The Church of the Holy Nativity has signified its intention to enter the Ordinariate as soon as it is erected in the United States. One by one, the groups are gathering!
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The Church of the Holy Nativity
An Anglican Catholic Parish
1414 North Easy Street – Payson, Arizona 85541
Church: 928-474-2660 – Rectory 928- 474-5209
The Rev’d Lowell E. Andrews, Rector
St. Michael & All Angels
September 29, 2010
The Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl
Archbishop of Washington
Post Office Box 29260
Washington, DC 20017-0260
Request for Reception into the Ordinariate
(under the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution.)
Your Excellency Archbishop Wuerl,
I am writing with the full consent of the parish church of the Holy Nativity Congregation, Vestry and myself requesting to be received into full Communion through the Ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church when established. This comes after a great deal of prayer and consideration with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We pray that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will look favorably upon our request. We have been preparing for this to come with teaching, studying and much devotion to our Catholic faith. This action comes with the blessing of our Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Daren K. Williams, ACA Diocese of the West who supports this move. We await with faith for further instructions from your office to this request.
With our deepest appreciation to Pope Benedict XVI for this offer to bring Christ’s Church into one fold, we pray that others will follow and that in time the Church will be One.
Faithfully in our Lord’s Service,
Rev. Lowell E. Andrews
Rector, the Church of the Holy Nativity
Copies:
The Most Rev. Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson
The Most Rev. Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan, Archdiocese of Santa Fe
The Most Rev. John Hepworth, Primate TAC
The Most Rev. Louis W. Falk, President, ACA House of Bishop
The Rt. Rev. Daren K. Williams, Bishop of the ACA Diocese of the West
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Congratulations!
How far are you from Phoenix?
D
Thank you for your words of encouragement and your welcome. Payson, AZ is about 100 miles north of Phoenix on a four lane highway that takes you about 1 hour or so. There is a dramatic change in elevation which creates cool mountain lakes, leafy trout streams and trails in which you can see more than 100 mile views. It is the Zane Grey country under the Mogollon Rim. The town is growing in that it is a bedroom community of Phoenix and many people live here and work in the Valley of the Sun in which Phoenix is part of along with many other cities such as Scottsdale. The big news for our town is that Arizona State University is going to build a four-year college compus in Payson and not far from Holy Nativity. We are in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson and have been well received by our local RC priest and others priests in the surrounding towns.
From a Traditionalist RC perspective:
What a beautiful description of Zane Grey country, Father Andrews. And what a blessing to us all that the "more than 100 mile views" of your place also reach all the way to the Vatican. Very happy news indeed!
Great news! I am curious why they CC'd the Bishop of Tucson and not the Bishop of Phoenix, or the Bishop of Gallup? They're much closer to them (diocesan boundary-wise I believe they are geographically in the Diocese of Phoenix, and, if not that then Gallup) than Tucson. The Archbishop of Santa Fe is the local (nominal) metropolitan, so that makes sense. Either way, may Christ speed you on your way!
Since the good Father has corrected me (indirectly — in response to Deborah's post), and since I'm more awake today than yesterday, I went and used a thing called a MAP to check diocesan boundaries online and saw the error of my Phoenix vs. Tucson ways. Mea culpa.
Again, welcome and blessings!
P.S. – For those confused by my confusion: Phoenix is north of Tucson, Payson is north of Phoenix, so I assumed (bad idea) as I did in my earlier post. Turns out the Diocese of Tucson is somewhat "u"-shaped and reaches around Phoenix to grab the county that Payson is in. Oh, well. Haha!
Derek,
A mistake that many make and understandably since Phoenix was at one time part of the Tucson Diocese till Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun grew as well as the north part of the state (Flagstaff etc.) that the Church formed a new diocese by carving out a big piece and called it Diocese of Phoenix. You are forgiven, my son! L+
A fountain in the Arizona desert… welcome home.
God bless and keep you. Our prayers will support you in your joy and your trials. Welcome home on this feast of the archangels.
I hope they do this soon in Dayton, Ohio. The music at the "drywall" church" is horrible.
I think the church in Dayton that does the same will see a growth in membership if only for the music.
Blessings from one who intends to follow your lead. God bless you and the congregation.
Well, I sometimes visit Phoenix, so maybe I'll drive up to visit if my stay is long enough.
Deborah
Let us not forget about St. Paul's, Pheonix, Father Vietor was just ordained on September 11. If some can visit Arizona, there are now two, one already established as Catholic.
I live in Tucson, Az. and I won't attend the Episcopal church usa because of it's lesbians and gay men who are priests. Can I , as a confirmed Anglican , join the Catholic church as an individual? I have been an anglo-catholic in practice.Where do I go to get specific information??? Also, what about parishioners in churches that are being accepted into the catholic church who have been divorced?? Are they required to be re-baptized, re-confirmed??? and to get annulments????? Beau
Yes, Beau, you may enter the Catholic Church as an individual — in fact, everyone who does, comes as an individual. However, you should consider it not because the Episcopal Church has gay and lesbian clergy, but because the fullness of truth is to be found within the Catholic Church. You should get in contact with a priest or deacon, starting with the Catholic parish in which you live. If you find the clergy there to be unhelpful, continue looking. I have no doubt that God will bring you to just the right person to help you receive whatever instruction will be necessary. Your baptism as an Episcopalian is a valid baptism; however, you will need to be confirmed in the Catholic Church, and if there is a previous marriage, it will need to be considered for a decree of nullity by the Catholic tribunal in the diocese before you are able to make a Profession of Faith and be confirmed.
Another question, does Anglicorum coetibus provide any advantages to joining the catholic church as compared to just going the RCIA way????
Beau