An Aid To Memory

Many of you know I came to the Catholic Church via Anglicanism. I still like a lot of what Anglicanism has to offer, especially in terms of prayer and spirituality. The classical Anglican spiritual tradition is very rich, as many former Anglicans will tell you (Fellow Per Christum blogger Charles Everson and I have this talk a lot). So, what could be better than a modified Book of Common Prayer designed for Catholics? This is the Book of Divine Worship, the worship book of Anglican Use Catholic parishes.

When I got it in the mail today, I was amazed how huge this book is, as the photo on the left shows (the shoe is men’s 9 1/2). I plan on using this book primarily when praying the Liturgy of the Hours, mixing it up with the usual Latin-Rite Catholic version.

I wish there were an Anglican-Use parish nearby. As far as I am concerned (traditional) Anglicans generally know good liturgy.

This had Jonathan and me rolling with laughter:

http://www.bradbrad.com/mt.mp3

Apparently this is an actual ad for an Episcopal church in Alabama. I guess this parish used to be the flagship Anglo-Catholic parish in Alabama, but is now an "anything goes" smells-and-bells parish (i.e. Catholic externals minus any Catholic substance), although I personally haven’t been there, so I have to take others’ words for it. As Bob Dylan sings, "the times they are a-changin,’" and this ad most certainly shows that.

…who are deeply opposed to women’s ordination.

Why are you still Anglican?

Seriously. The bishops of the Anglican church, including many global south bishops, have concluded that the ordination of women is a non-issue for the Anglican communion. Women are ordained in many Anglican provinces, and have been for years. The church of England is paving the way for women bishops (which makes sense considering they have had women priests since 1992). The Episcopal church has insisted that every diocese accept women’s ordination, whether they like it or not. I think that women’s ordination is a foregone conclusion in Anglicanism, accepted (or at least tolerated) by most Anglicans worldwide who are either progressive (in the West) or evangelical (in the developing world). Even many "conservative" Anglicans support women’s ordination and sometimes have harsh words for those other conservatives who oppose WO. Those in Anglicanism who oppose women’s ordination often come across as angry and bitter, and are becoming a smaller and smaller minority. So…why stick around? I ask this as someone who is generally curious.

Let me note that I have no official stats on the future of WO in Anglicanism. It is just that comments on blogs as of late (and the reasons I mentioned above) have convinced me that any future Anglicanism, conservative or liberal, is going to include women’s ordination. I just wonder where die-hard Anglo-Catholics fit in is all.

A few interesting threads/posts going on over at Titus One Nine and All Too Common on the issue of whether Anglicans are Catholic. It makes for some interesting discussion.

The Church of England recently voted to remove barriers in place preventing women bishops from being appointed. Many Anglicans (especially Anglo-Catholic Anglicans) are rather upset about the prospect of women bishops. One Anglican leader has said that if women are ordained as bishops in the near future, up to 800 Anglican priests may leave for the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has responded to this possibility.

British Catholic bishop Declan Lang says Anglicans should not convert for negative reasons, but only because they accept the Teaching of the Church. The question of Anglicans converting to Catholicism in high numbers is not new in England. When women were accepted into the C of E priesthood in 1992 many Anglican priests defected to Rome under the Catholic Church’s Anglican Use provision. Under this provision, Anglican priests may be ordained as Catholic priests, even if they are married, and may serve in parishes that use a modified Anglican liturgy. I must note that over the years many individuals have converted from Anglicanism to the Catholic Church (and vice-versa), two famous ones being John Henry Newman and Gerald Manley Hopkins.

Bishop Lang brings up an interesting point. It is never good to convert to any faith solely for negative reasons. Whenever someone converts to the Catholic faith, he or she is expected to profess acceptance of all that the Church teaches. Thus the only real reason to convert is a love and acceptance of the entire Catholic faith. Being upset at the direction of your own church is not by itself a sufficient reason to join the Catholic Church.

That being said, problems in other denominations can certainly point one toward the Catholic Church and put one on the path so to speak. We must be there to encourage the disaffected individuals exploring our faith, and show them the reasons to love the Catholic faith.

I had been flirting with converting to the Catholic Church for years, but it was the Episcopal Church’s actions at General Convention 2003 that finally pushed me out their door and put me on the path to Rome. However, even after I decided to leave for the Catholic Church, I had to spend much time in prayer and study to make sure I could truly affirm that I held to all that the Church taught. Otherwise, I could not have professed just that.

