THE P RTAL
Advent 2013 Supplement
when he spoke to the Ordinariate communities in
the United States last year, told them that they had to
be architects of communion. To build a communion
begins only at the moment of entering the Catholic
Church. Building communion is something that has
to take place even in those Catholic parishes where
Ordinariate communities are worshipping and are
part of the vibrancy of Catholic life. But they are not
being absorbed into that local parish, so to build
communion is to be able to have normal people,
regular parishioners from the Ordinariate, able to tell
their Catholic brothers and sisters that they share the
same faith but they come from diverse traditions and
diverse expressions that do not harm the unity of the
Faith but in fact make it all the more vibrant. So really
building that sense of communion, even in the local
parishes, is the task of the Ordinariate.
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of Catholic communion, not out of fear, but out of
hope for the future and a desire to live your faith in
the universal communion of the Catholic Church
- that’s a tremendous thing – and also to be able
to speak positively to a secular culture that doesn’t
have a language of faith any more. It has lost, if you
will, a spiritual intuition or that inner compass that
guides it.
To articulate the reason for the Ordinariate, the
reason for leaving what is comfortable and familiar
in favour of something else out of the conviction of
faith is a very powerful witness. For the Ordinariate,
articulating that hope in the midst of a secularised
culture is going to be, I believe, very eloquent
contribution to evangelisation.
Fr Geissler: You are people
Fr Geissler: I think one
who made a large jump of
Archbishop Müller, when he spoke faith. After that long journey,
very important step has been
to the Ordinariate communities
taken. You have a Church
following the example of John
in the heart of London. It
Henry Newman, you found
in the United States last year,
is important that you have
the haven of the Catholic
told them that they had to be
a Church that is the centre,
Church. You have a great love
architects of communion
the beating heart of the
for the Church and a great
Ordinariate. To echo what
love for the Holy Father. This
Fr Lopes said, despite your
is important also for our
not yet having your own churches, you have the
Catholic brothers and sisters, who have grown up in
community of the Ordinariate. Its proper elements
the Catholic community, but not do always appreciate
are that you have your Liturgy.
the gift of being Catholics.
This is important for the identity of the Ordinariate
communities. You are a part of the big Catholic
family, but you have your distinct elements, and the
Apostolic Constitution of Pope Benedict says this is
enriching the whole Catholic Church. I would say
your mission is to share your richness with the big
Catholic family and that should make you proud,
that should make you happy and that should make
you also have an evangelising mission.
Jackie: Yes indeed. I think we have surprised some of
our Catholic brothers and sisters with how Catholic
we are. It would seem that one strong suit of the
Ordinariate is in the area of mission and evangelism.
What encouragement would you give us regarding
the new evangelisation?
Mgr Lopes: The new evangelisation, comes back to
that marvellous passage from Scripture from First
Peter, chapter 3 verse 15 ‘In your hearts, reverence
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a
defence to anyone who calls you to account for the
hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and
reverence.’ To give to those around you a reason for
your hope, that you have come into the adventure
You can help our Catholic brothers and sisters
to rediscover the beauty and the greatness of the
Church. The Church is criticised a lot nowadays, as
we know, because it consists of human people who
also have weaknesses and sins. And yet it functions,
it is a great gift. It is the family of God, where we can
meet Christ now. We can come to Christ through the
Sacraments and we are living in the great family of
the Catholic Church which is the oldest and the most
effective global community.
Mgr Lopes: The secular person doesn’t even think
religious thoughts any more, and that’s why it is
perplexing for the secularised person to meet a group
of people who not only have religious thoughts but
put their lives on the line for them in setting out
on this journey of faith into full Communion, to
translate spiritual intuitions into action is already
something very counter-cultural. This is a rich field
for evangelisation.
Fr Geissler: Also, evangelisation is true witness
that there is community in faith and diversity in the
expression of that faith: a unity in diversity. You have
a great richness of expressing the faith and a really