A Missionary Church

A Great Day Out

In my Anglican days we were often being encouraged to support missionary societies but we seldom heard about our need to be re-evangelised ourselves.

Fr Gerry in his Cloth of Silver

Then, when we were brought into the Catholic Church, we discovered that many parishes depended on priests from overseas. Our very first home as an Ordinariate Group was at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Southbourne, where the parish priest, Fr Gerry Onyejuluwa, made us greatly welcome. He is from Nigeria, one of a number of priests from the Missionary Society of St Paul working in this Portsmouth diocese.

Today was very special for him as he celebrated his twenty fifth anniversary of Ordination. He had friends from across the globe celebrating with him, and it was good to be there. Fr Gerry was surrounded by concelebrants, among them Fr Brian Copus of the Ordinariate. I arrived too late to concelebrate, but I had been able to offer the 9.30 Mass in Lymington for Fr Gerry. The preacher was Fr Ron Hishon. He spoke of his own time in Africa, and how despite his best efforts his first attempts at Pidgin produced gales of laughter. It helped us all to realise just how difficult it must be for mission priests in England, from Africa or from other parts of the world, to leave home and family and adapt to our curious ways.

The Altar Party surrounding Fr Gerry

It was good to catch up with friends from our time at Southbourne - we are now located down the hill in Iford. Good too to meet some of Father's friends and family. Like the congregation, the food was both African and English, and it was great - and plentiful. The rain kept off, and it was altogether a splendid occasion.

Food & Fellowship after Mass

Safely Gathered In

Distinctive Patrimony, and working with long-time Catholics. That is the balance which Cardinal Vincent Nichols held out as an ideal whenhe addrssed the Ordinairate in Westminster. Not always easy to achieve, but this weekend gave us the perfect opportunity. The readings at Mass were about the Vineyard of the Lord, so it was a good time to celebrate that essentially Anglican occasion, Harvest Thanksgiving..


The Anglican Patrimony bit at St Thomas More in Iford came mostly in our hymns. We ploughed the fields and scattered, we joined the song of harvest home, we waved the golden corn, and we collected for the Christchurch Basics Bank.

Before all that, on Saturday evening several of us joined parishioners at their Harvest Supper. We hope this fulfilled some of the Cardinal's  advice to the Ordinairate a week ago, underlined by Monsignor Keith our Ordinary, that we should retain our identity, but also join with Diocesan Catholics whenever possible. Only so can we hope to overcome some of the misconceptions about the Ordinariate.

Good to have Fr Brian with us again today. He celebrated and preached at the ordinariate's Sunday Mass for the first time in quite a while. He is holding the fort in Christchurch while they are in an interregnum. How great it would be if many more Anglican priests were to seek Ordination in the Catholic Church - they would be well used, and everyone would appreciate their ministry. I never say Mass for a diocesan parish without several people stopping by the Sacristy after Mass to thank me. It is very moving.

Fr Darryl, Priest of the Ordinariate and Parish Priest at S Thomas More,  with his wife Lisa at the Supper

Back to the Future II

After a Lenten fast from blogging, here's an update on our Bournemouth Ordinariate. When I last blogged we were having misgivings about a projected move from the church where we have made our home for three years (Our Lady Queen of Peace, Southbourne - OLQP). Our new hosts are the parish of St Thomas More (STM) in Iford, where they are only just getting used to having on Ordinariate priest as their Parish Priest. How would things work out?

Happily, most of the problems we foresaw have already been resolved. Four of us were invited to a meeting of the Parish Council at STM, where everyone was very understanding of pur predicament and made us very welcome. Throughout our time in the Ordinariate an image of Our Lady of Walsingham has resided on a bracket at the back of church. It has been our custom at the end od Mass to turn to face it and sing the Angelus.There is already a similar but smaller image in STM. Would they find a place for ours? In fact they are offeringbus a prominent setting where we shall also be able to place a candle-stand

Then again we have the Organ which we are purchasing. Although final details have to be decided about the exact situation for the console we are assured a place will be found for it.

