Tag Archives: Anglican Use Conference

2012 Anglican Use Conference

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2012AUSConPrelim 2012 Anglican Use Conference

The 2012 annual conference of the Anglican Use Society will be held from Thursday, November 8 through Saturday, November 10. It will be hosted jointly by the parish of St. Therese of Lisieux and the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The Ordinary of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, Msgr. Jeffrey N. Steenson, will take part in the conference. Most activities will be held at the Catholic Center at 20 West Ninth St. in Kansas City.

Reservations for the conference and for the hotel can be made at the Conference web site.

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Anglican Use Conference

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Events will stream live from the Anglican Use Conference in Arlington, Texas, July 7th through 9th on the Anglicanorum Channel.

The July 7 events will be:

Solemn Evensong and Benediction, St. Mary the Virgin Catholic Church, 5:30 p.m.

First Conference Session, Fr. Larry Covington, 8:00 p.m.

All times are Central Daylight Time (GMT -5). Live streamed events will be recorded for future playback.

The full schedule is available here.

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More information in this article from Catholic.org:

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) – The 2011 National Conference of the Anglican Use Society begins Thursday evening in Arlington, Texas at Church of St. Mary the Virgin. The general theme for the conference, which runs through noon on Saturday, July 9th, is "Our Patrimony."

This year, the Society welcomes the Ordinary for the newly formed Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England & Wales, Msgr. Keith Newton, and John Hunwicke, formerly parish priest of St. Thomas the Martyr Church in Oxford and now a member of the Ordinariate in England, as presenters.

Other speakers include Fr. David Jaeger, OFM, of the Antonianum Pontifical University in Rome; Fr. Larry Covington, Pastor of St. Louis the King Church in Austin, Texas; and Dr. William Tighe, Associate Professor of History at Muhlenberg College.

The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Fort Worth, will be the principal celebrant and preacher at the conference Solemn Mass on July 8. Bishop Vann serves as an adviser to Cardinal Wuerl for the formation of the Ordinariate in the U.S.

In addition to Catholics, attendees for annual event come from a variety of traditions, including Anglican, Lutheran and other Protestant denominations.

With the beginning of the U.S. Anglican Ordinariate anticipated for the near future, attendees will be eager to hear the latest news on its establishment.

The original purpose of the Anglican Use Society, established in 2003, was to promote the usage of the liturgical practices contained in The Book of Divine Worship and evangelical outreach to members of the Anglican Communion seeking union with the Roman Catholic Church and to promote an understanding of the special pastoral provision initiated by Pope John Paul II.

The Anglican Ordinariate, which was authorized in November 2009, through the apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus," expanded the work of the society. They are now cooperating with the initiatives being formulated to address the needs of the new wave of pilgrims currently on the journey into the Church.

Information about the Anglican Use Society and the conference can be found at http://anglicanuse.org/index.htm. The conference can be viewed there in streaming video.

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!

2011 Anglican Use Conference to Be Live Streamed

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st mary the virgin1 2011 Anglican Use Conference to Be Live Streamed

Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Arlington, Texas

The 2011 Conference of the Anglican Use Society will be taking place on July 7th – 9th at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Arlington, Texas. The general theme of the conference will be “Our Patrimony,” and speakers will include Fr. David Jaeger, OFM, of the Antonianum Pontifical University in Rome; Msgr. Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England & Wales; John Hunwicke, formerly parish priest of St. Thomas the Martyr in Oxford and now a member of the Ordinariate in England; Fr. Larry Covington, Pastor of St. Louis the King Church in Austin, Texas; and Dr. William Tighe, Associate Professor of History at Muhlenberg College. The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Fort Worth (and adviser to Cardinal Wuerl on the erection of the Ordinariate in the U.S.) will be the principal celebrant and preacher at the conference Solemn Mass on July 8.

The conference talks and events will be live streamed at this web address: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/anglicanorum, where you may watch it live, or (since it will remain archived) you can view it at a later time. If you happen to go to that site now, you'll find archived videos of our first Anglicanorum coetibus meeting in December, 2009. You'll also discover that when something is archived, you have to suffer through advertisements in order to watch! When we live stream, however, you won't be assaulted by ads.

As soon as the actual schedule is available, you will be kept informed on this site about the starting time for each of the talks.

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!

Greetings and Thanks

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Christian, our fearless moderator, tells me that it is customary for us newcomers to say a little word about ourselves, by way of introduction to our readers.  Before I begin, I would like to thank Christian and the other commentators on this website for their hospitality; I am new to some of them but several–Christian, Fr. Phillips, and Br. Stephen–I have known for some time now, and I am glad to be in such good company. 

