From an email: Benedict XVI has set the spirit of authentic ecumenism free

"The most surprising is that I have received several messages saying "I have had an Anglican orientation even if I wasn't an Anglican" "I have had this when I was 7 and I am a Roman Catholic" "I realized I was praying the Anglican way and I haven't seen a Book of Common Prayer ever"!

In some mysterious way, Anglican spirituality is found in people who never had stepped in an Anglican church or even heard of the Anglican church, until very recently. Many are Roman Catholics. All are Filipinos. Now that they know about Anglicanorum coetibus, they believe that God has shown them the way. And that is the reason that with your kind permission, I will write Monsignor Keith Newton of the Ordinariate to tell him of this wonderful news (which I think he is aware of, but I think not from far off Philippines). Msgr Newton can bring this up to Rome.

Rome has to know that it has caused unintended consequences with Anglicanorum coetibus. With the apostolic constitution, Rome has set free the spirit that drives authentic ecumenism. Holy Father Benedict XVI knows this but the Curia and the bishops haven't  realized what they really have in their hands!

Our Lady of Walsingham, Pray for us to God!"

Cardinal Wuerl: An American Ordinariate "would in fact be workable"

While I was on vacation, some news was made.  Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl (Washington, D.C.) who is tasked with overseeing the creation of an Anglican Ordinariate in America reported on his thoughts and progress to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at their meeting in Bellevue, Washington State from June 15 to 17.  It was a positive report.

Below are highlights taken from the written report and an article from the Catholic News Service. Above is a video of his oral report to the USCCB which includes some details not in the written sources.

The highlights:*

• An Anglican Ordinariate in the United States "would in fact be workable."
• "(T)he Holy See has indicated its wish to establish an Ordinariate in the United States this Fall."
• "(E)very Anglican group and individual who has written has received an acknowledgement of their statement of intention. Anglican groups were sent a "Community Profile" questionnaire, based upon established criteria for assessing Anglican communities. Anglican clergy not associated with a larger group were sent a "Clergy Profile" questionnaire. Finally, Anglican laity not associated with a larger group were sent an acknowledgement to their letter, instructing them to await further instructions, should an Ordinariate be established."
• "In mid-April, Anglican clergy seeking ordination in an Ordinariate were directed as part of the process to submit dossiers to me by May 16 for eventual review by the CDF (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). Since that time, completed dossiers have been sent to Rome for evaluation," reported the Cardinal.  Additional information will be requested "includ(ing) the results of criminal background checks, a psychological evaluation, a letter of resignation from their Anglican entity" as well as letters from Cardinal Wuerl, the Catholic bishop in whose diocese that the clergyman lives, and if possible his Anglican bishop.
• When that dossier is submitted the clergy "will cease celebrating the Anglican Eucharist" and begin leading his congregants in preparation and study for their reception into the Roman Catholic Church.
• St. Mary's Seminary in Houston has developed an intensive nine-month program of priestly formation for Anglican clergy wishing to become Catholic.  Instrumental in this has been Father Jeffrey Steenson, a former Episcopal bishop who is on the seminary's faculty.
• "When a rescript has been issued and received, he may be ordained to the diaconate immediately, with the intention that his subsequent priestly ordination would coincide with the reception of his parish group into full communion."

*Here are my sources for this information and for the Cardinal's quotes.  Read them for more details:

• "Here Come the Anglicans: Cardinal Wuerl's Report on U.S. Ordinariate," Catholic Online, June 18, 2011
• "Cardinal reports on progress toward US ordinariate for ex-Anglicans," Catholic News Service, June 16, 2011

Update

In the video, at about the 20 minute mark, Cardinal Wuerl completes his remarks and the floor is opened to questions from the other bishops present. Many of the questions asked are the same questions many of use have.

Scottish Anglican Clergyman Ordained a Catholic Priest

On July 17, 2011, a Scottish Anglican clergyman was ordained a Catholic priest and this is of interest to me here in the Philippines.

As reported in the Scottish Catholic Observer, Fr. Len Black, formerly of St Michael of All Angels Episcopal Church in Inverness, was ordained at a mass presided over by Bishop Philip Tartaglia of Paisley.  Interestingly, Fr. Black was ordained into the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, not into his local territorial diocese.

