To see ourselves as others see us...

The beautiful church of St Patrick, Soho Square, gave hospitality to the Ordinariate this week.  It provided the venue for a conference looking at how we might engage with the new evangelization.

The Communications director giving directions

We had hoped to have Fr Allan Hawkins from Arlington, Texas, with us - alas, he had a nasty accident on a Metro escalator in Paris and was unable to be present; but at very short notice Fr Aidan Nichols OP spoke to us - as our Ordinary called him, 'the silver lining in the cloud of Fr Allan's indisposition'.

                                                                Eighty participants begin to settle down

He spoke about the current situation of Christians, and specifically the Catholic Church, in England. He perceived a gap, and reckoned that this was a gap which the Ordinariate was well equipped to fill. Although numbers attending Mass had held up, this was largely thanks  to immigration. The numbers of native born Catholics  had been declining, and former Anglo-Catholics continued to embody the 'natural form' of English Spirituality.

Fr Nicholls attends to a questioner

The Lineamenta of the recent Synod of Bishops had pointed to the need for the Spiritual  Care of worshipping Catholics,  for mission activity towards non Catholics,  and a New Evangelization towards post-Christians.
The Ordinariate, unlike any other Catholics, were equipped because of their history to fill the gap in the "long narrative of Albion". We came from that 'sporadic resurgence of catholicism' which was apparent throughout the history of the Church of England since the Reformation.  We had the advantage of not having experienced the disagreements in the Catholic Church which followed Vatican II. We were capable of being both entirely Orthodox in Faith, but ready to look at new methods of evangelizing. We should seek modern means communication to counter the assumptions of modernity in our day - as, in his time, T.S. Eliot had done. Fr Aidan perceived that we had a head-start over many Catholics in regard to Catechesis; our people had had to learn the faith to defend it against others in the Church of England

Attending to the inner man (and woman)

After a  lively question session, St Patrick's laid on a substantial lunch for us, then we were back in our seats for Part II,  

Washing up?

Fr Paul Richardson gave us four models of today's church. The first took account of secularisation to  explain where we were; and from this perspective the outlook was grim (despite the success of some Evangelicals in reaching the young.  The second model looked at New Forms of Spirituality; Christianity was not dying, but changing - so  the widespread interest in life after death &c the paranormal  - and a diminishing trust in science. But, asked Fr Paul, did this really stand up? Certainly  it had to do with the individualism and therapeutic mindset of today; but could a person be called 'spiritual' simply becaus he favoured alternative medicine?

Fr Richardson amends his text

The third picture was of believing without belonging - a notion favoured by Grace Davey of Exeter University. That was to treat the Church like a Public Unitlity, there when you wanted it. But we have to pay our Utility bills; and increasingly many see no need to support any Church.

Finally, there was the element of Church Growth; immigration had a great deal to do with this, and there are half a million people who belong to Black Majority Churches in this country. Holy Trinity Brompton had reached out to the affluent young in London. Catholics are doing well among ethnic communities; though insisted Fr Paul, there are other growth areas within the Catholic Church.
He listed too such innovations asCafe Church, Messy Church and so on; and commented on the numbers who vist Cathedrals, not just as tourists but certainly as pilgrims.

He told us we must teach the basics of the faith, which are non-negotiable; but we must deal with and use the importance of experience; and here he saw links between some modern evangelical spirituality, and Ignatian spirituality.  The Church of England, despite its apparent diversity of worship, had never been able to include men like Wesley or Newman. They didnot fit the Anglican mould. The Catholic Church was far more genuinely diverse, with its different rites, its different styles of worship, it various Religous Orders: and now the Ordinariate was herfe to add to the mix.

Fr Elliott Smith contributing to the Patrimony of Music

After another Q&A session, a lovely Mass celebrated (from the Book of Divine Worship) by our Ordinary. The Preacher was the Parish Priest of St Patrick's, Fr Alexander Sherbrooke, who gave us great encouragement. As Mgr Keith said, it is only Catholics who are NOT in the Ordinariate who can tell us what is our Patrimony; try  to do  it  ouurselves, and it sounds like boasting. The three who addressed us today all gave us great encouragement to work away as leaven or salt, and to do so with  patience.

 

 

 

The Noisy Minority

Hugo Rifkind is described (in this week's Spectator) as "a writer for the Times", so we know he is usually best ignored. His pompous piece in the Spectator, though, makes him appear like a self-confident leader writer for the Thunderer of old - except that in those days someone would have checked his grammar. "People .. who want to antagonistically get married &c". Tut, tut.

