Recalling the words of Yogi Berra, “This is like déjà vu all over again.”
I’m whisked back some thirty years ago when the Pastoral Provision was outlined by Pope John Paul II. In many ways, it was a kind of “dress rehearsal” for Anglicanorum coetibus. As the mood is now, so then the reactions were mixed. For those of us who would be affected by it, it was a time of high excitement; for others, it was another excuse to claim that the Pope had lost his mind. Some Episcopalians called it “sheep stealing,” while others were happy to say “good riddance” to those who weren’t willing to acquiesce to the dismantling of the remnants of catholic belief and practice as they were found in Anglicanism. Some of us endured broken friendships because of our decision – to this very day, a man who was my closest friend and a fellow Episcopal priest, refuses to speak to me at all.
Even among those of us who were eager to avail ourselves of the terms of the Pastoral Provision, there were differences over what it meant, how it would be implemented, and what it bode for the future. We had to come to terms with a beginning far more modest than we thought it would be. Thousands of converts in dozens of parishes was the initial estimate; instead, we faced the reality of starting with only dozens of converts in parishes that could be counted on one hand. In our naiveté, we hadn’t considered the frequent difficulty of convincing diocesan Ordinaries that we had a right to exist, because most of them were ignorant of what the Pastoral Provision was all about – or if they knew, wanted no part of it.
About the best account of the history and circumstances leading to all of this was written by Fr. Jack Barker, sometime rector of St. Mary of the Angels, Hollywood, and now pastor of St. Martha Catholic Church in Murrieta, California. You can read his account here. You’ll see that it’s really part of the preparation for Anglicanorum coetibus.
I’m not surprised by the difficulties which are making themselves evident, and which we’re reading about here on this blog and in other places. But the last thing anybody should do is to give in to discouragement. The devil loves it when we do that. I made that mistake in 1983, just before we were received into the Catholic Church in San Antonio. What was a fairly healthy number of potential converts dwindled down to eighteen people in those last few months before our reception and my ordination. I had no idea there were those in our little group who had been harboring some rather anti-Roman feelings, and when the time drew closer to “sign on the dotted line,” they bolted, and tried to affect a scorched-earth policy in their wake. It was downright depressing at the time, and when I heard those who stayed behind chortling and saying, “We told you it would never work,” I had never felt so discouraged.
It was then – at my lowest – that I felt God’s firm kick in the backside. We’d wanted a way into the Catholic Church, and He’d given it to us; however, He never said it would be on our terms. Was it somewhat embarrassing to show up at Peter’s door with far fewer than we’d been hoping for? Humanly speaking, yes it was. But the door was still thrown open for us. I knew it was time to stop licking wounds and commiserating over changed circumstances. My family and I had willingly sacrificed everything we had – friends, home, salary, insurance, pension, all gone – and we weren’t about to stay discouraged.
On the first Sunday after the canonical erection of our parish, our numbers started to grow slightly. Some of those who had left us decided to come back, and eventually were able to make a Profession of Faith. Episcopalians and Anglicans of various stripes came to see what it was all about, and many of them chose to join with us. Lapsed Catholics found a place where they could rediscover their faith, and were restored to the sacraments. People who had no particular religious background found a small and welcoming community of believers, and so made their way into the Catholic Church. One by one, soul by soul, our parish grew and continues to grow – numerically and spiritually – even though it was born in very discouraging circumstances. And I have no doubt whatsoever that our story will be repeated over and over again in the Ordinariates.
To those who are claiming that the Ordinariates “will never work” – you don’t know what you’re talking about. Even the little experiment which is the Pastoral Provision has achieved remarkable results in a relatively short period of time, when one considers that it has been undercut at every turn. The Holy Father will have repaired that particular problem when he appoints Ordinaries.
