From Fox News
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The Rev. Mark Lewis now offers a prayer every Sunday morning that centuries ago would have been considered an homage to the enemy. It's a prayer for the bishop of Rome, the pope and all the Catholic bishops and priests. [Are our dissident theologians even doing this? Can't help myself. Gotta squeeze that in. Ha!]
Lewis chants, "For Benedict our Pope ... Let us prayer to the Lord."
And the congregation sings its answer, "Lord, have mercy."
The distinctly Roman Catholic offering is the outward sign of an inner spiritual journey. St. Luke's Church in Bladensburg, Md., will become later this year the first American Episcopal Parish to convert to Catholicism, Anglicanism's one-time nemesis. [And Bingo was his name-o!]
"What really drew us was the apostolic authority, the oneness of the faith of the people," Lewis said "That's what we really wanted, and I don't think you have that in Anglicanism."
Ironically, what is driving St. Luke's to Roman Catholicism is what split the church in the first place: the issue of authority. [The very same issue that theologians in MST, SVST and Euntes are raising yet the Episcopalians are being drawn to. Ironic, eh, Dr. Jose de Mesa?]
Nearly 500 years ago, Britain’s King Henry VIII broke with Rome in a dispute involving his wish to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry his young mistress, Anne Boleyn. [It was not an issue of authority. It was an issue of Henry wanting to produce an heir. This is not a doctrinal or moral matter. Marriage is the issue. Henry wanted divorce which is against what Christ said.]
A showdown forced England's clergy to choose sides, with the king demanding to know if the British bishops and Cardinals were more loyal to him or to the Pope. [Which is the same issue that the Communist Party in China are using against bishops and priests loyal to Rome.]
Lives and heads were literally lost in the ensuing theological and political clash. [Like Sts Thomas More and John Fisher, which ironically, the Church of England honors.] In its wake, The Church of England was born, with the sitting monarch as its head, a structure still in place today.
The American version, the Episcopal church, was the faith of many of the founding fathers, including President George Washington. [a high ranking Mason.]
Today, the Episcopal Church, with nearly 1.5 million members, is one of thousands of Christian denominations in the U.S. Its recent conflicts over the ordination of gays and women and the blessing of same-sex unions have caused some congregations to seek more conservative branches. [Issues which liberals in Europe, in America and in some quarters here in the Philippines wanted.]
But that was not an option for St. Luke's. Lewis says he felt that the same problem would persist. There was no authority concerning who would have the final interpretation of scripture over the most controversial issues the church is facing. [No final authority. Issues which these dissident theologians in MST, SVST and Euntes raise. They challenge the authority of the Pope so those who listen to them, well, will only follow their teaching. They hate the authority of the Church so they can be the AUTHORITY.]
"Anglicanism is Anglicanism," Lewis said. "So it doesn't matter if you go to a more conservative group like the Anglican Church in North America or any of the others that are around. It's still the faith of this body here. (It) doesn’t necessarily mean it's the same in Nigeria or Sierra Leone or any other outlet."
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI created a special Ordinariate, a path through which Anglicans could reconcile with Rome and come back to the Roman Catholic flock. In some circles it's been called the religious equivalent of sheep stealing. [Did he grab them? The lost sheep went back to the fold, instead.]
The Rev. Scott Hurd, who's assisting Washington's Cardinal Donald Wuerl to create the new Anglican Ordinariate, disagrees with the implication, saying, "This initiative is a response to repeated and insistent requests from Anglican groups. So it's not a matter of stealing sheep. It's more a matter of opening the door for people who have been seeking to come in for some time." [Like what I stated.]
In the last few years, bitter legal battles over property have erupted in the American Episcopal church when conservative congregations sought to leave and be led by more orthodox Anglicans groups. But St. Luke's transition was essentially given a blessing by the Washington Diocese's Bishop John Bryson Chane.
"Christians move from one church to another with far greater frequency than in the past, sometimes as individuals, sometimes as groups," Chane said in a written statement. "I was glad to be able to meet the spiritual needs of the people and priest of St. Luke's in a way that respects the tradition and polity of both of our churches."
Under the terms of the agreement, St. Luke's congregation will have three years to either buy its current building or move elsewhere.
That especially pleases its 100 members, who are mostly West African immigrants like Gloria Deigh, from Sierra Leone.
Deigh is happy to convert, saying, "I like it. To me, it's like going home. That's where the original church was. We are all one."
