Here are a few brief thoughts, while perched on a stool in a hotel lobby, using free internet access. Even though I'm far away from home, it's like being in a 'second home,' and with phone and internet connections, I'm managing to keep up with the marvellous and historic events of these days.
Questions are being asked by many, 'How do I do this? How do I get involved in the process of becoming part of an Ordinariate?' Actually, a plain reading of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus makes it pretty clear. In section IX it states, Both the lay faithful as well as members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, originally part of the Anglican Communion, who wish to enter the Personal Ordinariate, must manifest this desire in writing. To whom should this be made manifest? Again, it's made clear, this time in Article 1 of the Complementary Norms for the Apostolic Constitution: Each Ordinariate is subject to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It maintains close relations with the other Roman Dicasteries in accordance with their competence.
There is no mention of the Pastoral Provision or the Pastoral Provision Office in the Constitution or in the Complementary Norms. It seem apparent to me that this new and generous act by the Holy Father not only extends what we have been doing in the parishes for the past twenty-six years, but it clearly designates the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as the point of contact, and the decisive Office for the establishment and nurture of the Ordinariates.
These are my initial observations, and I'll have more to come. Meanwhile, know that I'm praying for all of us who are, or who will be, part of the Ordinariates. Mass today was in the Chapel of the Eucharistic Miracle in Siena, and the speedy implementation of the Constitution was at the top of my list of intercessions.
God bless you all -- I'll be posting more soon.
17 comments:
From my experience with the Pastoral Provision Office, it was unhelpful when I contacted the office, and I'm glad the Holy Father has bypassed it and the bishops who have been stingy in meeting the needs of the faithful from an Anglican background.
What is the Pastoral Provision Office? I have never heard of it. Do you mean the Society of St. Thomas More?
The Pastoral Provision Office has to this point been responsible for carrying out the Pastoral Provision which allowed for the ordination of former Anglican priests and the establishment of personal parishes that would celebrate the Anglican Use Liturgy. They have had the handicap of needing the permission of the local bishop in order to establish a parish. From Father's comments, it would appear to be out of business, being replaced by the Personal Ordinary that would work more directly with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Father, while cradle Catholics are not mentioned at all, I don't believe there is anything to indicate that they cannot be members of the Personal Parishes. I can't see any particular impact to someone like myself at all. I also believe that Article 10 par4 provides for the possibility that parishioners of the personal parishes could be candidates to be seminarians for the Personal Ordinariate, even if they came from a "cradle Catholic" background. That makes particular sense for young men that you have baptized and have spent their entire lives in an Anglican Use parish. Do you agree, or do you get something different out of what you have read?
Article 10 §4. The Ordinary may accept as seminarians only those faithful who belong to a personal parish of the Ordinariate or who were previously Anglican and have established full communion with the Catholic Church.
Daniel,
Were the Anglican Use priests the ones who would have been contacted
in the Pastoral Provision Office or would it be a Latin Rite office of a Bishop?
I am confused, as I know that all the AU priests I have contacted have been more than helpful to me and I can really be a bug, as I don't have a parish in my state and I am Anglican Use. I can't give enough credit to Fr. Phillips for all the help he has been. He is great.
Cardinal Meyers, the Archbishop of Newark is the Ecclesiastial Delegate for the Pastoral Provision, while Msgr. William Stetson manages the Office. I don't believe either is a convert, though it is possible that Msgr. Stetson might have several years ago. He is part of the Personal Prelature of Opus Dei, and it seems that he was a Catholic priest back when the founder, St. Jose Maria Escriva, was still alive. The new Personal Ordinary would be someone who has converted from the Anglican Communion.
Father Phillips,
If you're reading these comments, could you please give us your opinion on the apparent exclusion of cradle Catholics from the ordinariates? It does seem that parishes like Our Lady of the Atonement owe much of their vitality to those of us already baptised in the Church. The fact that "Those baptized previously as Catholics outside the Ordinariate are not ordinarily eligible for membership" would seem to be unduly restrictive. Any reassurance you can provide in this regard would be much appreciated. Thank you.
MJS
I believe that the Norm "not ordinarily" applies to being part of the Ordinary, but wouldn't apply to being a member of a Personal Parish. If only former Anglicans could be members of a Personal Parish, then the Norm for seminarians wouldn't need to distinguish between members of a personal parish and former Anglicans now in full communion.
