THE P RTAL
October 2017 Page 12
Ordinary Down Under
Mgr Keith Newton reflects on the meeting of the three Ordinaries
Since 2014 , the three Ordinaries from the United Kingdom , United Stated of America and Australia , appointed under the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus , have met together each year to discuss issues of mutual concern . This year it was the turn of Australia to host the meeting and so Gill and I made our first visit to the other side of the world to meet with Mgr Harry Entwistle , Bishop Steven Lopes and Fr Tad Oxley , an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith .
The first part of our meeting took place at the end of August at St Therese ’ s Spirituality Centre in Brisbane , where the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross was holding its annual clergy residential meeting . During the course of the clergy meeting , both Bishop Lopes and I had the opportunity to talk to the Australian Ordinariate clergy about the situation of the Ordinariates in North America and the United Kingdom and to hear for ourselves the concerns , the hopes and the plans of the Ordinariate in Australia .
The priests told me how much they enjoy reading
The Portal . There will be major changes for the Ordinariate there in the not too distant future as Mgr Entwistle has reached the age of retirement and their Governing Council has sent a terna of three names of possible successors to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith . When the Ordinaries next meet , there may well be a new Ordinary for Australia .
Bishop Lopes was to be accompanied by Fr Chuck Hough , the Dean of his cathedral in Houston , who was to talk about Church growth ; unfortunately , the effects of Hurricane Harvey meant that he had to cancel his trip . The hurricane in August did a great deal of damage to property in the Houston area , many were made homeless and the Ordinariate Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston was used as a place of refuge for many homeless families . Fortunately , the cathedral itself and its ancillary buildings were not damaged , but it has been a very tough time for the people of Texas and other parts of America and the Caribbean this year .
Most of the clergy of Australian Ordinariate at the Spirituality centre near Brisbane
Ordinariate and herself has an Anglican background . Professor Rowland ’ s lecture was entitled Ecumenism : What Future ? She argued that there is a growing understanding between theologians from different denominations who share a similar understanding about issues of the authority of Scripture , the importance of tradition and the uniqueness of the revelation of Jesus Christ . Often such questions can divide people within denominations , but equally there can be fundamental agreement between Christians who have the same , as she describes , “ base line .” This lecture will be available on the Ordinariate website .
The following day , we travelled again into Brisbane , to celebrate a Mass on the Vigil of the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Southern Cross , marking the fifth anniversary of the erection of the Ordinariate in Australia . The Mass took place in the church of the Oratory in formation and was attended by Ordinariate members from the region and from further afield .
On Thursday evening , we all travelled to the Catholic cathedral at Brisbane , where Mgr Entwistle had arranged a public lecture by Professor Tracey Rowland . Professor Rowland is a well-known Catholic theologian who teaches at the University of Notre Dame and has written widely , not least on the theology of Joseph Ratzinger . She has been a good friend to the
Mass to celebrate Solemnity of Our Lady of the Southern Cross