THE
P RTAL
November 2011
Page 9
The Ordinary’s Page
Monsignor Keith Newton writes
As I write this I have just returned from a trip to the USA as a guest of
the St Luke’s Institute in Washington DC. The priests of the Ordinariate
know all about St Luke’s Centre in Manchester - which works in close
association with the Institute - where they went for assessment before
ordination.
The Institute in Washington and the Centre in
Manchester do invaluable work in promoting the
health and well-being of Catholic clergy and religious
as well as running an assessment scheme for potential
priests. The Ordinariate has much to be grateful
for from the work of St Luke’s Centre which is fully
supporting the work of the Ordinariate through its
particular ministry.
By happy coincidence the visit gave me the
opportunity to accept an invitation to preside at Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus in
Mass and preach for the new Catholic community of 2009. In addition it is expected that an Ordinariate
St Luke’s Bladensburg. Until the end of September, will be erected in Australia sometime in 2012.
St Luke’s was a parish of the Episcopal (Anglican)
I write this to remind you that we are part of a much
Diocese of Washington.
wider movement in the Catholic Church than the
On Sunday 9th October, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and
Archbishop of Washington, received most of the to encourage you to pray for our Anglican brothers and
congregation, including their priest the Revd. Mark sisters who are discerning their future not only here in
Lewis, into the full communion of the Catholic Church. England and Wales, but also in Canada, Australia and
the United States.
The following Sunday, 16th October, I was able to
be with them to share in their joy and celebrate their “Year of Faith”
first Catholic Mass in their church. What a privilege
Last month The Holy Father announced, as part of
it was. They are following another group of former his call for a new evangelisation, a forthcoming “Year
Episcopalians belonging to a community of St Peter of Faith” beginning on 11th October 2012. He said its
the Rock who were received by the Catholic Bishop of aim “is to give renewed energy to the Church’s mission
Fort Worth a few weeks earlier.
to lead men and women out of the desert in which
they so often find themselves, and towards the place of
United Sates and Australia
life, towards friendship with Christ who gives us life in
These two groups were received in anticipation of the all its fullness”.
erection of an Ordinariate for former Anglicans in the
United Sates which is expected before the end of the
The Year will also be an opportunity “to strengthen
year. During my visit I came across so much excitement our faith in Christ and joyfully to announce Him to
from Catholics that this was going to happen very soon the men and women of our time”, he said. Mission
and encouragement for those making the journey.
must be at the centre of the life of the Ordinariates so
this initiative should be particularly dear to us as we
One Benedictine monk I met at Bladensburg was in strive to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to our
tears of joy at what he saw as a return of part of the friends and neighbours.
family which had been separated for so long. Another
Carmelite sister I met told me her community had
With my prayers for you,
been earnestly and joyfully praying for the formation
of the Ordinariate ever since the publication of the
Monsignor Keith Newton