THE
P RTAL
February 2012
Page 9
The
Ordinary’s
Page
Monsignor Keith
Newton writes
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The 15th January 2012, marked the first Anniversary
of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham
under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman.
An Anniversary is an opportunity both to look back
with thanksgiving and look forward in hope. We
have moved from places we have known to a new and
welcoming home in the Catholic Church. I give thanks
to God for your courage and faith, sometimes at great
personal cost.
Many people have travelled a similar road, including
our patron Blessed John Henry Newman, but we have
travelled responding to the invitation made by Pope
Benedict specifically to people like us. Although there
have been difficulties and anxieties, many have told
me of their joy and fulfilment. We can also be thankful
for those Catholic congregations and individuals who
have supported and encouraged us.
There have been disappointments and setbacks but
these have been outweighed by the warmth of the
welcome. This is something we have prayed and longed
for and it puts into practice the Holy Father’s vision that
it is possible for Christians from different traditions to
be united in a common faith in communion with the
successor of Peter.
Of course, there have been some misunderstandings;
partly because the Ordinariate has begun in a modest
way, many Catholics have had no personal contact
with the Ordinariate. It is up to us to make a reality
the vision that Pope Benedict has set before us, that
the Ordinariate should contribute to the wider goal
of visible unity between the Catholic Church and the
Anglican Communion.
It is to help us to experience how we can share the
gifts we have received to strengthen each other for
our mission to a world that desperately needs to hear
of Jesus Christ. We should continue to pray earnestly
for the unity of Christ’s Church which Pope Benedict
reminded us last year is a particular task for the
successor of Saint Peter.
What of the future? We face it with faith and
hope. There is a constant stream of men and women
being received into the Catholic Church through
the Ordinariate; we expect several new groups to be
received at Easter and we are preparing for a number
of priestly ordinations around Pentecost. In addition
several young men are exploring the possibility of
ordination within the Ordinariate. This is all extremely
encouraging but could be a strain on our limited
finances.
I ask you to be generous; not simply making your
financial contributions in response to needs but in
response to God’s generosity to us in Christ “who
though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.” 2 Cor
8:9. If we all do this we will be able to prepare for the
future with confidence.
We are part of an historic moment in the Church, and
must remember that nothing will be achieved without
prayer and holiness of life. As we look forward to the
future with hope we entrust the life and mission of the
Ordinariate to the prayers of Our Lady of Walsingham
and Blessed John Henry Newman.
The Right Revd Mgr Keith Newton
Ordinary
(This is an abridged version of
Mgr Keith Newton’s recent Pastoral Letter)