I hope the Catholic Church is open to receiving the bishops, priests, and laity that feel like Anglicanism is no longer their home, and who are (for good, positive reasons) looking to the Catholic Church for a home. They need an Apostolic home, and we always need priests and laity who know good liturgy and good theology.

Left image (JH Newman): http://www3.villanova.edu/mission/newman/archive.htm
Right image (GM Hopkins): http://www.info.sophia.ac.jp/renaissa/HopkinsSocietyDefaultPage.htm

Since I became Catholic I have tried to stay out of Anglican affairs, both for my spiritual health (I was angry a lot as an Anglican last year) and because nothing is worse than the meddling of an outsider. However, I was keenly watching and waiting for the Windsor Report, hoping for the sake of my friends and brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church that the report would have a Christian outcome. Unfortunately, the report is largely Anglican fluff and fudge, lightweight and ambiguous. Robin Eames, the head of the Lambeth Commission producing the report, said that the report “had teeth.” The report has no such thing. Perhaps Anglicans are so used to gooey fudge that plain ol’ fudge seems tough and mean. Ironically I fear that the document designed to keep Anglican unity will actually hasten the Communion’s demise. I have a feeling that the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches will benefit greatly from this matter.

My brother and I have recently set up a conversion page with resources and stories for those looking into either the Roman Catholic or Eastern Churches. We had created this page before the Windsor Report was due, but feel that it may be helpful for disenfranchised Anglicans. However, we are not trying to steal anybody away from the Anglican Church, just offering options for the many Anglicans who now feel homeless. Also, this article about Being a True Catholic may be helpful to those who think that pretty externals make one Catholic. As many traditional Anglicans are discovering, vestments and ornate churches can only hide Protestant ecclesiology and methodology for so long. We must continue to pray for Anglicanism.

Many of you are well aware of recent Anglican problems, including (but certainly not limited to) the consecration of Gene Robinson to the Episcopacy. There are multiple responses to the crisis. They tend to be:

1. Go to another catholic liturgical body, Orthodoxy or Catholicism (my choice)
2. Go to an evangelical body, such as Methodism
3. Stay and fight outside of ECUSA but within Anglicanism (such as AMIA or the Network)
4. Stay and fight within ECUSA

I have chosen selection one, and this betrays my Anglo-Catholic influence. However, I must say that as my reception into the Catholic Church approaches in a week, I have realized how I deeply value the many positive experiences I have had as an Anglican. I have made many Anglican friends, mostly fellow soldiers in the battle for the soul of Anglicanism, and some even of the more liberal persuasion. To all of them, I wish them well, especially those fighting for the gospel within Anglicanism. Many of these read this blog, and they know who they are. Attende Domine, et miserere! I also am going to make sure that I do not lose contact with them, and that I support them through prayer and (I hope) fellowship. Becoming Catholic does not mean neglecting my friends, nor does it mean that I somehow see the recent state of the Episcopal church as any less evil, or any less worthy of battle. It is a funny phenomenon that many Catholics and Orthodox, some former Anglican, some not, follow the Anglican controversy with great interest. This is not because they are waiting to pounce and convert them (although I am sure some are), but because many Catholics and Orthodox lament the fall of a grand liturgical church, the church that in another era looked like the perfect ecumenical bridge between East and West. It is the church of C.S. Lewis, probably admired more by Catholics than most Anglicans in the 21st century. Many Catholics perhaps see in ECUSA what might have happened to their Church had similar radicals gotten their way. In other words, even though neither Orthodox or Catholics officially recognize the Anglican church as in communion with them, there is certainly a very strong spiritual kinship, as evidenced by the letter of Cardinal Ratzinger from the Vatican to the American Anglican Council meeting in Plano.

In conclusion, I ask that we all continue to support our Anglican brothers and sisters in the ways that we can, especially through prayer. Let it never be said that even though we have been called to different paths that we failed to support our Anglican brothers, sisters, and of course, friends. Here is a good prayer:

Christ Our Lord
You suffered and were tempted.
You are powerful to come to the aid
of those who are assailed by the devil,
For you are the support of Christian people.
O Lord, protect with Your Right Hand
those who trust in Your Name.
Deliver them from the Evil One,
and grant them everlasting joy. Amen
St. Gregory of Khandzta (759-861)
More Prayers to Combat Evil