Ordinariate Watch: The national and local status of the Anglican Ordinariate

Many Anglicans world-wide, and Episcopalians in the United States have questioned the rationale and legitimacy of the decisions by those in power to allow women priests, homosexual civil unions/marriage, homosexual clergy, and the overall embrace of militant liberalism and secularism.

More than a few of the Anglican Communion's clergy and laity have taken advantage of Pope Benedict XVI invitation for Christian unity under the auspices of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus.

Under the provisions of the Anglican Ordinariate, the Anglicans/Episcopalians will retain their bishops, priests, Book of Common Prayer, as well as their liturgy.

The traditional Anglican liturgy is very similar to the Catholic Tridentine Latin Mass, except that it has a mix of Latin and Elizabethan English.

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This article is very misleading. For example, the Book of Divine Worship used by Anglican Use Roman Catholic parishes is based largely upon the Episcopal Church's 1979 Book of Common Prayer and contains two rites like that service book.

Anglicanorum Coetibus and its complamentary norms very clearly states that any liturgy used in the Anglican Ordinariates must first be approved by the Vatican and the Vatican, if does approve a liturgy for the the Anglican Ordinariates, will in all likelihood model it upon the Book of Divine Worship and the new Roman liturgy that is being implimented later this year.

Indeed spokesman of the Roman Catholic Church have repeatedly reiterated that the Anglican Ordinariates will be Roman Rite bodies within the Roman Catholic Church, not bodies with their own distinctive liturgical tradition. They have also been saying that the Anglican Ordinariates are free to use the new Roman liturgy and appear to be encouraging them to do so.

It may be sometime before the Vatican approves a new Anglican Use service book if at all. The Book of Divine Service is out of print. At least one Vatican spokeman has referred to the "Anglican Patrimony" as the music of the Anglican Church!

Those who are expecting to continue to use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer in a US Anglican Ordinariate or the 1962 Canadian Prayer Book in a Canadian Anglican Orinariate will be disappointed.