To those who recoil at “becoming Roman Catholics” – for heaven’s sake, why? To be in the same visible Church as are the great saints throughout the ages, as well as such men as Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI is a marvellous blessing! Why would you denigrate it? To hear some people, it sounds like “Roman” equals “leprosy.” And isn’t it ironic? It’s “Rome” which is actually preserving and nurturing the Anglican patrimony.
To those who reject the Ordinariates because they want to “maintain a pure form of Anglicanism” – good luck! We can all see how well “pure Anglicanism” is working out. Alphabet soup, anyone? The only ones who seem to be winning are the makers of purple shirts.
Yes, it’s depressing when we see leaders who aren’t leading, and people who put the “protest” in Protestant. But it gives us all the more reason to guard against getting sucked into that vortex, by remaining single-minded about our vocation to unity with the Holy See, and with the fullness of faith which it guarantees.
No one welcomes these things – but we need always to remember that God is in control, and His divine Will is going to triumph. If He’d asked me to plan this party, it would probably look a whole lot different. But He didn’t ask me, and I think He’ll manage just fine.
No related posts.
Yep.
Father Phillips.
I appreciate your words of wisdom.
When you spoke of an Episcopal priest friend who will no longer speak to you I was reminded of the same experience in my life when I left the Episcopal fold for Roman Catholicism. A friend of mine, a retired Episcopal who fancied himself "more Catholic than the Pope", has found it terribly difficult to speak to me without making anti-Catholic remarks since the day in 1999 when I told him of my entrance into the RCIA program of the local Catholic parish.
Thanks be to God, this has not been the only or even the most common experience I have had with Episcopalian friends. Chilton Knudsen, the female bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine at the time, who had received my vows a a Religious Solitary some years before, accepted my decision with a smile and a "May God bless you on your journey."
No, we mustn't despair. Such is a foothold for the Evil One.
Bravo, Father. An excellent post, thank you.
Well put, Fr. Phillips.
P.K.T.P.
Fr. Phillips,
Your experience is what Anglicans heading for Rome through an Ordinariate are experiencing at this moment.
Just as you trusted our Lord, we must all have the same trust and not let naysayers discourage us.
God has richly blessed you and your parish for following the Holy Spirit and the same will be true of the many Anglicans following in your footsteps.
Your post was wonderful and reassuring to those who are discouraged at this time.
They say hindsight is 20/20…I pray that your experience is prophetic for the rest of us who follow in your footsteps. And if not the temporal success, I know that the joy you have found is awaiting us all. As for now, the world is without form and void… God be praised, for His mercy endureth for ever!
Thanks Fr. Chris. Perhaps we have to go through a real test of obedience first. Not because "Rome" wants it, but because the Lord wants it.
Deborah
Thanks for the encouragement, Father!!
Fr Christopher, your post seems prophetic, and I for one do not care how many join on the day when the Ordinariates are erected; as Archbishop Hepworth has declared, this is an ongoing invitation for the Gathering of Anglicans. If we do not falter, and do not listen to those who are against the Oneness that being in communion brings, then we will be OK. Numerical size has never been important, but Fidelity to the Catholic Faith as presented by the Catholic Church and the See of Peter is, and I am excited about the prospect of being in communion when the Ordinariates are established.
Thank you, Father!
Thank you, Fr. Phillips, and what a wealth of resources are in those tracts! Halfway through the one that you linked in this article I've seen much from the early years of my own spiritual re-awakening in the late 1970s flash before my eyes, and can for the first time answer why I personally didn't get onto the Anglican Use sooner. It seems I was usually at the other end of the state, or the other side of the country, when important developments were occurring, and thus I didn't learn of them in a timely way or in association with each other.
I want to second Fr. Phillips' urgent and cogent invitation to hope and joy. And for those who might still be tempted to think things won't work out, keep in mind that even a little quasi-parishes like ours in Boston has still done the same kind of work the Lord calls all congregations to do, even without having the blessings of a parish plant or consistent episcopal support: new Catholics have been formed here, vocations fostered, and the work and worship of God been carried out.