What consequence to being a member of a Personal Parish while not being a member of the Personal Ordinary? I expect it would have to do with rather rare matters such as dispensations required for marriage and which tribunals would handle an annulment case. Even if you are a member of the Personal Ordinary, they are not required to set up a tribunal and you would have to resort to the territorial diocese anyways.
daniel, I believe you have it right. When I spoke with a couple of the members of the CDF, they made the point that at the beginning it would be 'a little messy and confusing at the beginning.' I really think a lot of this will be worked out over time, and it's obvious that the Holy Father wants things to be interpreted in as generous a way as possible
Daniel and Fr. Phillips,
Thanks much for the clarification. I do hope you're right. It seems that Fr. Longenecker might have a different opinion (as stated in his blog): "The rule is established so that Latin parishes are not threatened by perceived competition from the Anglican Use [sic] parishes..." But I figure you, Fr. Phillips, are about the closest thing right now to being an authority on these matters, so, again, thanks.
MJS
It seems that Daniel has already determined that Fr. Phillips will be the ordinary of the ordinariate. Is this a foregone conclusion? It would be surprising to me that Rome would set up a structure without already having someone in mind to fill the post, and that they would have already communicated as much to the person in mind. (That seems to have been the pattern with Opus Dei and the personal prelature. But then, I'm no expert, and I don't belong to Opus Dei!) So... either Father knows something and isn't showing his cards, or he really was as surprised as he claims by this announcement.
Which is it, Father? Inquiring minds want to know (and want to settle a few private bets.)
Unless I'm mistaken, there will not be that many ordinariates in the beginning, and Anglican bishops will be at the front of the line when it comes to naming ordinaries.
Please don't bet anything - private or otherwise! No, I'm certainly not being tapped to be the Ordinary, nor do I know who will be. I've always had the sense that I'm exactly where God wants me to be -- at Our Lady of the Atonement Parish.
Anonymous:
I do not make the determination, nor am I handicapping a race for betting purposes. I can't recall suggesting Father Phillips is this forum, though perhaps you saw one of my posts elsewhere that he would seem a logical choice, why he would be eligible, and a joking reference regarding the timing of his going to Rome.
The situation in this case compared to Opus Dei is that Opus Dei was already a Catholic Organization and the first prelate was already a Catholic. Also, Opus Dei forms a single prelature, whereas there will be multiple Personal Ordinaries. It must have been a much simpler appointment, one man who is already an ordained Catholic being named as the Prelate.
In this case, the request did not come from people that are already Catholic but rather people that might want to become Catholic. Even if there may have been a small group in on the discussion, the pope's response is Universal. If there was a specific Anglican bishop behind the request, if he were to be appointed an Ordinary he would have to be seen as not someone that represents a small sliver of Anglicanism but have more universal appeal. If there were such a person, he apparently is not yet an ordained Catholic, so he better make up his mind rather quickly if he is expecting to be named an Ordinary. And if he is, he will be just one representing an area within one of the many national conferences of bishop, perhaps for Australia.
Any of the various ordinaries to be appointed will have to be first ordained as a Catholic clergy before he could assume the position of Ordinary. As there have been some that seem to change their mind after converting, I would think they want someone that has been a Catholic long enough that it seems likely they will be staying Catholic. Therefore I do not see that current Anglican Bishops will necessarily be at "the front of the line", particularly if they are only willing to convert with the understanding that they will get the position. That would still leave a small pool of former "Anglican" bishops that have now been Catholic for at least a year or more, but having been a bishop has not been established as one of the criteria, only that is preferable that they be a former Anglican clergy.
I'm not sure that anybody knows what the next move will be. The norms and constitution have just been issued, and the Vatican may be looking to see the reaction. There cannot be a whole lot of action until the Personal Ordinariates are actually created and an Ordinary named. But in one of those chicken or egg questions, perhaps the pope is waiting for the Governing Councils to submit a terna of names to choose the Ordinary from. Who will be on the Governing Council? At least half are selected by the priest of the Ordinariate. In the U.S., perhaps that might mean that priests ordained under the Pastoral Provision will elect the first General Council, who will then provide the terna of names to the Holy Father.
Daniel,
I am assuming you are the same Daniel in the Opus Dei forum who was very vocal in naming the current archbishop of San Antonio. If you are not the same one, then I apologize. I've just heard a little too much from Opus Dei lately. I've seen them take over whole parishes, pushing out long time members and taking over programs. I've seen them make pretty deep inroads into some dioceses. Hopefully, they are not connected to this. After all, it is primarily for those of us who are Anglican converts, although I do sympathize with cradle Catholics who have nowhere decent to worship. I would PM you on this rather than hijacking the good Father Phillips' comment section, but you didn't set up a blogger profile. (Very Opus Dei like, IMHO.)
I'm not on an Opus Dei forum nor a member, so do not know what you are talking about. As I don't post much on blogs, I'm not sure what a blogger profile is; but I'm not the one that is posting as "anonymous".
The Pastoral Provision Office existed to make sure the Pastoral Provision failed.
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