In former Bishop Barnes own words, "Today was very good. Bishop Crispian of Portmouth made us very welcome, and although there was only a handful of us in his private chapel for my ordination to the diaconate, we had some good music. For Our Lady of Lourdes, we'd chosen a bit of the Anglican Patrimony. We sang as an introit: Bishop Ken's "Her Virgin Eyes saw God Incarnate born", to Lawes' tune 'Farley Castle'. I was not the solitary deacon on parade; Stephen (good name for a Deacon) Morgan, who is finance secretary to the Diocese, propped me up and ensured I did not fall over my feet..
"Jane, formerly known as the Flying Buttress when I was a Flying Bishop, was also present but as ever wanted to take a back seat. She was eventually inveigled into a photograph. We had a very jolly lunch after the Ordination. Bishop Crispian is clearly keen to make the Ordinariate work in his diocese, and has given great encouragement to the three groups in his territory which are in process of formation. As he pointed out, my duty and that of my fellow priests is not to him but to our Ordinary, and he was only able to Ordain me because he had been asked to do so by Fr Keith Newton."
"For all that, he is doing everything he can to ensure that we are made welcome by all the catholic clergy and laity within his diocese. For ourselves, I must say Jane and I have felt a great warmth of affection and a welcome we could not possibly deserve. If anyone is holding back from the Ordinariate fearing that a clergy wife might not be welcome, please speak to Jane or any of the other bishops' or priests' wives who have made the journey. I hope that even after our local Anglicanorum group is running, I shall still be some use to priests and parishes in this southern part of Portsmouth diocese."
To read more, click here.
3 comments:
Robin:
Why is he called a "former Anglican?"
Is this not question begging...to call him a "former Anglican" when, in fact, he was an Anglo-Papist?
It seems to me that we need to guard the defintions and connotations here.
Regards,
PV
You have a point, Phil. I changed "Anglican" to "Church of England." I do not think that I need to point out that he was an Anglo-Papist. That is obvious. Conversion to Roman Catholicism and admission to Roman Catholic holy orders entails submission to the Pope and acceptance of papacy. As soon as one does that, one becomes a papist whatever one might have been before one took the road to Rome. If someone is in the Roman Catholic Church and not a papist, he or she is in the wrong church.
Robin:
1. Thanks.
2. Little noted in the press accounts (VOL and others) to wit, that these so-called Anglicans must "resubmit" to Romanist re-ordination, an indication that: a) these so-called Anglicans had a sacramentally invalid ministry in all preceding years, very poignant for these C o E Bishops limping along, b) that the C o E has had and has no valid, sacramental ministry more largely unless one yields to Romanist sacramentology and c) that Rome is the true overseeing ministry.
3. "Former Anglican" is a definitional problem...a big problem.
Regards,
PV
Post a Comment