THE P RTAL
October 2014
continued, “So the questions still arise in the minds
of many: on the one hand, some will ask if members
of the Ordinariate are really Catholics? On the other,
those who have joined the Ordinariate will ask if
they are being truly distinctive enough, or whether
absorption into diocesan parishes and structures will
be the inevitable end. This is not an easy path.”
Page 21
Mgr Keith Newton
Finally, Mgr Keith Newton gave us his charge. He
used the example of the Eastern Churches to show
how we are united but not uniform. He quoted
Cardinal Levada who used the image of an orchestra
to make the point. He continued the quote, “All the
instruments can play the same notes but the sound
is enriched when the notes are played on
different instruments.”
Speaking of the Catholic Church he said,
“ She believes that she is the mystical body
of Christ and she is convinced that the
Church of Christ subsists in her because
she recognises that, while she is like the
piano that has all the notes, that is all
the elements of sanctification and truth,
many of those notes are shared with other
communities and those communities
often have beautiful ways of sounding
the notes that can lead to a heightened
appreciation of truth and holiness, both
within the Catholic Church and within her
partners in the ecumenical endeavour.”
He drew attention to the balance between becoming
totally absorbed into diocesan life on the one hand,
and being over-distinctive on the other. The Cardinal
quoted both Blessed John Henry Newman and Pope
Emeritus Benedict and told us there were two lessons
to be learnt. First is the lesson of patience and humility;
the second important lesson is that nothing will be
done in the spirit of our Patron if it is done as a matter
of personal taste, of subjective likes and dislikes.
Cardinal Nichols went on to emphasis the importance
of Evangelisation, and the role of the Ordinariate in
that Evangelisation. When he finished speaking, he
received rapturous applause. He stayed on to answer
a few questions, and he did so with grace and a deal
of humour.
As Cardinal Nichols left the Hall he shook hands and
greeted many, clergy and lay. It was obvious that those
in the Hall w