I am a cradle Roman Catholic, but I have had for a long time a great admiration for both the Anglican Use as it has developed in the Roman rite and also of the heroism and long-suffering patience of Catholic-minded folk within the Anglican Communion whose efforts are now being fulfilled by Anglicanorum Coetibus.  I was following the Anglican Use's growth and trials throughout my time in college, and even took home a brand-new copy of the doorstop-sized Book of Divine Worship home in my luggage when coming back from a year spent studying architecture in Rome. I even had a brief appearance as a speaker at one Anglican Use conference back in 2006, before any of us could have anticipated how Providence would provide so richly for its future.  While I cannot speak as to the inner mechanics of the coming transition, I hope however to give some insight on why the conservation of Anglican patrimony within the Ordinariates is so critical to the health of the wider Catholic Church, particularly in the English-speaking world.  In the United States, it has the potential to provide for many English-speaking Catholics (even those outside the Ordinariate), a different and potentially exciting cultural model which has so far been absent from the ecclesial scene.  I also hope to comment periodically on what role the Ordinariate might play in issues dear to my own heart–the present nascent revival of Church art, architecture, and music in certain quarters.  My first post, though, which will be coming this Thursday and will discuss the implications the Ordinariate poses in regard to the Roman Catholic system of ecclesiastical heraldry, is a bit less big-picture than all this, and I hope will come as a bit of a divertissment after the turbulent events of last week.   Also, I promise there will be color pictures, and we always like those, don't we?

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!

Transcripts of 2010 Anglican Use Conference Presentations

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The Anglican Use Society has posted the transcripts of the presentations at their recent conference in Newark, New Jersey.

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!

The Anglo-Catholic Welcomes Ralph Johnston!

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Having served with distinction as our special correspondent for the recent Anglican Use Conference, Mr. Ralph Johnston of Our Lady of the Atonement Parish in San Antonio, TX, has accepted our invitation to join the staff as an occasional contributor to The Anglo-Catholic.  We are delighted to have him on the team.

Mr. Johnston has been a member of OLA since 2004.  Formerly a museum director, he now serves as headmaster of The Atonement Academy, the PK-12 parish school of Our Lady of the Atonement, and, to date, the only school in the Pastoral Provision and future Ordinariate community.  Like many other cradle Catholics worshiping in Pastoral Provision congregations, he has developed an attachment to the Anglican forms of devotion.  He has attended Anglican Use Conferences in prior years and is a member of the Anglican Use Society.

In Rome with an Atonement pilgrimage group when Anglicanorum Coetibus was published, he was the first individual to file a petition with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to establish an Ordinariate for the United States under the Apostolic Constitution.  He was a contributor at the Anglicanorum Coetibus Information Day in San Antonio on December 12 of last year, and he has followed recent events closely.  Mr. Johnston holds an MPPM from Yale University and a Certificate in Catholic School Leadership from the University of Dallas.

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Johnston to The Anglo-Catholic!

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!

Anglican Use Conference: Final Report

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The second and final day of the annual Anglican Use Conference began as the first day did, with Morning Prayer according to the Book of Divine Worship in the crypt chapel of the Cathedral in Newark. On this Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Father Davis delivered a moving and powerful sermon lamenting the absence of Our Lady from the devotions of Anglo-Catholic churches.

The final session of the conference on Saturday morning began as Dr. Anne Barbeau Gardiner, Professor Emerita of English at John Jay College of the City University of New York, presented a fascinating history of great literary beauty on the English convert kings of the 17th century.

In response to a question about publication of the papers delivered at the conference, Steve Cavanaugh again confirmed that they would be published in Anglican Embers, the quarterly journal of the Anglican Use Society, and that in addition some of the material would be provided on the Society website.

The conference continued with a question-and-answer session with Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, introduced by Msgr. Sheehan. This was a follow-up to the Bishop’s canonical discussion of the personal ordinariates as presented to the conference the previous evening. Among the questions presented were two from Fr. Bergman, one relating to the status of individuals originally baptized outside of the Anglican tradition, but fully initiated through Confirmation within the Pastoral Provision. The second question concerned the manner in which Church real property might be held under the ordinariates, specifically, would church property be held in the name of the ordinariate, or in the name of the local diocese, or in some other form? Bishop Arrieta was thoughtful and gracious in his answers, and took the occasion to underscore the importance of cooperation between the personal ordinaries and the diocesan ordinaries, but it was clear that these and other details have yet to be worked out.