But it is not his grammar which needs correcting so much as his assumptions. He writes for a very noisy minority. We have a duty to get the voices of the less noisy (even silent) majority heard whenever possible. What follows I have sent to the Editor, but I have little hope of its appearing in the Speccy, so here it is for you, my select readership.

'Hugo Rifkind has written that “Gay Marriage is going to happen, and that’s a fact”. Then he says that civil gay marriage will not inevitably lead to churches being forced to conduct gay marriages – “There surely cannot be many people, gay or otherwise, who want to antagonistically get married in a place that really doesn’t want them.” Where does Hugo Rifkind get his news? Has he not read about the boarding house owners who were plagued with gay couples determined to make them toe the PC line? Once the State admits to gay marriage, the pressure will immediately be on the churches to follow suit – most especially the Church of England as the Established Church, but after them all the rest of us..

 

He asserts that the only real argument against gay marriage is the Christian one; and since I am a Christian that means he can safely ignore anything I write. But perhaps part of the reason I am a Christian is because the Church’s stand on gay issues [as also on abortion on demand and assisted suicide on demand] seems to me entirely consonant with being human. He might not have noticed, but historically Humanism began in the Christian world.

 

Gay couples can already have a Civil Union, with all the benefits which accrue to married couples. Why do they want to hijack the language of Marriage? (though in fact many of them do not). A union between two women or two men may be the equivalent of marriage; but it is not the same. “I am in favour of gay marriage even if gays aren’t” he writes. There is generosity of spirit for you! What Mr Rifkind believes, everyone must believe.

 

I suppose any argument from design carries no weight with him; but in case he has not noticed, the union between a woman and a man can result in procreation, the union (however achieved) between same-sex couples cannot. It is the first reason for marriage, God given as many of us would say. Which is why the language of marriage  - husband and wife, father and mother - must be protected. Or does he want us to go down the route of Brighton City Council and forbid us to say or write "father and mother"? Try as he may, he is the one who is going to fail in the end, by ignoring human nature.'

In Newman's Steps

For its second annual colloquium, the Confederation of Catholic Clergy met again at the Oratory School in Reading. This time our numbers had more or less doubled - about a hundred participants - and again there was significant participation by members of the Ordinariate. Indeed, our Ordinary, Mgr Keith Newton, preached at one of the Masses.

In the picture above he is talking to Archbishop Augustine di Noia, and one of the organisers of CCC in England, Fr Peter Edwards. We listened to some outstanding speakers. Bishop Philip Egan, fresh from his Ordination to the See of Portsmouth, set us off with a stirring address at the first Mass of our two days together. Then Fr Uwe Michael Lang spoke on twenty years after Sacrosanctum Concilium, and gave us pointers towards a new liturgical movement; a movement in which he asserted that the words spoken were important - but not as important as the way in which they were said, the whole conduct of the Mass. For me that was particularly encouraging (see the comments on the previous blog posting).

We were encouraged to take vocations seriously, by Fr Stephen Langridge; many are aware of a call, but that needs to be endorsed by others. It was for us, and the faithful, to ask "Have you thought about the priesthood - the religious life?" ... and then to follow it up with further questions. We should not leave it to the experts.

Archbishop di Noia is a Dominican, and I had been asked to convey greetings to him from our Dominican Sisters in Sway, which I duly did, and he responded warmly. His address on the new evengelization was for me one of the highlights of the Colloquium. He is a great catch for CCC, having only this summer been appointed to the post of vice president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei, with the task of reconciling traditionalist groups to the Holy See.

The concluding address was by the Revd Dr Andrew Pinsent of the Oxford Theology Faculty on Science, Grace and Catholic Enlightenment. It was good to see him reclaiming Enlightenment for the Church, instead of allowing the 18th Century Encyclopedists, Diderot and his gang, to claim the title for themselves. He gave us so much in a very sort space of time, and it would be good to be able to peruse Fr Pincesnt's ideas at leisure. Finally Bishop Geoffrey Jarratt of the diocese of Lismore in Australia brought us greetings from our antipodean brethren - who were the originators of the Confederation, and inspired those who began the English branch just a couple of years ago.

 

Central to everything during the Colloquim was worship. Here the altar is being prepared by another member of the Ordinariate whom some may recognise.



