Author Archives: Fr. Christopher Phillips

About Fr. Christopher Phillips

Fr. Christopher G. Phillips is the pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he has served for the past twenty-seven years. He is the founding pastor of the first Anglican Use parish, erected in 1983 under the terms of the Pastoral Provision. Fr. Phillips was ordained as an Anglican for the Diocese of Bristol, England, in 1975. After serving as Curate for three years at St. Stephen Southmead, he returned to the United States and served in two Episcopal parishes in the Diocese of Rhode Island. In 1981 he left the Episcopal Church and moved with his family to Texas, where he was subsequently ordained as a Catholic priest in 1983. Fr. Phillips and his wife, JoAnn, have been married for forty years. They have five children, all grown and married, and one grandchild.

Headin' For Beulah Land

"Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah and thy land Beulah; for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married." (Isaiah 62:4). … Continue reading

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I Belong to…

For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I Corinthians 3:4,5 … Continue reading

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The Gathering of the Groups

This was first posted by one of our regular commenters, Peregrinus, as a comment on "Let Your Light Shine," and I'm posting it now as a separate entry because it shows just how imaginative and varied the responses to Anglicanorum … Continue reading

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Let Your Light Shine

This blog tackles some pretty big issues, and there’s almost always a fairly deep and thought-provoking article waiting for people when they come to the site. The comments which follow are most interesting, and those who take time to comment … Continue reading

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Say Amen

It’s a small thing, but when you say “amen,” how do you pronounce it? I would imagine nearly everyone with an Anglican background would say “ah-men.” But have you noticed that almost all of today’s Catholics use “ay-men” as their … Continue reading

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It's Déjà Vu All Over Again

We celebrated the anniversary of the canonical erection of Our Lady of the Atonement Church yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Assumption. It was also the anniversary of my priestly ordination in the Roman Catholic Church. Both events took place … Continue reading

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Not a Kid Anymore

Christian Campbell has posted a clarification about this blog. As I read it, it struck me that what he's really doing is acknowledging that our blog is growing up. At the beginning it had a small stable of contributors, all … Continue reading

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Transfiguration

A Hymn for the Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ Behold our Lord transfigured, In Sacrament Divine; His glory deeply hidden, 'Neath forms of Bread and Wine. Our eyes of faith behold Him, Salvation is outpoured; The Saviour dwells among … Continue reading

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The Past Is Future

In our attempts to define Anglican patrimony, we should allow it to be a bit open-ended. I know that’s usually not our way. Those who are on the conservative side of things tend to like tight descriptions and clear statements. … Continue reading

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Then. Now. Not Much Difference.

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 … Continue reading

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Witness to the Atonement

Fr. Paul of Graymoor, along with Mother Lurana of Graymoor, founded the Society of the Atonement in 1898 while they were Episcopalians. A little over a hundred years ago, in 1909, the Society was received into the full communion of … Continue reading

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The End Is Near! Or Not…

The following article is by Dr. Jeff Mirus and appears on Catholic Culture. Apocalypse, Again It’s fascinating that so many Americans (41%, apparently) believe the Second Coming is imminent. This no doubt reflects two things: First, the importance of various … Continue reading

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A Man For All Seasons

One of the great films of all time, about one of the great saints of all time. You can watch the whole thing here:

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An Outsider's View

There are people who suffer from a phobia in which they cannot endure having one type of food touching another kind of food on their plate.  Some of them can eat only off plates with divided sections, and some go … Continue reading

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Exploring Doctrine: Papal Infallibility

There are some protestant-minded Anglicans who are showing an excessive interest in the practical details of the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus.  In fact, a few seem to have gone off the deep end in an effort to describe the chamber … Continue reading

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