Tiber by way of the Thames (Catholic convert and apologist, now studying for priesthood)

Curt Jester ^ | September 9, 2006 | Jeff Miller

[NYer]

Dwight Longenecker is an American who has spent most of his life living and working in England. After graduating from the fundamentalist Bob Jones University with a degree in Speech and English, he went to study theology at Oxford University. He was eventually ordained as an Anglican priest and served as a curate, a school chaplain in Cambridge and a country parson.

Realizing that he and the Anglican Church were on divergent paths, in 1995 Dwight and his family were received into the Catholic Church. He spent the next ten years working as a freelance Catholic writer, contributing to over twenty-five magazines, papers and journals in Britain, Ireland and the USA.

Dwight is the editor of a best-selling book of English conversion stories called The Path to Rome-- Modern Journeys to the Catholic Faith. He has written Listen My Son—a daily Benedictine devotional book which applies the Rule of St Benedict to the task of modern parenting. St Benedict and St Thérèse is a study of the lives and thought of two of the most popular saints. In the field of Catholic apologetics, Dwight wrote Challenging Catholics with John Martin, the former editor of the Church of England Newspaper. More Christianity is a straightforward and popular apology for Catholicism as the fullest and freshest version of the Christian faith, and Mary-A Catholic Evangelical Debate is a debate with an old Bob Jones friend David Gustafson who is now an Evangelical Episcopalian. Dwight’s Adventures in Orthodoxy is described as ‘a Chestertonian romp through the Apostles’ Creed.’ He wrote Christianity Pure&Simple which was published by the Catholic Truth Society in England and Sophia Institute Press in the USA. He has also published How to Be an Ordinary Hero and has just finished The Healing Rosary.

Dwight has contributed a chapter to the third volume of the best selling Surprised by Truth series and is a regular contributor to Our Sunday Visitor and National Catholic Register. Dwight has also written a couple of children’s books, had three of his screenplays produced, and is finishing his first novel. He’s researching a play about Elizabeth Barton a feisty Catholic nun from the English Reformation, and is researching a double biography of C.S.Lewis and T.S.Eliot called Reluctant Allies.

In 2005 Dwight accepted a post as Chaplain to St Joseph’s Catholic School in Greenville, South Carolina. This brought him and his family back, not only to his hometown, but also to the American Bible belt, and hometown of Bob Jones University. He is a candidate for Catholic priesthood under the special pastoral provision for married former Anglican clergy, and will minister at St Joseph’s, and in the parish of St Mary’s, Greenville.

Dwight enjoys movies, books, and visiting Benedictine monasteries. He’s married to Alison. They have four children, named Benedict, Madeleine, Theodore and Elias. They live in Greenville, and are learning quickly about American suburban life, Wal-Mart and how to survive fast food.

[Pyro7480]

I didn't know Dwight Longenecker was studying for the priesthood! I know his name from somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it right now. Nothing is popping up from the bio you posted.

[livius]

I'll be looking forward to reading him! Anybody who merits any comparison with Fr. Rutler is definitely worth reading. I used to go to Fr. Rutler's yearly homilies on the Seven Last Words when he was at St. Agnes years ago, and the man was the type of orator who could keep the entire church silent and fascinated for three full hours.

[Theophane]

The number of former Anglican clergy taking advantage of the Patoral Provision (PP) keeps growing, so much so right now that even with a new assistant (the former Anglican Fr. Taylor Marshall, of "Canterbury Tales" blog fame) to the director (Fr. William Stetson), the PP office is reportedly nearly overwhelmed with applicants and enquiries. We were very privileged to have (former Anglican Fr.) Eric Bergmann visit us here at Our Lady of Walsingham over the past weekend, along with three of his once and future parishioners for the new Anglican Usage (AU) parish to be erected in Scranton, PA by Bishop Martino when Fr./Mr. Bergmann is reordained for the Catholic Church next year, and to see the dynanism that is building for the PP and the AU.

