First Communion gifts from Fr Danny (last week)
This has been quite a weekend in Lymington. First, Fr Danny our parish priest has been celebrating 28 years as a priest. He told us he chose this day for his ordination since it was the anniversary of his grandmother's death, and she brought him into the faith; his parents, he said, were card-carrying atheists.
Beverley (2nd from rt) with family
Then, today was a Baptism and Confirmation for Beverley. It was good to see Fr Danny celebrate the rite of Confirmation; not so dissimilar from many confirmations I performed in the Church of England, but he has the authority to do this on behalf of the Bishop. The family were all there to support her, and here she is seen having just received her Baptismal candle.
Cakemaker & Cake
I hardly dare mention the third celebration. The parish organised a cake for me, since it was my fiftieth anniversary of ordination to the priesthood of the Church of England on May 28th; by strange chance the same date that Fr Danny chose for his — though, as I told him, in the Church of England I was under authority and did not choose when to be ordained. It just happened that May 28th in 1961 was Trinity Sunday, in those days the time when most diocesan ordinations happened. Also by strange chance it meant that today, May 29th, was the day of my first celebration of the eucharist at St Mark's, Portsmouth; and my mother's birthday. She died five years ago; had she been alive today she would have been 102! The reason for hardly daring to mention this is that I do not want to upset any who are too wedded to Apostolicae Curae, and who believe, therefore, that whatever happened in Holy Trinity Fareham to seven candidates for the priesthood in the Church of England on Trinity Sunday 1961 was utterly null and void. I am happy to say that the Holy See appears to view things more generously; indeed I understand that the Anglican Use Catholics in the USA are encouraged to celebrate the date of their Episcopal Ordination.
Ordinariate Chasuble
We do not yet have a ruling on this in the Ordinariate, and I was content to let the date slip by without notice, but Fr Danny thought otherwise and there was a very happy party after Mass today for Beverley and me, with two magnificent cakes. Lymington is very strong on cakes.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, the local Ordinariate Group was meeting — in the church which will be their home in Southbourne. So here is the Revd Deacon Graham Smith, soon to be our Group's pastor, together with most of the merry band who will be worshiping with us after his Ordination to the priesthood next month.
Southbourne Ordinariate Group
And here is another happy coincidence; today is Oak Apple Day, the one-time Feast of the Restoration of the Monarchy [1660]. I had wanted to celebrate that defunct feast as my first eucharist, but the Vicar forbade it; perhaps wisely in view of the inordinate length of the Propers. In case you have forgotten, here are the prescribed Collects (it would not have done at 7.30 am in St Mark's Porsea on a Monday Morning):
O Almighty God, who art a strong Tower of Defence against the face of thy servants against the face of their enemies; We yield thee praise and thanks for the wonderful deliverance of these Kingdoms from THE GREAT REBELLION, and all the Miseries and Oppressions consequent thereupon, under which they had so long groan'd. We acknowledge it thy goodness, that we are not utterly delivered over as a prey unto them: Beseeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us; that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
O Lord God of our salvation, who hast been exceedingly gracious unto this land, and by thy miraculous Providence didst deliver us out of our miserable Confusions, by restoring to us, and to his own just and undoubted rights, our then most gracious Sovereign Lord, thy Servant King Charles the Second , (notwithstanding all the power and malice of his enemies) and by placing him in the Throne of these Kingdom; thereby restoring also unto us the publick and free profession of thy true Religion and Worship, together with our former peace and prosperity, to the great comfort and joy of our hearts; We are here now before thee, with all due thankfulness, to acknowledge thine unspeakable goodness herein, as upon this day, shewed unto us, and to offer up our sacrifice of praise for the same, unto thy great and glorious Name; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our unfeigned, though unworthy, oblation of our selves; vowing all holy obedience in thought, word, and work, unto thy Divine Majesty; and promising in thee and for thee all loyal and dutiful Allegiance to thine Anointed Servant now set over us, and to his Heirs after him; whom we beseech thee to bless with all increase of grace, honour and happiness in this world, and to Crown him with Immortality and Glory in the world to come, for Jesus Christ his sake, our only Lord and Saviour. Amen.
There's Patrimony for you! Follow that, Msgr Burnham & Colleagues…
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Thanks for sharing all these celebrations with us, Father. Isn't it grand to be in the situation of having lots to celebrate?
