? Their devotion to their nation gives us the assurance that on the day when - God willing - the unity of the faith and of Christian life is restored , no offence will be inflicted on the honour and sovereignty of a great country such as England . There will be no seeking to
lessen the legitimate prestige and the worthy patrimony of piety and usage proper to the Anglican Church when the Roman Catholic Church - this humble “ Servant of the Servants of God ” - is able to embrace her ever beloved Sister in the one authentic communion of the family of Christ : a communion of origin and of faith , a communion of priesthood and of rule , a communion of the Saints in the freedom and love of the Spirit of Jesus . Perhaps we shall have to go on , waiting and watching in prayer , in order to deserve that blessed day . But already we are strengthened in this hope by the heavenly friendship of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales who are canonized today . Amen .”
a communion of priesthood
If I was asked when the ‘ concept ’ of an Ordinariate was first expressed , I would point back to that Sunday , 25 th October 1970 . It grieves me , that even as you read this , the Church of England continues to ignore this hope by turning a blind eye or deaf ear , or perhaps both , to the clear reference to “ a communion of priesthood ”.
future generations
In the years to come , as The Ordinariate goes from strength to strength , and is seen as the ‘ inheritor ’ of that which was offered some 42 years ago , would it not be good for us all to remember ‘ our roots ’ - perhaps in the Ordinariate Calendar ?
It would be a great loss if the momentous words of Paul VI on that October 25 th were forgotten . Let future generations look back , and be able to say with pride : “ It was to us he was referring . . .”
Father Peter Geldard