John Allen, the excellent and fair journo for the National Catholic Reporter writes here about the hype and the reality surrounding the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus. He quips that there are probably more articles written about the Constitution than there are Anglicans willing to take advantage of it.
I see his point and agree. Those of us who understand the situation never imagined that the entire Anglican and Episcopal churches would be cramming across the Tiber like lemmings. Neither was that the intent of the Vatican in issuing the Constitution. It is clear from the opening paragraphs that this is a response from a significant, but small number of Anglicans who genuinely want to be in communion with the Holy See. What interests me is that Rome is willing to make provision for all sorts of small groups, and doesn't mind dealing with a little group of Chaldeans here, an order of Anglican sisters there, a congregation of Ukrainians or whatever. This is a similar provision.
However, in the midst of Allen's realistic article is the opinion of one bishop who doubts whether there will even be a need for an Anglican Ordinariate in the USA. This is worrying. While the numbers are small, they are still significant. This initiative must not be sidelined by people who do not understand the Anglican situation and are cynical about the Pope's offer for whatever reasons (and there are a whole range of different reasons why Catholics will be opposed to this measure) Happily, the Ordinariate will not be set up by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, but by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
While we wait and see what action is taken by Rome, I think this is the time for interested parties to start organizing and talking. Episcopalians, continuing Anglicans and former Anglican Catholics should take an interest, get involved, meet with one another and see just how much interest there is. Communications should be established with the local bishop so that they (and Rome) will start to see just how much interest there is. Individual clergy should be in contact with friends, start networking, get things going at the local level. The success of the ordinariate will depend on people having some enthusiasm, having an entreprenurial spirit and a willingness to make sacrifices for this to work.
One thing everyone who is interested can do is to plan to attend the Anglican Use Conference in Newark NJ in June. Keep in touch with developing details on this through the website of the St Thomas More Society.
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There will be a meeting to discuss Anglicanorum coetibus, with speakers and an opportunity for questions, on December 12th at Our Lady of the Atonement Church in San Antonio. We're making arrangements for this to be live-streamed, so it can be viewed from any computer anyplace. Details about how to log in will be available soon.
Well Fr. I may be one "former Anglican" who may "Swim BACK across the Tiber" to the Anglicans (Anglican Church in North America/Reformed Episcopal Church). Why? I tried but I simply cannot accept some Catholic Dogmas like Papal Infallibilty (yes I know what it is) the Council of Trent and its Canons and Decrees on Justification,the Dogmas on Purgatory and Idulgences. And to be honest I still believe the 39 Articles of Religion and the Anglican Book of Homilies as expressing the Biblical Gospel.
My mind is not made up yet but what can I do? I cannot see myself ever accepting those Catholic Dogmas I mentioned.
john, please feel free to email me personally with your questions. dlongenecker@charter.net
While the priest at my (in my perception) reasonably orthodox yet ECUSA parish thinks that few will avail themselves of the opportunity provided, and older (retired) priest friend intends to makes use of it, and thinks far more than anyone imagines will join him. As he is very active in maintaining his contacts across the US, including friends in ACNA, his is more likely in my view to be an informed opinion.
His own reasons? The clouds of sulfur he perceives coming from the ECUSA national leadership, and his agreement (after careful reading) with the Catechism. I'm with him on the first, a bit behind on the second...
I have to agree with John Allen (as I nearly always do) when he talks about all the coverage of Anglicans cashing in their chips in Canterbury and elsewhere and hitching a lift to Rome.
He also makes the point that this story is of little consequence when we look at the bigger picture of Christianity and the world. A story that really matters, for example, is the Mexican bishops tackling the drug wars.
I understand why some in the Church are so preoccupied with the Anglican ordinate, but I can't help but wonder what this preoccupation says to non-Christians about the gospel and the Church.
Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas declared the following: "I don’t see any great rush in the Anglican community to come over in a group.”
As I live in the Dallas Diocese, I can understand why the Anglican community won't rush over to the Church in Dallas.
With few exceptions, the state of Catholic liturgy in Dallas is mediocre at best.
Newer parishes and a great many established parishes are ugly and modernistic.
Even with the endless wave of Catholic illegal aliens who move to Dallas, the overall Sunday Mass attendance rate within the diocese is only about 18 to 20 percent.
If I were Protestant, I really wouldn't find much about the state of Dallas parishes (a few exceptions, at least from the liturgical perspective, that would spur me to convert to the Church.
By the way, Summorum Pontificum is a dead letter in the Dallas Diocese.
Therefore, I'm not surprised that the Dallas Diocese isn't excited to promote or appreciate the Pope's vision regarding Anglicans.
Everything that can be done to discourage Anglican converts from joining the Church will be done.
William
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