THE P RTAL
September 2014
Australia Pages - page 9
The Ordinariate in Australia
“Ploughing Concrete”
Some thoughts from Mgr Harry Entwistle, Ordinary
of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross
I
t has
been said that “Evangelisation in Australia is like ploughing concrete.” I think all mainline
Christians in the West can identify with this sentiment, so how are we trying to plough in Our Lady of
the Southern Cross (OLSC)? Like the population of Australia, the Ordinariate is concentrated in the major
metropolitan and regional cities, with great swathes of sparsely populated areas in-between.
Ordinariate Communities
Evangelisation must begin within our communities.
We cannot invite others to embrace the faith if we
cannot proclaim it. The clergy have been asked to create
small groups that study the Apostolic Exhortation,
‘Evangelii Gaudium,’ in preparation for a workshop I
conduct during my parish visit.
In this workshop I explain that the incarnation of Jesus
makes God available, accessible and approachable to
us. As the Church is the Body of Christ, the challenge
to the group is how they make themselves and their
community available, accessible and approachable to
those who are seeking God. I have begun to issue a
teaching broadsheet called ‘Musings of the Ordinary’
for distribution to all Ordinariate members. It is
an attempt to make connections as well as offering
catechesis.
Clergy Clusters
In several cities at this stage, there is only one
Ordinariate group, but more than one priest. One of
the reasons we are in full Catholic unity is to bring
the gifts of the English Tradition back to the wider
Catholic Church. The most tangible expression of our
patrimony is found in the liturgies of the Ordinariate.
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Using the misquote from the film, ‘Field of Dreams,’
“build it and they (he) will come,” I am asking bishops
to identify a church in a suburb some distance from
the Ordinariate group, or in another part of the diocese
where an Ordinariate mass can be said on a regular
basis with the intention of gathering a new group. The
bishop of one diocese where no Ordinariate group
exists has accepted an Ordinariate priest on loan for
a set period, to be administrator of the local parish
as well as being charged with trying to establish an
Ordinariate presence in his diocese.
Torres Strait
The Church of the Torres Strait (CTS) was a Province
of the Traditional Anglican Communion which
petitioned the Holy Father to become an Ordinariate
in its own right. After prayerful discernment, the CTS
amended its petition to become a Territory of OLSC.
This was welcomed by the Holy Father.
formation of clergy and laity
Preparations for the formation of clergy and laity
are being made, so please pray for this evangelistic
outreach which will establish the presence of the
Catholic Church on islands where none currently
exists.