St. George's Anglican Church in Rogers, Arkansas, a mission of the ACA's Diocese of the Missouri Valley, has resolved to seek entrance into the Catholic Church via the anticipated personal ordinariate to be erected in the United States.
The mission has also decided to temporarily seek haven in the Patrimony of the Primate, the provision recently extended by Archbishop Hepworth to those communities and clergy which find themselves now estranged from diocesan bishops who have betrayed the doctrinal and ecumenical commitments of the Traditional Anglican Communion.
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ST. GEORGE ANGLICAN CHURCH
2710 Rife Medical Lane
Rogers, AR 72758
Resolution
WHEREAS, The Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Church in October 2007, while assembled in Plenary Session at Portsmouth England did draft a petition to the Holy See asking for guidance in coming into full communion with the Catholic Church, yet retaining our rich Anglican Traditions and Liturgy.
WHEREAS, The Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Church did unanimously accept the petition and each did affix their signatures to said document thus accepting the leadership of the Chair of Peter and the Catechism of the Catholic Church as our full expression of faith.
WHEREAS, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI did most graciously respond to our request in his Apostolic Constitution (ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS) issued in November 2009, thus providing the mechanism whereby Anglicans may once again enter in to the fold of the Catholic Church while retaining all those distinctive forms of Liturgy and Traditions that make us uniquely Anglicans.
WHEREAS, The Anglican Community of Saint George in a duly called parish meeting held on October 10, 2010 and being conducted in accordance with the bylaws of this parish, did by a majority vote of the eligible communicants elect to submit a petition for admission into the Anglican Ordinariate of the Catholic Church.
- RESOLVED, The Pastor of this Parish with the Secretary of the Vestry prepares and submits through the appropriate channels a request to enter into the Anglican Ordinariate of the Catholic Church.
- RESOLVED, The Parish submits a request through the appropriate channels to be placed under the Patrimony of The Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion until such time it fully enters into the Anglican Ordinariate of the Catholic Church.
In witness whereof I do affix my Name as Secretary of the Vestry and Parish.
____________________________________
Michelle Stockand
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Below is the resolution's cover letter, addressed to Bishop David Moyer who has been appointed to coordinate the Patrimony of the Primate in the territory of the Anglican Church in America.
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October 11, 2010
The Rt. Rev. David L. Moyer
Lancaster & Rosemont Ave
Rosemont, PA 19010
Dear Bishop Moyer:
This is to inform you that the Anglican Community of St. George on October 10, 2010 while assembled in a duly called Special Parish Meeting, did with those communicants qualified voting, elect to petition for admission into the Anglican Ordinariate of the Catholic Church. This vote was in the affirmative of all present with one abstention.
At the same meeting the decision was made to request to be placed under the Patrimony of the Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion. A resolution addressing those decisions has been included in this communication.
It is with great joy that we make this first step in returning to that Blessed Communion from whence we came, bringing with us our Traditions and Liturgy.
Please accept this letter and the enclosed Resolution as our formal petition to be received as a mission into the Ordinariate. We eagerly await instructions from your office as to the next steps to be undertaken as we move into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Your humble servant in Christ,
The Rev. Bobby C. Hall, SSM
priest-in-charge
Cc: The Rt. Rev. Stephen D. Strawn, Bishop Ordinary, Dioceses of the Missouri Valley
Cc: The Most Rev. Louis W. Falk, President of the ACA House of Bishops
Cc: The Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington
Cc: The Most Rev. Anthony B. Taylor, Bishop of Little Rock
Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!
More great news, as the groups begin to gather for entrance into the Ordinariate. Congratulations to you, Fr. Hall, and to the people of St. George's.
Can someone clarify for me, should a parish write to Archbishop Wuerl and copy Bishop Moyer or does it matter?
No, in general it is unnecessary for anyone to copy Bishop Moyer on correspondence regarding the Apostolic Constitution. This is an ACA (Diocese of the Missouri Valley) parish applying to enter the Patrimony of the Primate for which +Moyer is the coordinator. Unless a parish finds themselves in this situation (where they have an hostile ACA ordinary), they would simply direct their application to the Archbishop of Washington's office.
I should add that DEUS parishes and missions should, of course, coordinate their actions with Bishop Campese.
Wish to thankfully share the following which, I believe, will be posted in an upcoming General posting for all to read and rejoice with us. Both Fr. Mai and myself, Lord willing, plan on attending next months gathering at Our Lady of the Atonement.
October 4, 2010
Francis of Assisi
The Rt. Rev. David L. Moyer
19 Montrose Avenue
Rosemont, PA 19010
Your Grace,
I address you in response to the 'Patrimony of the Primate' issued by ++Hepworth for those ACA congregations intent on availing themselves of the generous pastoral offer made by the Holy Father in his Apostolic Constitution ANGLICANORUM COETIBUS, given in Rome, at St. Peter’s, on November 4, 2009, the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo.
We at The Church of the Resurrection, (Asian/American), ACA/TAC, have anticipated this moment. After a considerable period of prayer and discussion, the Parish Vestry, the congregation since then consenting unanimously, voted in the affirmative to avail ourselves of this historic moment in the life of the Church. We thus inform you of our intent of entering the Ordinariate once it is established and already pray for the servant, known to God, who shall be chosen to be our first Ordinary.
We faithfully await entry to the Ordinariate availing ourselves of the process put in place by our present ACA/TAC ecclesial authorities.
We pray for you as you go about the task of putting in place this Ordinariate, a structure which we believe comes from the Holy Spirit by means of the Holy Father. May the Lord bless you as you facilitate the establishment of the Ordinariate, a response to many years of faithful prayer.
In service to God and His people, the Church,
(the Rev'd) Father Joseph B. Mai, Rector
8851 Gold Coast Dr., San Diego, CA 92126 (619) 252-1851
(the Rev'd) Father George Ortiz-Guzman
Mr. John Vo, Senior Warden
Mr. John Nguyen, Secretary
Mr. Andrew Vu, Treasurer
CC: The Most Rev. John Hepworth, Primate TAC (electronic)
The Most Rev. Louis W. Falk, President, ACA House of Bishops
The Rt. Rev. Daren K. Williams, Bishop Diocese of the West, ACA
Rev. Fr.:
A warm welcome to you and your congregation as you join the caravan of faithful in our journey across the Tiber.
This is very good news Father!