This past Sunday we had two people come for Mass from out of town. One young man drove from upstate New York (as a student he had been in Boston, and still comes here every 6-8 weeks to worship with us), the other a young mother with her year-old son who came from Connecticut. They weren't there to visit us, that is, the people, per se (though I think we are a friendly enough group
; rather, they were there to worship the Lord in the "beauty of holiness" according to the Anglican tradition which we have been able to continue, even in our smallness. Would a Novus Ordo parish attract people to travel so far?
The Ordinariate parishes, even if they are small and poor, will, persevering in those elements that have made Anglicans a group of special concern to the Popes, from Paul VI to Benedict XVI, also do great things for God, His Church and for those who need to hear (anew in some cases) the Good News of Christ.
Fr Phillips reminds us of the meaning of the Holy Father's response to the question: Are you optimistic?
As I understand it, the answer is: 'No, not optimistic, because optimism relies upon human will, emotion and the activities of people. I am hopeful, because hope is a virtue which comes from God.'
Thank you for sharing the grace of hope that does not disappoint us, Father. Your words are of God while many others offer only doubt and decry the process.
AC and the Ordinariate is a movement of the Holy Spirit through the gift of the Holy Father. We need to open ourselves to this process in humility, offering to those who are thirsty a reason for the hope that is within us.
May the Mother of Hope guide us and pray for us.
John H. Cardinal Newman, ora pro nobis.
I completely agree with Peregrinus and thank him for his contribution. And thank you Father for your transparently honest account of what you have been through and continue to endure.
5 August 1983, Fr. Christopher Phillips and Our Lady of the Atonement in San Antonio, Texas; 10 September 1983, Fr. Clark A. Tea and St. Mary the Virgin, Las Vegas, Nevada; 25 February 1984. Fr. Joseph Frazer and St. Margaret of Scotland, Austin, Texas; 7 April 1984, Fr. James Moore and Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston, Texas: 13 April 1984, Fr. David Ladkau and Good Shepherd, Columbia, South Carolina.
So Father, just curious, what happened to Saint Mary the Virgin, Las Vegas, NV.; Saint Margaret of Scotland, Austin, TX. and Good Shepherd, Columbia, S.C.?
In Las Vegas and Austin, when the priests were unable to stay any longer, they were not replaced by the bishop. This shows yet again the difficulty which the A. U. has been facing all these years — we have to depend completely on the charity and cooperation of the local bishop, and sometimes it's not forthcoming!
The situation in Columbia was very different. For some reason, Fr. Ladkau had no desire to use our liturgy, and really didn't want to be part of the Anglican Use. As a married priest, he was ordained through the Pastoral Provision, but that was as far as it went. Apparently his congregation was happy with this, because none of us in the A. U. have ever heard anything from them or about them.
Thanks Father for the timely reminder. Isn't this the story with all parishes, congregations and communities? It starts with a small group, or a single man from Assisi, or a lone diminutive woman from Yugoslavia. Even at the foot of the cross, there was only three, and Peter not among them.
What is it that was said to Thomas? God bless those who have not seen but believe. It is human nature to take a wait and see attitude, to distrust that which we do not see and feel.
With the work that the AU parishes have done we can catch a glimpse of what the Ordinariates will be like. We can certainly see what the Catholic Church is today as well as the various Anglican bodies. But the Ordinariates do not exist. They cannot be seen and poked. Rare are the human beings that will accept a new spiritual home without seeing it first. But once it exists? That's another story entirely.
That's exactly right, Bruce. Every parish, every congregation, has its important and inspiring story. I tell ours not because I think it's more special — it's simply the story I know. We really need to continue to encourage one another, because there are too many naysayers out there who want to pull a shroud over Anglicanorum coetibus.
Excellent post, Father, and also the comments that followed.
