THE
P RTAL
April 2012
Page 4
Down Brian Clough Way!
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane
visit the Derby/Nottingham Ordinariate Group
These two
Midlands Cities are no more than fifteen miles apart. Joined by the A52, now called
“Brian Clough’s Way” after the famous Football Manager of both Derby County and Nottingham Forest
Football Clubs, they are great rivals.
our two priests each brought about
twenty people to the Ordinariate.
Because of the distance members
of the Group have to travel, they
meet together just once a month.
On other Sundays they worship at a
variety of Catholic Churches.
The Ordinariate has united
these cities in a special way. This
Ordinariate Group is not really one
Group, nor is it two Groups, rather it
is two halves of one Group.
Worship
Once a month they worship at
Saint John the Evangelist, Stapleford,
and have two holy priests, Fr Peter
Peterken and Fr Simon Ellis. Saint
John’s is a pleasant post-war building
that is pleasing to the eye both inside
and out.
Chris Cann
Fr Peter is retired whilst Fr Simon
works as Chaplain to Mount St
Mary’s (Spinkhill) School. This
means that the Group has no Stipend
to pay. On the Sunday we attended
Mass there were a good fifty people Dorothy Mozley and Margaret Hall
present with a male to female ratio
of sixteen to twenty. Also: we noticed
that there were at least twelve people
of school-age or under. The only age-
group missing that we could see was
twenty somthings.
Both priests stressed that the object
was to get to the point when the
Group, maybe two Groups, could
afford to pay their own priests.
Peter and Minion Rogers l to r: Stephen and Susan Hughes,
Alick Griffin and Nola Murray Because of the unusual nature of
this Group Nottingham and Derby
have a Treasurer each, and a Pastoral
Council is starting. As it is, they
have a representative on the local
Catholic Parish Pastoral Council.
Once a month
Although the Group is split
between Derby and Nottingham,
We asked about relations with the
C of E and Fr Simon said, “It is tricky
with the Synod stuff.”
We wondered what the point of the
Group was. Fr Peter said, “That is
straightforward. Anglican Patrimony
as the Holy Father said. It is what
we bring to the Catholic Church;
a distinctive style of pastoral care,
spirituality and the way we relate
to the local community. After a
moment’s thought he added, “And
our style of worship, of course.”
Pat played the organ, and although
the instrument itself was hardly
Fr Simon Ellis and Fr Peter Peterken
adequate for the building, Pam’s
played her part expertly.
The Group repaired to the Hall for
Lunch after Mass. The two priests
found time to speak to us. Neither
had any regrets about joining the
Ordinariate. Fr Simon told us it took
him about “1.4 seconds to decide!”
Fr Peter added, “It was an answer to
more than fifty years of prayer”.
Fr Simon said that relations with
local Catholics were very good
indeed. Fr Peter said that he is treated
as a member of the staff at Saint
George’s Derby. He concelebrates
everyday and is Principal celebrant
one day in three. He takes his share
in Baptisms and the ministry to the
Travelling Community, and he hears
lots of Confessions.