THE P
RTAL
The Ordinary ’ s Page
Grant to these servants of yours the dignity of the priesthood
July 2011 Page 9
The last month was been really busy for me trying to attend as many of our ordinations as possible . By the beginning of this month the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham will be blessed with 55 priests and 5 deacons with a few more ordinations to take place in the near future . I have found them incredibly moving and emotional occasions as we see the life of the Ordinariate begin to take shape .
As I noted in my homily in Birmingham , there has been a sense of both continuity and radical change . There is a continuity of public Christian ministry but now set in an exciting and new context within the priesthood of the Catholic Church in communion with the See of Peter . Two parts of the ordination rite particularly struck me . There is the reminder , when the priest receives the chalice and paten from the ordaining bishop , that he is to imitate the mystery he celebrates and model his life on the mystery of the cross . These are important words which those who are ordained need to remind themselves of every day but more important the priests need and rely on the prayers of the faithful to live up to that calling of sacrificial service . So I encourage you to pray regularly for your priests and for vocations to the priesthood .
The second thing to make an impression is the Kiss of Peace by the other priests at the end of the ordination rite . It is a sign of welcome into the presbyteral order but also a powerful symbol of the unity of the Catholic priesthood . Those of us who have been ordained through the Ordinariate are first and foremost priests of the Catholic Church called to work together with our brother priests in fulfilling the same mission which has been given to us by Christ himself .
Walsingham Pilgrimage Saturday 16 th July 2011
I am hoping to see many of you at our first pilgrimage
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������������������� � �������������������������������� �������������������������� ����������������������� to Walsingham , since the erection of the Ordinariate , on Saturday 16 th July . I will be the principal celebrant and preacher at the 12noon Mass at the National Catholic Shrine . After lunch at 2.30pm there will be a silent procession of the Blessed Sacrament from the Slipper Chapel to the Priory Grounds for Benediction and an Act of Consecration . This will be followed by a procession to the Anglican shrine where the pilgrimage will end with sprinkling . It will be a lovely day out and as an added bonus there is a flower festival in the village .
Another date for you diary is Saturday 8 th October when I will be leading this year ’ s Rosary Crusade of Reparation . This takes the form of a procession from Westminster Cathedral to the Brompton Oratory ending with Solemn Benediction . Again it would be good if members of the Ordinariate could take part in this great act of witness in the centre of the capital .
Finally , I would like to announce that I have appointed Mgr Burnham and Mgr Broadhurst as Assistants to the Ordinary . This merely formalises what is already happening in practice as the three of us work together to build up the Ordinariate and make structures for the future .
With the assurance of my prayers ,
Mgr Keith Newton