 

This was a great time for meeting old friends - Fr Dennis Lloyd who was Principal at Mirfield at the time when I was doing a similar job at St Stephen's House - Fr Peter Newsam, who has grown a beard since his student days, so that I did not recognise him at first - and a time too for making many new friends from all parts of England. For all of us, the beautiful liturgies and the times of silence before the Blessed Sacrament were a great refreshment, balancing the fellowship and the lectures - all together contributing to the aims of CCC, Fraternity, Fidelity and Formation. We are all deeply indebted to the handful of priests who organised these two days together, and look forward to future events. If you want to find out more, go to the CCC Website http://www.confraternityccb.org.uk/CCCB/Home.html

 

Towards a Pastoral Council

Mgr Keith Newton summoned representatives of the Ordinariate Groups to a meeting in Oxford. The notice was fairly short, so it was good that so many of our Groups were represented at today's event, each of them sending a lay person with the Group's Pastor. We celebrated Mass in the Catholic Chaplaincy of the University (shades of Mgr Ronnie Knox, to say nothing of Brideshead...) and the rest of the morning was given over to an address by Mgr Keith Barltrop.

Two Mgri Keith, Barltrop of St Mary Bayswater and Newton of nfa.

He spoke about the Year of Faith and the New Evangelisation, with special reference to the Ordinariate. He told us how it was Pope John Paul II who had listed what was to be new in the New Evanglisation. It was not a replacement for what the Parish Clergy and others were already doing.. And long before he came into office our present Pope had reminded us that the Church has always evangelised, without interruption, from the very outset; in celebrating the Holy Mysteries day by day, in the exercise of charity. "Light and warmth radiate from this permanent evangelisation" said Cardinal Ratzinger. The New Evangelisation though adds to these older methods, in an attempt to reach "the larger part of present society which does not find access through permament classic evangelisation". Mgr Barltrop spoke warmly, among other new initiatives, of the Jerusalem Communities in France and Italy which attracted so many of the younger generation.

Getting ready for our second session

Then he proposed three avenues for the Ordinariate to consider:
1.  Go back to the early church; see the virtues of smallness - 'Don't be afraid, little flock'.
2.  Look to your Anglican roots; see how the Church of England has been in touch with the culture.
3.  Remember the Marian dimension: Walsingham should become increasingly important for us.

This led to a lively Q&A session, before we broke up for our picnic lunch.

After Lunch Mgr Keith Newton spoke about the future (some of the American Ordinariate parishes are large; but they have taken thirty years from starting as Anglican Use Catholics to reach their present size; we need patience).

Our three wise Monsignori, (l to r)  Burnham, Newton and Broadhurst

Mgr John Broadhurst helped us consider our finances (we had been more generous givers as Anglicans than we were now: we must recover that part of our Patrimony). Mgr Andrew Burnham brought the welcome news that our Customary is now published (and he told us how we might use some of its material alongside our present Office Books).

Representatives from the Southwest in a Group Discussion

For once dividing into groups proved a helpful next step; our four Groups in the Portsmouth Diocese, for instance, were joined with others from the midwest (Bath and Bristol) and the Southwest
(Plymouoth, Buckfast, Torbay &c) together with some from the South Midlands (though Reading is already well known to us being in the same diocese as us). We shared our experiences, good and not so good, and looked forward to what might help in future.

The Isle of Wight makes a telling point

Finally, we twisted a few arms to ensure that there would be good lay representation on the Council of the Ordinariate - something which for Diocesan Catholics was permitted, but for us was mandatory. Altogether a very positive and up-beat day, and (as Michelin has it) "vaut le voyage" .. well worth it, in fact.

Getting to know you....

Today Bishop Philip Egan began his tour of the Pastoral Areas of Portsmouth diocese. He started in the far west, with Bournemouth and Avon/Stour. Very kindly, he is including priests of the Ordinariate, so today Fr Brian Copus and I were invited because our Group meets in Southbourne.

Bishop Philip with our Host Fr Bruce Barnes

We began with half an hour before the Blessed Sacrament, in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Bournemouth. Then into the palatial Presbytery, where Fr Bruce had laid on tea and coffee and cake.

Fr Brian Copus coffee cup in hand, among the brethren.

Bishop Philip started by removing some of the more extravagant press accounts of what he is like; he is not intent on putting the clock back to 1952. Rather he is intending the be like the householder commended in the Gospel for bringing out of his treasures "things new and old". He went on the say that his first concern was with his clergy, priests and deacons. This is why between now and Christmas he is intent on getting round the whole of the pastoral areas (and they stretch North as far as cis-Isis Oxford and as far South as the Channel Islands). Besides this he is making time for individual meetings with each of the clergy.

And it really was tea or coffee...

Then he gave us a parable, which certainly spoke to me. He had seen salmon leaping to clear great obstacles in a river, making their way up to the place where they originally came from. All of us know where we belong; our home is in heaven, and our life is a matter of making our way there - our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Him. But swimming against the current is not an easy matter, and increasingly the Church finds herself having to be counter-cultural.

