An invitation you can't refuse - 10th October

Friends of the Ordinariate of

Our Lady of Walsingham

Charity No: 1142667

PRESS RELEASE

Ordinariate Introduces New Liturgy

History will be made in the Catholic Church on 10 October when a new text for the Mass which includes traditional Anglican words is officially introduced in London.

The text has been devised for use by the Personal Ordinariates – the structures established by Pope Benedict XVI which allow former Anglicans who wish to enter the full communion of the Catholic Church to do so whilst retaining aspects of their spiritual and liturgical traditions. Benedict XVI described these as “precious gifts” and “treasures to be shared”.

The liturgy – the work of a special working party established by Rome and now approved by the Holy See – includes material from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as well as the Roman Rite. It will be unveiled with a Mass, to be followed by a media launch organised by the Friends of the Ordinariate charity, at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, Soho.

The Mass will be celebrated by the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monsignor Keith Newton, and the preacher will be Monsignor Andrew Burnham, Assistant to the Ordinary and a member of the commission which devised the liturgy, known as the Ordinariate Use. Music, drawn entirely from the English tradition, will include pieces by Howells, Elgar, and Bairstow.

Mgr Burnham said: “For some time, the Ordinariate has had its own liturgy, approved by the Holy See, for marriages and funerals and the Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham already provides a daily office in the Anglican tradition. But the introduction of this new Ordinariate Use is very important because it means that we now have our own distinctive liturgy for the Mass which brings to the Roman rite beautiful Anglican words which have been hallowed for generations. It gives the Ordinariate unity and a corporate identity.”

The Roman Rite in both its ordinary and extraordinary forms remains available for use by Ordinariate priests and there will be no requirement for them to adopt the Ordinariate Use. However, all Ordinariate clergy will be expected to familiarise themselves with it. Some priests are expected to use it regularly, while others – especially in parishes with a large concentration of “cradle” Catholics in the congregation – may only wish to use it from time to time.

The Mass will be celebrated in Our Lady of the Assumption & St Gregory’s Church at 6.30pm on Thursday 10 October. All welcome.

Win a free trip to Rome in this exciting competition

All you have to do is:-

* Terminate the gay Soho Masses

* Instal the Ordinariate in one of London's most beautiful churches with links back to the Blessed John Henry, Cardinal Newman

and complete the following sentence in not more than twenty words:

"In future I shall uphold the teachings of Holy Mother Church and respond swiftly to abuses because..........................................................................................................................................

Well done Archbishop Nichols...now may we please have more Latin Masses in your Diocese?

Do you sprinkle?

That may sound like a rather personal question but I ask in all innocence.

                                            Is this "Sprinkle" or "Asperges"?

You see the Ordinariate have a pilgrimage at Walsingham underway and, it appears that "sprinkling" is part of it.

See the programme from Tenow8 blog below:-

Noon – Angelus and Solemn Mass at the National Shrine

2:30pm – Holy Mile and Rosary Procession to the Anglican Shrine.

3:15pm – Sprinkling at the Anglican Shrine

Pilgrims are invited to bring a picnic lunch.

This pilgrimage will be led by Monsignor Keith Newton.

I have two questions. One, what are they doing at the Anglican Shrine?

And two, what is sprinkling? Do they mean "Asperges"?

I trust that it does not have a sinister meaning (?) and, I do not wish to pour water (aherm) on this pilgrimage but it would be good to have a clarification of sorts.

The nub of what I am trying very clumsily to say is that, if the Ordinariate members have converted to the Catholic Faith shouldn't Anglican language and customs be ditched in favour of Catholic ones?

Twelve questions to ask your Protestant friends

There are so many issues concerning the Protestant faiths that it is hard to know where to start.

Was it Archbishop of Canterbury................(Michael Ramsey or Geoffrey Fisher) who was honest enough to state, in the 1960s, "We have no doctrine other than that handed down to us by Rome."

 Dr Ian Paisley might have a few words to say on that topic.

But, so many non Catholic friends seem to live in a glass bubble where all that has gone before is forgotten and all that is to come is ignored.

So here are my twelve questions, you may well have others you wish to add:-

1. When did your church last canonize a saint?

2. Why have you covered up that fine holy water font? (on visiting a pre Reformation Church)

3. Why have those effigies of Catholic nobility had their features hacked off?

4. Did you know that St David was a Catholic? (this for my non Catholic Welsh friends)

5. What does your church believe in precisely?

6. Why do you speak of "Jesus" and "Mary" as if they were your next door neighbours?

7. When Our Lord and His followers were all male, what is the case for female ministers?

8. Did you know that England and Wales were once Catholic countries?

9. If there is both heaven and hell....what is the procedure for gaining access to the former?

10. When was your church founded - and by whom?

11. Did you know that there have been circa 86 Catholic Archbishops of
      Canterbury and 34 Protestant ones?
      
12. Why on earth don't you convert to the one true Faith?

The first Ordinariate for Wales

Father Brian Gill, former Vicar General of the Traditional Anglican Church will be ordained by the Bishop of Menevia, Thomas Burns, on Saturday 21st July in the cluster parish of Presteigne, Rhayader and Knighton.

A small number of community members forming what is believed to be the first Welsh Ordinariate will join with Fr Gill on the day.

Remember Fr Gill and the Welsh Ordinariate in your prayers please, especially on this feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - the following prayer may be said as a novena on behalf of the Ordinariate:

O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein that you are my Mother.
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart, to succour me in this my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. O show me herein that you are my Mother.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us that have recourse to thee. (3 times)
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (3 times)

Of course, this will be the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham but.......dare I suggest.....

.......that it should really be the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Cardigan as this shrine has equal standing to Walsingham and is, of course, the National Shrine of Wales.......but then, it is a long way from major cities, fast trains and motorways (!) 

The 'forgotten' shrine of Wales, Our Lady
of Cardigan - National Shrine