Ash Wednesday: Significant Date For Anglican Ordinariate

Caritatis in Veritate ^ | 3/7/11 | Father John Boyle

[marshmallow]

This Ash Wednesday a good number of Anglican clerics resign their offices in the Anglican communion to begin the process of reception into the Catholic Church and eventual ordination as Catholic priests in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. On the one hand this is an occasion of great joy. On the other, as Fr Ray Blake points out, we should pray for those communities that are going through the pain of farewells. For their own reasons, not everyone will be following these clerics. So parishes will be depleted in numbers with the consequent effect on morale and future viability.

By the same token, I can think of several Anglican lay people I know who would love their priest to take advantage of the Ordinariate process to join the full communion of the Catholic Church. And then they would follow. Why don't they become Catholics anyway? Well, it's complicated. There is huge attachment to heritage etc., which is precisely what Pope Benedict acknowledged in establishing an Ordinariate for these people.

The Ordinariate Portal gives news of the many resignations that are being offered at this time.

[marshmallow]

Lent is an important time for the Ordinariate. Many of those swimming the Tiber have resigned their offices and will be entering into a period of preparation for their reception at Easter and ordination at Pentecost.

Some very moving final sermons on display at the Ordinariate portal, as the Anglican clergy take leave of their congregations.

[SuziQ]

I’ll have to read the portal later today.

[ishmac]

ping for later

[livius]

Very touching indeed. One of the homilies mentioned that there were probably about 1000 Anglicans (clergy and their parishioners) who were going to take this step as of Ash Wednesday.