More important than these matters though hase been our worry that people?might be lost to us through the move.  There are several local Catholics who have worshipped with us - most of them have said they will continue, but we had worries for one ot two older people who walk to church. Now several friends have offered lifts so that worry is removed.

There have also been a few of our Ordinariate members who have found the idea of the move difficult. Most of us are going to do our best to make it work, though there are still three who have decided to worship in other Catholic churches. We will be very sorry not to have them with us, and I know they have had others pleading with them to reconsider. On a more cheerful note, we have heard of a couple in another Group who are moving to Bournemouth and who are likely to join us.

Over our years together we have lost two members through death, another two have moved away after University. Overall though we have grown a little with new members joining us. We believe that the church of St Thomas More with its Ordinariate parish priest will give us a great opportunity for becoming what Pope Benedict firt intended - a Mission, welcoming former Anglicans and others who are seeking reconciliation with the See of Peter

Right now we are heavily involved at both chuches, and are keeping Holy Week with them. Fr Brian preached movingly at the Maundy Mass, and Fr Gerry has very kindly invited me to preach at the Easter Vigil in his church. Later in the day we join STM for the 9.30 am Mass.

Looking forward we hope Mgr Keith willbe able to come to St Thomas More's for the 9.30 am Mass on May 11th If he and Fr Darryl are happy with the idea we hope we might join the congregation there that morning, so that together with our Ordinary we can give the people of Iford a better idea of just what the Ordinariate is. Pope Benedict had a great vision for creating a bridge by which Anglicans might share in the fullness of the Catholic Church, bringing with their special gifts and charisms - their 'PATRIMONY' as he termed it

It looks as though our first Sunday in  Iford will be  on the Feast of Pentecost, June 8th. Service times have yet to be finalised. They will be published on the Bournemouth page of the Ordinariate website, but it's likely we shall have Mass at 11.15 on Sundays and 10.30 on Wednesdays.

Please continue to pray for the Ordinariate, that it may fulfill the Holy Father's vision for us

A VERY HAPPY EASTER!

First Mass

Now here is something you would not see at an Anglican Induction - though I have noticed a similar event in the enthronement of some  bishops. That is to say, one's predecessor present and assisting at the start of a new ministry. I do seem to recall a retiring Bishop of Ely handing on his cope and crook to his successor, but former Vicars and Rectors generally are kept well out of the way.

Fr Darryl and Friends

Fr Darryl Jordan had an extraordinary beginning to his taking over responsibility at St Thomas More, Iford. He has never had a parish of his own as an Anglican; and here he was as a newly ordained Catholic priest celebrating his first mass, assisted by his predecessor in the parish, Fr Vitalis Kondo MSP. Concelebrating with them were Fr John Lee who has pastoral responsibility for the Avon/Stour Area (in which St Thomas' is situated), Fr Gerry Onyejuluwa (like Fr Vitalis, a Missionary priest of St Paul Missionaries of Nigeria, and Fr Brian Copus and me from the Ordinariate Mission in Southbourne.

Fr John and fellow supporters

We presented Fr Darryl with a white stole from the Ordinariate, and some of our members laid on the bun-fight   - in reality a cheese and wine party. This time it was Sue who was the organising genius, and it seemed to be very well received. It was good to meet new friends from the parish of St Thomas More, together with a supporters' club for Fr Darryl from many other parishes (both Catholic and Anglican) around the area. After hearing his Texan accents one of the parishioners said to me, "Well, it's going to be different" - and so it is, and that is one of the best reasons Bishops have for making changes within their dioceses. We are less likely to get into a rut, sit back, and say "we've always done it like this".


There are pictures of the Ordination on the Ordinariate website http://www.ordinariate.org.uk/  , and also a large selection on the Portsmouth diocesan site: http://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/