THE
P RTAL
October 2017
Page 21
Tips for the growth
of an Ordinariate Group
Ronald Crane spotted an article
in the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society Blog
I
f you have not yet discovered the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society Blog, you could do worse than go
to http://bit.ly/ord-growth and see some of the excellent articles there. One in particular caught my eye.
Indeed, it was also spotted by Fr Ed Tomlinson, for he quoted it in his Blog on 19th September.
parish/community is automatically eligible for
It is from the pen of the webmaster at Catholic in
Ordinariate membership as well.
the Ozarks, Shane Schaetzel. Here Shane offers some
advice to Ordinariate parishes for their growth. I quote
6. Offer highly traditional liturgy. Youth are more
it in full. The emphases are mine.
attracted to tradition these days. Don’t fall for the
hippy happy-clappy trap. Nothing is more dated
The following are eight recommendations from what
than contemporary worship. If you want young
I have witnessed to work. This is how we are growing
people to join your community, you need to offer
one Ordinariate parish so fast we can barely keep up
old traditional liturgy - the more “high-church”
with the building size…
the better. So use that Divine Worship Missal
regularly and vigorously.
1. Get away from established Catholic parishes.
You can’t build your own house in somebody
7. Offer challenging homilies. People today are
else’s backyard. Embrace the missionary spirit.
sick and tired of watered-down, non-offensive
Move away from your host parish and set up
homilies that don’t challenge them to live the
shop in a populated area where no Catholic
faith. Don’t get me wrong. We need to show the
parishes are nearby. Even if you have to meet
love of God in all of our teaching, but at the same
in somebody’s home, or in a storefront, it’s
time we need to define sin clearly and challenge
better than trying to build your own house in
our people to overcome it.
somebody else’s backyard.
2. Get a good website and reliable contact info.
Work your Google business listing for the highest
visibility. Make sure people can easily find you.
3. Behave like a parish. Make sure you’re offering
mass and reconciliation regularly.
4. Make sure you have a parish name — patron
saint — don’t go by “Ordinariate Community…”
Nobody understands what that means.
5. Accept everybody, even cradle Catholics
looking for a new home. Remember, people
don’t have to be Ordinariate eligible to become
members of an Ordinariate parish/community.
Also, think outside the box when it comes
to evangelism. If you’re only reaching out to
Anglicans, you’re doing something wrong.
You need to reach out to all non-Catholics.
Remember, any non-Catholic (regardless of
religious background) who is received into
the Catholic Church through an Ordinariate
8. Don’t over-explain yourself. There is a tendency
to want to explain the whole thing when it comes
to the Ordinariate, Anglican Patrimony, our
history, etc. Don’t do that. Just answer people’s
questions as they ask them, and only give them
the information they ask for. Don’t over explain
it. That confuses average visitors and makes
them think something is “fishy.” Just tell people
what they need to know, only when they ask.
Then carry on as if what you’re doing is the most
natural thing in the world.
There is certainly food for thought here. Personally,
I do not go the whole hog with all Shane’s suggestions,
but some are well worth consideration. His article is a
good place to begin some debate about these important
matters. There are places where the Ordinariate is
attracting people, and in quite considerable numbers.
As Jackie and I go about the country visiting various
Ordinariate groups we have been encouraged by what
we found in Fr Ed’s Pembury; at the Most Precious
Blood, London Bridge; at Gainford, Darlington; in