Fr. Lee Kenyon writes from Canada, asking our prayers for the people of St. John’s Church, Calgary, as they prepare for a parish vote to ratify the unanimous decision by the members of the Vestry to seek entrance into the Ordinariate when it is established for that country. St. John’s was founded in 1905, and presently is a parish of the Anglican Diocese of Calgary within the Anglican Church of Canada.
This is what was approved by the Vestry, and the parish vote will be taken sometime near the end of November:
PREAMBLE
On 16th February 1993 the Rector, Wardens and Vestry of the Parish of St John the Evangelist, Calgary adopted a Mission Statement which committed us to "faithfulness to Scripture and Holy Tradition . . . based on traditional classical Anglicanism", the faith of which was to be expressed in "living traditional Anglo-Catholic Prayer Book worship". While holding firm to these principles ever since, theological, ecclesiological and sacramental developments within the Anglican Communion over nearly forty years have led us, as a Parish, walking, in peace and in love, a different path from that of the Anglican Church of Canada as it now stands.
"Endeavour[ing] to give full expression to the Faith once delivered as evidenced in Scripture and attested to in the Creeds and Councils of the undivided Church", as we have maintained on our Parish website for many years, the Parish of St John the Evangelist, Calgary has, since its Annual Parochial Meeting in February 2010, been engaged in a period of exploration and discernment as to its future direction as a parish of Anglo-Catholic conviction and practice. A Future Committee, appointed at the Annual Meeting, voted by a majority in April to recommend to the Vestry that it explore, with the Parish as a whole, the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI for Anglicans to enter into full communion within the Catholic Church whilst "maintain[ing] the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church", as set out in the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, issued 20th October 2009.
In unanimously receiving and approving the recommendation of the Future Committee, the Vestry set in motion a formal period of parochial exploration, discussion and study of the terms of Anglicanorum Coetibus and of the faith and practice of the Catholic Church. This has been achieved through: a series of Open Forums, one involving the Ecumenical Officer for the Catholic Diocese of Calgary; the study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church through the catechetical programme Evangelium; informal discussions and meetings with parishioners; sermons; and, significantly, a formal meeting of the Priest-in-Charge, the Church Wardens and a member of the laity with His Grace the Archbishop of Toronto, The Most Revd Thomas Collins, appointed by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to be the liaison for groups of Anglicans exploring Anglicanorum Coetibus. The Anglican Bishop of Calgary and the Archdeacon of the Bow Valley have been fully informed of this process of exploration within the Parish.
After nearly half a year spent on this process, it is the desire of the Vestry of the Parish of St John the Evangelist, Calgary to affirm certain key principles of the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, namely that:
"Every division among the baptised in Jesus Christ wounds that which the Church is and that for which the Church exists; in fact, 'such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalises the world, and damages that most holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature.'" (Anglicanorum Coetibus, p.5)
"The communion of the baptised in the teaching of the Apostles and in the breaking of the eucharistic bread is visibly manifested in the bonds of the profession of the faith in its entirety, of the celebration of all of the sacraments instituted by Christ, and of the governance of the College of Bishops united with its head, the Roman Pontiff." (ibid., p.6)
"This single Church of Christ, which we profess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic 'subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him.'" (ibid., pp.6-7)
Desirous of that unity willed by Christ on the night before he died, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (St John 17.21), and remaining committed to "endeavour[ing] to give full expression to the Faith once delivered as evidenced in Scripture and attested to in the Creeds and Councils of the undivided Church" and "faithfulness to Scripture and Holy Tradition" we, the Vestry of the Parish of St John the Evangelist, Calgary do hereby resolve the following:
MOTION
We accept, unreservedly and with humility and gratitude, the invitation of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church through the provisions of Anglicanorum Coetibus in a corporate manner. Upon the ratification of this motion by parishioners at a Special Meeting, we instruct the Church Wardens to negotiate with the Anglican Diocese of Calgary the transfer of the Parish of St John the Evangelist, and its property, to the Anglican Ordinariate for Canada, to be effective on its establishment by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus and its Complementary Norms.
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Fr Kenyon and St John's,
Be assured of many, many prayers, no doubt from around the globe. You are very courageous to have come this far. May the Lord of Unity guide your way home.
Pax Christi,
Greg
PRAISE GOD
Many Blessings to Father Lee and the people of Saint John the Evangelist!
Just wonderful! An answer to many prayers!
Great news. Be assured of my prayers.
Prayers from Pensacola, Fl.
Excellent news.