Answering a tricky question

That picture I think will inform the prayers and thoughts of many who heard him, during this Year of Faith. After a time for questions and comments we said the Angelus together. On the way home in the car four of us were agreed that he had made a great beginning, and we look forward to being his co-workers in the years to come.

Bankers? Bonkers

I wasted two hours of my life today. My credit card statement included an interest payment of over £3 because the bank asserted I had not paid £20 off my bill last month. But I had set up a standing order to ensure this money was paid regularly. So I phoned.  Have you tried phoning your bank? After endless options (if you are enquiring about a mortgage, press one, if you are wanting a loan for less then three days, press two.... if you are tired of living, press seventeen ... and so on). They asked questions like what was my mother's sister's aunt's maiden name, the first name of our deceased pet dog, my inside leg measurement (in millimetres). After all that, I spoke to a human being; a very pleasant sounding Scots human being.  She wanted to know what was the credit card payment I had made on Thursday fortnight. Because I could not tell her, there was nothing more she could do for me.

So I got into the car and drove my still Vertiginous self into town. In the Bank the Information and Help desk was unmanned.  There were people waiting to see an advisor, but no-one was in the front office. So I joined the queue at the clerks' desks. The young lady was very solicitous; she called a colleague over. The matter could not be resolved there. I would need to speak to someone who could phone someone else to discover what the problem was. So I went to wait in the outer office. Eventually a more senior lady came out; she rang and waited and eventually, yes, a human being on the end of the phone, who was handed over to me and assured me that, yes, they had made a mistake, the twenty pounds should have been taken from my account to cover the Credit Card debt, and the charge would be waived.

Success! And after only two hours of phoning and waiting and driving, I have recovered a little over three pounds sterling which was mine all along. The bank concerned is Lloyds TSB, but I have no doubt the same might have been true elsewhere. I have banked with Lloyds since I was in the Air Force, during my National Service.... so it is a long while. Part of the bank is to be taken over by the Co-operative Bank; I did suggest that things might be better then, but the clerk told me that our branch is to remain Lloyds TSB and in any case the situation would be no better because the difficulty is shortage of staff.  That is why you have to go through the multiple choice exam of button-pressing rather than being able to phone your branch; because there are not enough people to answer the phone. You waste you time rather than theirs. Yet if you could ring to make an appointment everyone's time might be saved. Too simple, obviously.

This is an organisation whose bosses have, notoriously, been paid vast bonuses. Each year the profits of these organisations rise. Yet in a time of unemployment the banks save money by cutting staff in the branches, so infuriating their once loyal customers.  What a mad world we are in.

The Beauty of Holiness

“The Sacred Liturgy is at the centre of the new evangelization,” said the Bishop of Frejus-Toulon in announcing an international conference on the Sacred Liturgy next summer. So as this year of faith begins our little Ordinariate Group in Bournemouth is trying to do something about bringing with us into the Catholic Church an Anglican emphasis on the beauty of holiness. Almost the first thing we did on arrival at Our Lady Queen of Peace was to acquire (through good Church of England friends in Southampton) copies of English Hymnal.

That book has come as a revelation to some of the long-time Catholics who join us at Mass now and again. "But there are hymns by St Thomas Aquinas! And Blessed John Henry Newman! And G.K. Chesterton ... how wonderful!".

We also have the advantage of a first-class organist, and some parts of his Mass setting (the Dorset Mass) were sung at the Ordination of our two latest Ordinariate priests in Portsmouth diocese. We have cantors, and full-throated congregational singing. What we lack, though, is a worthy instrument for our organist to play; the parish's keyboard has been fine when all it had to do was accompany "Deep within my heart I know Jesus loves me" or "Colours of Day" but strangely those do not appear in English Hymnal.

So this Sunday we are having a newcomer in our midst; a three-manual electronic organ (picture above) on loan. This is the instrument which our little music committe has looked at and decided it would be the best answer to our needs, without being hugely extravagant. So far we have raised a couple of thousand pounds towards it - and this without undermining our giving to the Ordinariate. The Parish is very interested in finding ways of helping, and together we shall attempt to raise the money to enable us to have such an instrument installed in the gallery of Our Lady Queen of Peace, to be used by Parish and Ordinariate.

We believe firmly that music can be a part of our major task of evangelization. So if you, dear reader, know someone who has a few thousand pounds (or even a few pounds) burning a hole in his or her wallet, do put them in touch....