Bishop Arrieta was warm, friendly, and sincerely interested in the concerns of both the Pastoral Provision community and the Anglicans who are discerning reconciliation. As a curial official in the Holy See, Bishop Arrieta may be in a position to make the pastoral concerns of both groups better understood in Rome. Mr. Blake, Archbishop Myers and Monsignor Sheehan were farsighted and prudent in inviting the Bishop to participate in the conference. And in his partcipation, Bishop Arrieta demonstrated that he is more than a scholar and canonist, but is also, as befits the grace of his orders, a kind and thoughtful pastor of souls. I pray that the Bishop will be consulted by the Holy Father and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Before the conference adjourned, the final appearance was by the Traditional Anglican Communion Bishops. Archbishop John Hepworth, Bishop Carl Reid and Bishop David Moyer, who had been present throughout the conference, stood before the assembly while Archbishop Hepworth spoke with feeling, describing the way in which the churches of the TAC (ACA in the United States of America) will proceed as the ordinariates are established. (Archbishop Louis Falk had been present throughout the first day of the conference but was unavailable during this session.)

This is not the proper forum, and I am not the proper reporter, to interpret the Bishops' intent. There are important pastoral issues to be considered as these Bishops work with their people, and it is clear that the Bishops will do this work with great love and great sensitivity. I hope it will be sufficient in this forum to say that the conference was most favorably impressed with the remarks of Archbishop Hepworth, and that the conference expressed a clear message of approbation and welcome with an enthusiastic standing ovation for these Bishops that was the concluding event of the conference. Clearly this is a time of great hope and great promise for the people of the Traditional Anglican Communion and for the cause of Christian unity.

Following the adjournment of the conference, the Anglican Use Society conducted its annual meeting, which was open to all present. Then, at noon, the concluding Mass of the conference was offered in the crypt chapel of the Cathedral Basilica.

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!

Anglican Use Conference: End of Day One Report

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Following the Anglican Use Pastors Panel, the conference went into recess to prepare for Mass.

In the annual tradition of the Anglican Use Conference, all present were invited to join in the pickup choir for the Mass. At least two dozen conference attendees availed themselves of the opportunity, and off they went to a 3:30 pm rehearsal, while others went to confession at 4:00 pm or retired to one of the many informal discussion groups.

Solemn High Mass was offered at 5:00 pm at the high altar of the Cathedral. Our group did not quite fill the pews of the massive basilica, but mindful of Anglican tradition we did our best to fill the space with our hymns and chants. Mass was according to the Book of Divine Worship, with traditional Anglican plainsong. Most present either knew the chants or ably sight read them. Archbishop Myers pontificated, and the principal celebrant was Retired Bishop Jeffrey Steenson. The choir performed admirably, and, yes, we did have an opportunity to hear the cathedral’s extraordinary pipe organ. What an inspiring sight it was to see members of our two groups worshiping together according to our common liturgy, exchanging warm greetings at the sign of peace, separated from full communion by the width of the Tiber, but praying together for unity.

After Mass the group returned to the chancery office building where Archbishop Myers was our host for dinner. Archbishop Myers praised the work over the decades of Monsignor William Stetson, a priest of Opus Dei and the long-time secretary to the Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision. Monsignor Stetson received a standing ovation. His successor as secretary, Monsignor James Sheehan, served as master of ceremonies at the dinner.

After dinner, Monsignor Sheehan introduced the keynote speaker, his former canon law professor Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, who had traveled from Rome for the occasion. Bishop Arrieta presented his paper entitled Personal Ordinariates. This detailed presentation of nine single-spaced pages was both canonical and pastoral in its approach and sensitivities, and reflected Bishop Arrieta’s professional interest in ecclesiology. The canonist’s presentation confirmed much of the analysis that was evident from the plain language of the Apostolic Constitution and was presented at the Anglicanorum Coetibus Information Day at Our Lady of the Atonement parish last December. Additionally, Bishop Arrieta presented for the first time new insights on the dual membership of personal ordinariate members in both the ordinariate and the territorial diocese. The Bishop explained that, while this is not explicit in Anglicanorum Coetibus or the Complementary Norms, membership in a particular church must be inferred from the ecclesiological principles set out in Communionis Notio (1992). Bishop Arrieta also gave great emphasis to two points that are known but that the canonist felt were essential to a complete understanding, first, that it is canonically significant that those joining a personal ordinariate must voluntarily and affirmatively express their intent to do so (and may voluntarily withdraw at any time), and second, that the cooperation between the personal ordinary and diocesan bishops as called for in the Apostolic Constitution will be very important.

The Bishop also noted that, while exceptions are provided for, clerical celibacy as called for by Canon Law in the Latin Rite will be the rule in the ordinariates, and that this will be important for the future formation side-by-side of seminarians from the ordinariate and from the local diocese.