Most of us here in Ontario have regarded the Anglican Church of Canada as "beyond the pale" for over 25-30 years. I honestly could not take you to a legitimate "classical traditional" Anglican liturgy here in Ontario, let alone a non-affirming Anglo catholic liturgy. I sincerely doubt there will be any Ontario parishes taking up the Holy father's offer. So three cheers for the West!
In the Roman diocese in which I live it is impossible to find a "classical traditional" Roman Mass; the local place seems rather preoccupied, for the moment, on small dancing girls and balloons. Perhaps I am missing something?
Of course I meant I could not take you to an Anglican Church of Canada parish to find a classical Anglican Prayer Book liturgical life. The Prayer Book is gone in most places, or entirely disused, even if they still keep them boxed up in a closet.
The Diocese Wollongong in Australia is a Low Church (Evangelical Diocese) were North end celebrations are not uncommon but increasing displaced by modern evangelical services more like pentecostal services.
There are not, to my knowlege any Anglo-Catholic Churches in this diocese – and the diocese is opposed to women's ordination (there is not a single "priestess" in the diocese) I have always wondered whether there were any Anglo Catholics who simply tolerated Low church services because the felt they had too.
North end celebrations… ?
Is that getting ready for the Pole Shift in 2012…?
At least we are spared such nuttiness here in these Northern Colonies.
North end celebrations…
hahaha…
IN Christ there is no east or west,
In him no south or north,
But one great fellowship of love
Throughout the whole wide earth…
In Christ now meet both east and west,
In him meet wouth and north;
All Christly souls are on in him,
Throughout the whole wide earth.
Don,
There are still plenty of parishes within the ACoC where the Prayerbook shapes the life of the parish as well as its liturgy.
Places like S. Peter's Cathedral in Charlottetown and the Cathedral of S. John the Baptist in St. John's. Places like S. George's Round Church, Trinity Fairview, S. Paul's and King's College Chapel, all in the city of Halifax. Places like the parish of Petite Rivere and New Dublin, or Christ Church, Windsor.
What about S. John's Elora, S. Thomas Huron Street, or S. Bart's Regent Park? S. Barnabas in Ottawa? Or Fr. Kenneth Jaggs old parish in Windsor?
It is true that none of these parishes will probably join the Ordinariate (especially Trinity and S. Pauls- as both the rectors north end) but still, the faith is found in these parishes.
What the heck does "north end" celebration have to do with one's willingness to enter into communion with the rest of the universal church? Even some of the fathers of the Oxford Movement celebrated from the north end, if I remember correctly.
But later on it was increasingly viewed as one of the signs of the Low Church Party and the rejection of Puseyite superstition.
Well Isaac Thorpe, if what you present is true, then so much the better. I could not take you to any of these places, as the nearest is over 2 hours away. Where I reside it is BAS territory, the highest concentration of priestesses and bishopesses, Native/Feminist/New Age, or Pentecostal no liturgy at all. I can tell you tales of how lady priests made it their first task on assuming a new parish to box up the Prayer Books and the Prayer Book Missal and hide them or give them away or throw them out…that and the old hymnal.
There is not a parish left hereabouts with the altar in its original position, or if it is, it is disused and a table on the chancel landing serves. Neutered hymns, genderless lections, rainbow flags, Gay Pride bumper stickers in the parking lot…
If the faith is there, then what faith is that? I don't want to be negative, and there may be good pockets left, but all is lost here, and has been thus for over two decades. I'm no person's judge. But what fruit can we see from the tree? Every year Anglican churches are closed and sold off as homes, galleries, antique shops, it is an epidemic. God is not blessing overall. It is dying quickly. I can take you to over a dozen recently closed up Anglican churches within the last 5 years, they are everywhere….the parishioners just go to the United Church now – all same thing… doctrine is irrelevant, morals are what feels good, the work of the church is fundraising for the roof repairs… bazaars, teas, luncheons, raffles, bingo…
I can confirm that St Bart's continues to worship exclusively according to the Book of Common Prayer and the English Hymnal/Gradual, and a male priesthood remains the custom there. Fr Greene, now at the Church St John the Evangelist in Calgary, purged the parish of both BAS and English Missal during his incumbency.
There can be no more important, rewarding or exciting odyssey in this life than to seek Our Lord by following an honest and informed conscience illuminated by grace.
Our prayers are the wind in your sails.
Bon Voyage!