Parishioner Randy King says for him the conversion brings needed certainty.
"We have a church that doesn't change. [Oh my. MST, SVST and Euntes would call this "being stuck in the past." "too medieval"...] We don't have to worry one day or the other what is going to be said from the pulpit." [This is happening also in our Masses, right? I think they'll be safe since they will be in the Ordinariate and not in any of the kumbaya parishes we have.]
Over the next few months, members of St. Luke's will attend catechism classes to learn more about the Catholic faith and the its doctrines. [This is such a blessing since we do not have this in our parishes nowadays, right? If you do, please state your name and parish and the schedule of Catechism classes.] Then in October they will be formally confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church -- what Lewis calls the return of the prodigal son. [Beautiful analogy!]
"We drifted away and now we want to come home," he said, "and I am just thankful that we have the opportunity to do so."
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These people see the need to be with the Catholic Church, the one true fold that Christ Himself founded and left in the care of the apostles under the leadership of Peter.
And yet you hear Modernist nuns and priests telling you that you do not have to be in the Church to be saved.
Just be a good person and your done.
Much like cooking instant noodles, eh?
"Learn from me from I am humble and gentle of heart." says Christ, all for nothing since if you believe the Modernists, you just be good and do not learn from Christ Himself.
Welcome back home brothers and sisters!
Tell the dissidents in our Church about your story, and bring them back home as well.
They been drifters for way too long.
The blog of a group of Filipino Catholics and their frank commentary on anything that affects their lives as a citizen of the Philippines and as a Roman Catholics.
Just a minor note. Mt Calvary in Baltimore is the first Episcopal parish to join Rome after Anglicanorum coetibus. Prior to that in the last 30 years several Episcopal parishes have joined under Bl Pope John Paul II's pastoral provision. St Luke's is notable since they reached a generous and decent arrangement with their Episcopal bishop. This ensures that they will part as friends. In England the Anglican bishops were not as generous. The Roman Catholic hierarchy there more or less accepted their Anglican counterpart's stand.
ReplyDeleteIn America it is different situation since many of the Anglo Catholic parishes have a wide degree of interpretation to what the CCC says. In some respects these may be not in accordance to Catholic doctrine. In England all the "ordinariate groups" prior to reception to the Roman Church had accepted all that the CCC says. Thus they were received in a short time, 4-6 months. We expect the Americans to undergo a longer period of formation and catechism. But some American Catholics who are all out in their welcome to the departing Episcopalians are worried since the American Church has its own version of what you may call as "Euntes, MST, SVST and Fr Chupungco"! They fear the trendy American catechism will be used. And so they insist on the CCC as we find it on the Vatican website! However some of the American Catholic bishops are not thrilled. Some of them still insist on cordial relationships with the Episcopal Church. Unlike the English Catholic bishops who by fait accompli had to work as a team with Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams to ensure a smooth departure and reception for the Ordinariate bound Anglicans, no such thing on a national level exists in the USA. Each Catholic bishop with an Ordinariate bound congregation his its territory will have to discuss the issue with his Episcopalian counterpart. You can see where the migraine lies. The Roman Catholic bishops would prefer avoiding the headache!
Thus Mr Pinoy Catholic, the American Ordinariate requires we say more and more Rosaries to our Blessed Mother and this has a direct bearing on us Pinoy Catholics. The Anglo Catholics who would want to be Roman Catholic in the Philippines are already within the pastoral sights of the future American Ordinariate even before it is erected. In all practicalities we are associated with the Americans for historical reasons. In the future if the American Ordinariate will send priests here, it has to negotiate with our own CBCP. And being more on the inside of how the Church works in our country, you know more of the reality!
Our Lady of Walsingham
St Thomas More and St John Cardinal Fisher
St Elizabeth Seton
All ye holy men and women, martyrs of England and Wales
Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman
Blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II
Charles Henry Brent, First Episcopal Bishop of the Philippines and witness for Christian Unity
Father John Staunton of the Sagada Mission
PRAY FOR US TO GOD!
Hi Pinoy Catholic,
ReplyDeleteRe George Washington: he is said to have converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. Is this true? I certainly hope so!
A.
Hi Anita!
ReplyDeleteI have heard about those stories but there is no proof about it. if indeed he died a Catholic there would have been at least a baptismal or confirmation certificate attesting to this as he was allegedly received into the Church by a Jesuit while on his deathbed.