Bishop Arrieta’s paper, and the others given at the conference, will be published in Anglican Embers, the quarterly journal of the Anglican Use Society.

The final day of the conference will be tomorrow, Saturday June 12.

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!

Anglican Use Conference: Day One Afternoon Report

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Following Morning Prayer and the greeting from Archbishop Myers, the conference reconvened in morning session in the auditorium of the Archdiocesan chancery office.

The first speaker, Sister Elaine, ASSP, reflected on the experience of her religious community, All Saints Sisters of the Poor. A long-established order in the Church of England, the sisters first came to Baltimore in 1872, have been in Baltimore continuously ever since, and were received into full communion last September by Archbishop O’Brien of Baltimore.

As Sister Elaine explained, much of the sisters’ daily life remains unchanged, as Archbishop O’Brien had instructed them “keep doing what you’re doing.” For example, the form of their daily office remains unchanged, with the Sisters offering the liturgy of the hours six times daily as a community. Sister Elaine’s presentation was filled with joy, and was frequently punctuated with laughter, as when she explained that not every one understands the monastic life, as demonstrated by the advice she received to “get a job,” perhaps teaching in a Catholic school.

Sister Elaine describes her community’s journey into full communion matter-of-factly as “becoming Roman Catholic.” Sister emphasized the importance of promoting vocations to the religious life and said that she was counting on the parishes represented in the room to send her at least one postulant.

Next up on the program was Dr. William Oddie’s presentation on the important role of influential and literarily sophisticated Anglican converts in Catholic apologetics. Dr. Oddie is a well respected and widely published Church of England clergyman who was received into full communion in 1991.

What could have been a disappointing experience was transformed into a particularly edifying and entertaining experience when, on learning that for health reasons he would be unable to travel to Newark, Dr. Oddie asked Father Allan Hawkins to deliver the paper for him. Today, Fr. Hawkins is best known to us as the pastor of St. Mary the Virgin, the Pastoral Provision parish in Arlington, Texas. Earlier, Fathers Oddie and Hawkins had served together in England, and clearly know each other well. Fr. Hawkins’ annotated reading of the paper brought to life Dr. Oddie’s animated reflections on Chesterton, and the synergy of Chesterton, Oddie and Hawkins greatly exceeded the sum of the parts.

Following a thorough and thoroughly entertaining discussion of Newman and Chesterton, Oddie’s paper went to on to discuss more recent developments. Dr. Oddie made clear his view that last fall, Pope Benedict suddenly accelerated the timetable for the publication of Anglicanorum Coetibus, before its intent could be frustrated by those who oppose the new Apostolic Constitution.

Lunch was an occasion for informal discussions, with clergy and lay people from ACA, other Continuing and Episcopalian parishes dining in small groups with Pastoral Provision folks.

The afternoon conference session was the annual tradition of the Anglican Use Pastors Panel. This is always a crowd favorite, as the audience has the opportunity to define the agenda. This year’s panelists were Fr. James Ramsey of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Fr. Richard Bradford of St. Athanasius in Boston, Fr. Allan Hawkins of St. Mary the Virgin in Arlington, Fr. Jean Hart, SOLT, of St Anselm of Canterbury in Corpus Christi, Fr. Eric Bergman of St. Thomas More in Scranton, Fr. Ernest Davis of St. Therese Little Flower in Kansas City, and Deacon Oliver Vietor of St. Paul’s in Phoenix. In keeping with the issues of the day, questions and comments from the audience leaned heavily toward issues of priestly ordination and the future of the ordinariates.

Going into the pastors’ panel, most conference attendees probably had the sense that the mood of the room was a watchful and somewhat impatient eagerness for the Church “to get on with” the ordinariates. After hearing the tone and content of the questions, this mood was unmistakable.

Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, a distinguished canon lawyer who serves as Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, and who is the keynote speaker for the conference, was present for the Pastors' Panel and followed the discussion with animated interest.

Your humble scribe is a cradle Catholic who has worshiped in a Pastoral Provision parish for six years, and, like most Anglican Use parishioners, is eager for the U.S. ordinariate to be established. After talking with these conference attendees, I can see that the need is even greater among our Anglican brethren who are waiting. In a particularly challenging situation are the clergy of the ACA, other Continuing groups, and Episcopal Church groups who are working hard to serve the pastoral needs of the people, while at the same time holding their flocks together under extreme uncertainty about the timing. Let us hope that Rome is reading the blogs.

Further reports will be posted as time allows.

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Be sure to follow our Moderator at Eccentric Bliss, his personal blog!