The Portal - Australia edition February 2014 | Page 12

THE P RTAL

February 2014

Page 8

The Saint Barnabas Society
Jackie Ottaway meets Fr Robin Sanders,
Secretary of the Saint Barnabas Society

O

ver a

hot drink in the offices in North Oxford, Fr Robin Sanders, the
Secretary, told me about the Society. “In the 1890s it became clear that there was
a significant number of what were then called “Converted Anglican Clergymen”, who
were living in dire poverty.
The Pope wrote to the Archbishop of
Westminster asking that something be done,
and the Converts’ Aid Society was founded.
At first it was quite small and didn’t have
much money. It helped, at first, only former
Clergymen. Former Religious Sisters
were added but had to wait until all the
Clergymen had been helped. Over the years
it has expanded and we now help former
Clergy, Religious and Ministers from any
other Christian Church. In the time that I’ve
been involved we have helped everybody
from the Salvation Army and Seventh Day
Adventists to the Greek Orthodox.

greatly increased income

TheStBarnabasSociety
is someone in material
need as a result of
becoming Catholic?
Nearly all the people
helped today are
former Clergy or
Religious Ministers,
mainly Anglican but
also from many other
churches. .

Barnabas… was a good man full
of the Holy Spirit & of faith…

“Freddie Chambers was the first full time
Acts 11:22-24
Secretary. He greatly increased the income
A Registered Charity No. 1009910 A company limited by guarantee
Registered in England No. 2645233
of the Society and, therefore, its ability to
help people. Freddie was the Secretary until
the 1960s and was succeeded by his widow, Pat, who made some very brave moves.
retired in the 1980s.

changes to charity law
Because of changes to charity law and best practice,
the St Barnabas Society was set up in the early 1990s to
take over the work of Converts’ Aid. Keith Jarrett was
appointed as Secretary. He died in November 2000,
just before his retirement. I’ve been here for just over
13 years and I’m hoping to retire this year.

headquarters building
“The Converts’ Aid Society was run from
Twickenham where the Chambers lived until 1990
when all the operations were moved from Twickenham
to Wolvercote, Oxford.

I thanked Fr Robin
on behalf of the
lay people of the
Ordinariate of Our
Lady of Walsingham
for all he has done for
our Priests who have

getting from point A to point B

“With the Ordinariate, we applied the same rules
but of course, slightly differently. Our aim is to get
someone from point A to point B, to a new life settled
in the Catholic Church, as comfortably as possible and
with as little stress as possible.

continuing help
If someone isn’t going to get to point B, or there isn’t
a point B for them, then we will help them for as long
as they need help. There are always people who are
going to need continuing help or who need to come
back to us.

Without naming names, I wondered if Fr Robin
I asked if the aims were exactly the same now: to help could tell me what has been done for the Ordinariate:
destitute Clergy, converting Clergy and the Religious priests in particular.
on an equal level.
“We have paid monthly sums to those Ordinariate
is someone in material need
Clergy who gave up stipends. We paid for them to
“Yes.” The answer was emphatic. He continued, “In move house, for the physiological assessments and if
a sense things have developed in that the real test is - necessary for them to travel to their formation sessions.