I'm reminded of that scene from "Oh Brother, Where art Thou?" when Delbert asks, "What's gotten into George?", referring to the bipolar criminal who hits a distinctive low point after a decidedly "high" affect rampage. Answers Everett, "What goes up must come down". True enough in the affairs of men; my Goodness, do we recall that original "Holy Week High" after the disciples ride in behind "King Jesus" into Jerusalem?
And then the arrest; and the abandonment; and the torture; and the crucifixion; and the death . . .
No, God's methods have never changed. He allows us to spin our wheels in giddy excitement, oblivious to the reality of what it truly takes to establish the Lord's domain: "And it is through much tribulation that we enter the Kingdom of God".
There are those "who exalt themselves to establish the vision"; and as Daniel predicted, "they will fail". And then there are those who, through patient endurance, see the delivery of new life, through much travail. So it will be with the Ordinariates. And the Lord IS with us! "Though the vision seem to fail, wait patiently for it, for it will not fail, it will come speedily!"
Amen, and Amen!!
Excellent article, Fr. Phillips. May it serve as an inspiration to those who are harbouring doubts.
As a cradle Catholic, let me assure those who are still wondering/debating/doubting that we love you all, want you back with us together again and really looking forward to that wonderful day.
Unfortunately, modern man is used to having things happen in sound bites. Modern man deals in seconds/hours/days but remember, the Church deals in centuries and everything planned and done is with the view to eternity. So be strong, be patient and be faithful. God is great and God loves us!
Thank you Father, your story of Our Lady of the Atonement is always an encouragement.
Excellent post Father! The Gospel has a lot of imagery about small things or even nothing resulting in a large harvest. My favourite is when Peter and the fishers worked all night and caught nothing. The Master said "Put out into deep water". Peter did what was asked. And the nets were to their breaking point.
In our human limitations we don't see that the nets would be to their breaking point. The Bible tells out that we have to take that leap into the deep. Abraham did, Moses did, Peter and the fishers did, Mary of Nazareth did and a host of other Biblical heroes! These holy men and women are ordinary folks and we too are asked to do the same, when we get married, take a new job, and of course live the Anglican faith in the Catholic Church. We can easily imagine the worst that could happen in the Ordinariates but human nature makes it hard to see the best that could happen.We could see and feel the ecumenical and ecclesiastic political difficulties of organizing an Anglican Use Evening Prayer in the Philippines, but my human limitations find it hard to believe that it will result in the nets being full to their breaking point. Thus I (and Bruce Hall) need to put out into deep water too!
We ask for your prayers.
St Andrew and St Peter Fishermen and Apostles, pray for us. Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for us! St Lorenzo of Manila pray for us! Our Lady of Walsingham pray for us! Blessed Pedro Calungsod of the Visayas, pray for us! Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage pray for us!
All the intercessors I have mentioned had taken boats and found the just reward the Master intended.
Ben, all of you there certainly have my prayers. Your zeal will be rewarded, I know!
I think we should not let ourselves be enticed into subscribing to the "Reign of Quantity", but instead work on faithful union with the Holy Father, who is truly a providential man for this time, for us of the Anglican heritage, and for all others in the wider Roman world as well. Once full union is accomplished, the numbers will come in due time. This has certainly been the experience of us at Our Lady of Walsingham, as well as Fr. Phillips at Our Lady of the Atonement, and as he said so well, sometimes the numbers come from rather unexpected quarters, but their contribution is tremendous. In our case, the debt on our original small church building was paid off in full one day after the 4:30 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass (the earliest in Houston, and so something of a draw for many), when a lady walked up to Fr. Moore and wrote a check for the whole sum. She was a cradle Catholic but had found a new home with us, and went on to provide the seed money for the new building so admired by many.
I think the histories of OLOA and OLOW show that in the development of AU or now Ordinariate, parishes, a period of sacrifice, perhaps quite intense, may well be required, but is it not always so in the Church? The fruits will come in their good time and will be abundant.
So, as the cellist said to Wilhelm Fuertwaengler, famous for his hesitant downbeat, "corraggio, maestro".