I'm interest to read of your understanding that those of us in the Anglican Use have been encouraged to celebrate the anniversary of our Anglican ordination. I've read that elsewhere, but have never commented before. If we have been encouraged to do that, perhaps I never received the memo! Since my Catholic ordination, I have celebrated that date — August 15th — and it will soon be my 28th anniversary as a Catholic priest. I always remember in a private way my ordination as an Episcopal priest every April 24th, and I give thanks that it enabled me to be ordained as a Catholic — but I don't keep it as my anniversary date.
I think John Jay Hughes wrote in his memoirs that the St. Louis Archdiocese lists his Episcopal ordination date as his priests anniversary date. But Father Hughes is a special case because he was actually ordained to the Catholic priesthood sub conditione.
It is worth recalling the his late Majesty King Charles II was received into the Church on his deathbed by Father Huddleston and died having received the last sacraments. There is a good account in Antonia Fraser's biography.
I think Father Danny was right to mark the anniversary of commencement of the ministry of Father Barnes in the Anglican Church. This year 1,000 or so English Anglicans have found their way into the Church by means of the Ordinariate. Most of those many converts have brought home to Rome thanks to the teaching of their pastors. So the prior ministry of those pastors is indeed something to celebrate.
51 Ordinariate priests will, God willing, be ordained by Pentecost – the 1st group by the Archbishop of Southwark on 4th June. That is a greater number than the entire number of persons who entered Catholic seminaries for the whole of England and Wales in 2009. Many of them have made quite heroic sacrifices – renouncing job security, homes and much else to follow their vocation. The whole Church will benefit from their service.
I have been especially interested in how this is impacting on parishes where churches will be shared and, judging by the parish newsletters, there is already a synergy developing both in terms of the laity and the clergy – 2+2 looks set to make much more than 4.
"I think Father Danny was right to mark the anniversary of commencement of the ministry of Father Barnes in the Anglican Church.
Very big of you! "Ministry", "converts", "pastors" – you make your, point unmistakably
Ee man, get a grip – I am in a ministry, and am a pastor. I also happen to be a cradle (Roman) Catholic who is a Priest. No point is being made at all, except in your over-sensitive mind. As for the use of the word 'convert', put it down to easy shorthand rather than any hidden insult.
I have spent years being referred to as a 'Roman' in a not-too-delicate suggestion of non-Englishness. I just reply: "Sorry mate, I am a Mancunian."
Papist would be a better word then.
Nope – just Catholic will do.
It won't do. It's just as offensive as Evangelicals requisitioning the word 'Christian' for their bookshops.
The opposite of Catholic is Papist not Protestant in this country.
We do not take kindly to the New Religion of Trent.
Who are the 'we' you are talking about? If I may remind you, Papist is a term of insult regularly used by protestant extremists to imply allegiance to a foreign ruler (and, as it happens, normally denounced as the Anti-Christ). I belong to this country too you know.
I am, and always have been, a Catholic.
Mourad knew quite well what he was saying. I am not accusing him of intention to insult.
When I hear someone saying "he's a Roman, isn't he?" with the insinuation you too have experienced, wherever possible I try to respond, "Yes, of course, very distinguished recusant family!"
The point about "convert" being inappropriate for those who are already Christians is well made but I do not quite understand what else is exercising LSB/LBS.
If he perchance thinks my views on the validity or otherwise of Anglican Orders is engaged then I'm sorry. That is an issue on which I have no view. I regard the Leonine Bull as a judicial decision based on the evidence then available and at least in theory being capable of being reversed. Were decisions on propositions to be irreversible, then we might be required to believe that the earth does not move – I'm with Galileo on that – Eppur' si muove!
We could not wish for a better description of it; PAPAL BULL. Maybe he was just having a tantrum.
Hi Father Edwin; pirouetting away from the direction of some of the responses on here, I just wanted to say congratulations to you and Father Danny, and of course to Beverley: all of the aforementioned occasions were quite rightly celebrated! I am actually in Lymington at the moment but missed the combined bunfight due to a random allergy; I'm certainly not allergic to cake and few places do cake as fervently as Lymington. (This comment may well be attributed to "Anonymous": it seems I can't post as Gigi on this blog or your own, even though others I follow are fine. Was it something I said??)
Belated best wishes and hugs to you and Father Danny.
God bless, Gigi