My heart and prayers are sincerely with ALL of you! Who could ever have imagined that the enemy of faithful christians would be other "christians" (in quotes because I question their christianity). Scripture can NEVER be rewritten! It then comes down to interpretation and what is meant by 'this' said in 'that' context, etc. I feel helpless as do all of you but trust that God in His divine Mercy will guide you on your journey.
The Anglican Church is very close in its belief system to the Catholic Church. It has retained a rich and beautiful heritage. So much so, that several years ago, a group approached Rome with the intent of realigning themselves to the Catholic Church. Here is a small portion of their story:
"Following the 1976 Episcopal Church Convention, a number of catholic-minded Episcopalians gathered together to explore ways to approach Rome, and the Society of St. Augustine was founded for this purpose. The San Antonio group formed St. Anthonys Church. The laity contacted Fr. Phillips in Rhode Island, who came to San Antonio with his family in January of 1982. Prior to that, in 1979, a formal request and proposal was made to the Holy Father through the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. In June 1980, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the Holy Fathers Pastoral Provision, which granted the petitioners request: ... a common identity reflecting certain elements of their own heritage. [Art. #84, More Vatican II Documents ed. Austin Flanney, O.P.]. These people, who formerly constituted St. Anthonys Anglican Catholic Church, were received on the Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother, 15 August 1983. "
Here in the Religion Forum, there are several members of the Anglican Use Catholic Church. I hope you will take a moment to visit the parish of one poster. It is absolutely magnificent!! Would that there were more of these in the US. Presently, there are only 6 Anglican Use churches - 4 in TX, one in NC and one in AL.
Constructed in 1986, the church building of Our Lady of the Atonement is built to resemble a medieval English church, while benefiting from modern construction. In keeping with Catholic tradition and biblical expectation, the consecrated altar within the Sanctuary faces East. Given the recent trend in American church architecture, parishioners genuinely appreciate the beauty of this church, and the beauty it inspires.
I am meeting my aunt and uncle for the nine o'clock tommorrow. I don't think I'll hear anything momentous just yet (although you never know, our rector was so upset about one bishop's mischaracterization of Jesus that he actually turned purple for a second when he mentioned it), but I want to see if there's anything unusual in the air. Like a sudden high attendance in August while the church's air-conditioning is being replaced...
I'll give a report after brunch tomorrow, I think we all should.