Sibyl,
Your wondering about Anglo Catholics requires a lengthy answer that would take this thread way off topic. It is important to note that the vocation, or the "call", to a Catholic Faith and Praxis is one of exposure on the one hand, and temperament on the other. If one is never exposed to the inherent loveliness and mysteriousness of Catholic worship, which is a preaching in itself, then the soul will remain contentedly ignorant in the dark world of wooden Tables, triple decker Pulpits, Box Pews (rent paid quarterly), and Communion once a month (whether we need it or not), such souls attend Alpha courses (every time they are offered…). On the other hand, there are angry, aggressive, ambitious, careless and slothful people who cannot be drawn to Catholic worship; primarliy because such worship is rooted in Love – and Love is patient, is kind, vaunteth not itself, seeketh not her own, etc etc. It requires humility, gentleness, self-surrender, meekness, and above all real love to worship in a Catholic way. A Catholic may be forced by circumstances to attend "Low" or Puritanesque worship, but it will offend his senses, and grieve him at a very deep level as being superficial and very much peripheral to what he understands the nature of worship to be. You can attend two different services in which the Prayer Book is used -same words at both – but one is entirely Catholic, the other entirely Protestant in look and feel. The difference is in gestures, the choice of music, the chanting or lack of, the ornaments present or not, the building itself, the reverence with which the clergy carry themselves, and on and on. In this sense the Ordinariate must tighten up rubrics along with revising any future liturgical texts so as to enforce a truly Catholic liturgical life and avoid the pitfalls and abuses which have occurred in some Novus Ordo parishes.
There are "Low Masses" and then there is "Low Church", the two are not the same at all. They represent two fundamentally different approaches to Christ, to worship, and really could be said to represent two separate religions.
Should there be any reading this posting and thread who wish to learn more about the origins of "north end" celebrations, they should read the following splendid and comprehensive book, which is also extremely well-illustrated, but also extraordinarily costly:
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/p2p/endecaSearch.do
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=tyacke&bi=0&bx=off&ds=30&recentlyadded=all&sortby=2&tn=altars+restored&x=65&y=11
Altars Restored:
The Changing Face of English Religious Worship, 1547-c.1700
by Kenneth Fincham & Nicholas Tyacke
Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-0-19-820700-9
Hardback
29 November 2007
This is wonderful news and shows the complete integrity of Fr Kenyon and his people in understanding what actually defines authentic Catholicism. They will be supported by the prayers of many. It also explains something that has mystified me a little. Fr Kenyon used to cintribute to a defunct website called Anglican Wanderings. Nothing has been posted on it for a long time but occasionally I download it to see if there is any new material. Last time I noticed that all Fr Kenyon's posts have been removed and that made me wonder if something like the present news was in the offing. Praise God for it.
So this is where Fr Lee Kenyon's Anglican Wanderings have led him.
Anglican Wanderings was a great deal of fun. And, yes, you are quite correct, James, about my Anglican wanderings! Thank you for the kind comments.
Thank you Fr Kenyon. It really is wonderful news from Calgary and I am praying that the transition will go smoothly and peacefully for you all. You have made a courageous decision.
But what of your former Anglican Wanderings colleague, Andrew Teather? I gather that he is a baptised Catholic who has been ordained in the Church of England. For those of us who are cradle Catholics, this is hard to understand, but I wonder what future he has in the Anglo-Catholic wing as it slowly advances towards extinction.
Not long ago I met a young, newly-ordained Anglo-Catholic priest and when I delicately raised this difficulty he said that his vicar is preparing to join the Ordinariate and he is going with him. He accepted ordination because he thought it would make ordination in the Catholic Church that much easier when he goes. I must say, that such cool pragmatism shocked me a little.
I am interested in the use of the word "Vestry" in the original post. That is not a term officially used in the Anglican Diocese of Calgary. Was this motion put forward by the Corporation of the parish? The Parish Council? A general parish meeting?
Dear Linda,
I sit with the "Constitutions and Canons" of the "Synod of the Diocese of Calgary" in front of me and I hope I can reassure you that Canon 21 (Parochial Organization), Section D, is entitled "Vestry" and deals with its members, their duties, its meetings, etc. As D33 says, "In every Parish there shall be not less than four Vestry Members…"
Lina, forgive me for calling you "Linda" – an oversight on my part.
Father,
Good to see you back online. I know that many of us miss your work as a blogger, though clearly you've been attending to some more important things.
Thank you, Brother Stephen. Most kind of you.
James,
Alas, there is a swathe of young clerics in the Church of England who seem to have trained and been ordaiend by that Church so that they can enter our Church. It seems odd, to say the least.
I used to read Anglican Wanderings, it was a good blog. I wish Fr Kenyon well. As for Andrew – speaking as a Priest in the North of England who has had some contact with him, I can say that he is doing very, very good work where he is.
Fr Paul.