THE
P RTAL
March 2018
Page 11
T he P ortal Interview
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane meet Richard
Hawker of The Friends of the Ordinariate
T he P ortal : Tell us a bit about yourself; where you
2011, by a group of Lay
come from.
Catholics, to help raise
awareness and funds for
RH: I was born in Plymouth, the son of a clergyman, the Ordinariate within
and was baptised at the parish of St James the Less, the wider church.
Ham, in what might now be called a “challenging” part
of the city. It was solidly Anglo-Catholic. The original
This work of raising
church being bombed in 1941, a new church was built awareness has included visits by Mgr Newton to various
at the end of the 50s, very much in the style of the time, cathedrals and large parish churches, the setting up of
and boasting a great east window of Christ in Glory by a group of priests associate, organising high profile
Sir Ninian Comper, which was the beginning of a love liturgical events, as well as talks, receptions, and other
of his work.
similar social events.
From there we moved to Worcester, then Leicester,
then I continued north to Hull to read Theology at the
university and I have never lived more than eight years
in one place! I moved to London five years ago to take
up a job with Watts & Co, the vestment makers, with
whom I still work as well as working for the Friends.
The money raised goes to support particular
projects. Groups apply for grants, which have included
everything from organising particular events and
supplying Ordinariate Use Missals, up to paying for
buildings, and we have helped to buy a church and
build a presbytery. We also support people such as
the musical provision for groups and newly ordained
I had mostly been taught in Catholic schools, and clergy - real, substantial things to help the Ordinariate
this, along with a growing unease with the direction in flourish.
which the Church of England was moving, combined
with a pilgrimage to Lourdes, led me to realise that my T he P ortal : Tell us about your role with the Friends
and your vision for that role in the future.
home lay in full Communion with the Holy See.
RH: I am essentially a jack of all trades, looking after
much of the day to day work of the Friends, along
with the trustees, who give so much of their time
voluntarily. Much of my day to day work is taken up
by managing our website - friendsoftheordinariate.
org.uk - and Facebook page - facebook.com/
friendsoftheordinariate. Through these I try to raise
awareness of the Ordinariate Form. We regularly post
excerpts from the Missal and also from the Customary,
as well as what different groups are up to. There’s so
much happening in the Ordinariate at the moment
and it is good to show the world that, as well getting
T he P ortal : What about your appointment with the on with the Sunday by Sunday and day to day work
Friends?
of being part of the Catholic Church, there is always
good news going on. I am also editor for the Friends’
RH: In July of last year, when I began to work part time, bi-annual newsletter, and I have a major part to play in
there was an opportunity to support the Ordinariate in fund raising, and other events. So far, I’ve helped the
a more tangible form and I had helped the Ordinariate Trustees organise a drinks reception with the Nuncio
in small ways, and had always been an enthusiastic and the annual Epiphany Carol Service.
supporter, and here was a way to help in a solid form,
for which I am very grateful.
A lot of the work is simply spreading the good
news that is the Ordinariate. The trustees are all “well
The Friends of the Ordinariate was established in known” Catholics, and so much of the Friends’ work in
I drifted towards Precious Blood, London Bridge. It
was the sort of parish I’d grown up in: good hymns
and mass setting, dignified and prayerful liturgy with
thoughtful preaching. I had been so pleased when the
Ordinariate came into being, and was delighted to be
a small part of it. I had missed the culture of Anglo-
Catholicism particularly; to find it alive and well and
living in the Borough was a real tonic. I moved to St
Patrick’s, Soho Square, to help with the important
work there, and also began a connection with Warwick
Street.