That said, your prayers and support are needed perhaps now more than ever, as a number of Episopalian clergy and laity are looking seriously at the PP and AU (just to see then names, some of whom are well known Anglo-Catholic clergy, posting to the Yahoo Anglican Use email list suggests the level of interest), and there are groups in various parts of the country right now that would like to commence AU communities, if their ordinaries would just give the OK.

In England, the situation may become even more fluid if the CofE goes ahead with ordaining women "bishops".

Stay tuned for further developments. And come on down to see us, y'hear?

[NYer]

know his name from somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it right now. Nothing is popping up from the bio you posted.

He is the author of 6 books and writes regularly for Catholic periodicals. As he phrases it:

"I write regularly for Catholic newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic, and I contribute regularly to Envoy Encore--EnvoyMagazine's popular weblog. I'm trying to maintain the tradition of some of my heroes: G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc and C.S.Lewis. They wrote for a popular readership about the issues of the day.">

ARTICLES

[NYer]

Just a quick question that surfaced on another thread. Do the Anglican / Episcopal converts attend a RC seminary or do they have one specifically for training in their liturgy?

[marshmallow]

Bob Jones bump!!

[TheStickman]

ping to ya

[Kolokotronis]

Well, any port in a storm, except in this case there really are only two ports for these poor people, Rome or Orthodoxy. This fellow, like many others, made his choice and for him it is undoubtedly a good one. Orthodoxy, too, is seeing quite an influx of former Anglican/Episcopalian priests, especially in the Antiochian Archdiocese. To my way of thinking, this is an unadulterated good thing if and to the extent that their seminary training fully inculcates both the theology and phronemai of The Church (whether Latin or Orthodox)in these men. Otherwise we could end up with "Protestants swinging the thurible".

[starfish923]

He is a candidate for Catholic priesthood under the special pastoral provision for married former Anglican clergy, and will minister at St Joseph’s, and in the parish of St Mary’s, Greenville.

Wow!

I didn't know there was a "special pastoral provision" for married former Protestant clergy.

Shows ta go ya.

[Convert from ECUSA]

"Mary-A Catholic Evangelical Debate" I've read this book, and I think it is very good.

[Campion]

He is a candidate for Catholic priesthood under the special pastoral provision for married former Anglican clergy, and will minister ... in the parish of St Mary’s, Greenville

St. Mary's is like a little piece of heaven. If time and money were no object, I'd go to Sunday Mass at St. Mary's and Mother A's shrine in Hanceville, AL, on alternate weeks. :-)

Steve Wood is moving to Greenville, as well. The people at Bob Jones are going to start to feel nervous with all of these high-intensity, high-octane Catholics moving in.

[Claud]

Otherwise we could end up with "Protestants swinging the thurible".

LOL...line of the week!

[Atheist2Theist]

If you like Fr. Rutler you will definitely like Dwight's books. He is the type of writer that can really make you think on things you take for granted and give you new insights. His Adventure's in Orthodoxy goes through the Creed and help you really look at it for the first time.

[livius]

That's a great recommendation. Thanks!

[Bainbridge]

There are special provisions for just about everything!

[Bainbridge]

There are special provisions for just about everything!

[Theophane]

My understanding is that this is determined on a case by case basis. I think that many of the ex-Anglican clergy are thought far enough advanced in their education that attending some number of courses at an RC seminary to fill in gaps or correct false understandings is deemed sufficient, rather than having them go throuhg the whole of a seminary education again (this also seems to be the way that ex-Anglican clergy being received over into, and reordained for, the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese are handled, but they have the option of doing much of their learning by mail through an extension program). There may be other means of accomplishng the same thing, though, of which I am not aware. Here in Houston, I understand that Archbishop DiNardo is working closely with the ex-Anglican candidate(s), so he will have a good sense of how well formed they are and when they are ready for reordination.