This is interesting because Scotland is not part of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales,* the bishops' conference of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and usually the jurisdiction of an Anglican Personal Ordinariate is limited to the geographical area covered by its bishops' conference (e.g. England and Wales, the United States, the Philippines).

This is good news to our effort in the Philippines for two reasons.

First, this means that the bishops are being generous and charitable in the implementation of Anglicanorum Coetibus.  Many critics of the Anglicanorum Coetibus said that established Catholic bishops wouldn't be.  I am thrilled that the bishops are proving the critics wrong.

Second, this means that we here in the Philippines if given permission can join an Anglican Ordinariate even if that Ordinariate is not under the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines but is rather part of the bishops' conference of Australia, the United States, or maybe even the United Kingdom.  A Filipino Anglican priest can become an Anglican Ordinariate priest and stay here in the Philippines ministering to Filipinos.  It is possible. This is precedent.  This is a possible road map to follow.

Of course, we should not get ahead of ourselves.  There is no prospect – yet – for such an ordination.  And there would be much work, prayer and discernment to do before that.  However now we know that such an outcome would be permissible under Anglicanorum Coetibus and acceptable to bishops and the Vatican.



For more information on the Ordinariate in Scotland, you can visit the Scottish Ordinariate group's webpage here: http://www.scotlandordinariate.com/

Here is the webpage for the group in Inverness, Scotland: http://www.ordinariate.org.uk/inverness.htm When you go to say hi to the Loch Ness Monster, stop by and join them for mass.


*Note: While the United Kingdom is a unitary, not a federal, state, the formerly separate Kingdoms of Scotland and of England (which includes Wales) still maintain many separate and distinct institutions.  Having different Catholic bishops' conferences is just one example. Other include having a different legal system and different established churches.


The two kingdoms were unified in a personal union in 1603 when Scottish King James VI also became King of England, James I.  The kingdoms were merged and became the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was created in 1807 with the addition of Ireland, which lasted until 1922 and Irish Independence.  In recent decades, during the time of Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Scottish Parliament was re-established, along with the Welsh Parliament, but despite this the United Kingdom remains a unitary state.

He who has no and/or doesn't want an SUV cast the first spike! (to ensure a flat!)

Now methinks I have to comment on the recent scandal involving some Philippine Catholic bishops and SUVs and allegedly "Pajeros". But please note that this blog post is the opinion of this writer and not the Anglican Use Philippines.  I recently spoke to a lay Catholic leader who has a devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham. We talked aside from other things, this brewing scandal. The scandal has seriously damaged the credibility of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

The bishops allegedly received the SUVs from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office which together with the state gaming company PAGCOR is the biggest donor for charity in the country.

One Mindanao bishop reportedly asked the PCSO through ex President Gloria Arroyo for an SUV as a birthday present. He has publicly apologized but the other bishops said they received the donations in good faith. The bishops have said they used the SUVs for reaching difficult to reach places in their dioceses. It does not surprise anyone that these dioceses are located in the poorest regions of the Philippines.

The bishops have decided to return the controversial SUVs. But the secular press and the "Freethinkers" have had a field day with some calling for jail time and proposing "Bantay Bishop". Well I have news for them.

If they want to see the bishops jailed, then file the appropriate charges and let justice take its course. Also if they want a "Bantay Bishop" program to work, well they have to attend regularly Sunday Mass! By this I mean they should be  active in their parishes and dioceses (and help in the ministry and charitable work). The clergy are accountable to their congregations. Unfortunately we don't have this culture of having clergy accountable but in Anglican parishes with their vestries, the priest has to be accountable to the parish especially in temporal matters.

But of course it is plain to see that the bishops themselves have fallen short of Christ's standards as stated in Matthew 23! As Christian leaders and focus of unity in their dioceses the people (Catholic or otherwise) look up to them and so they have to exhibit more discreetness in facing political convenience.  It is on a particular church level as if the Pope did something really really bad! Think of how that will rock the global Christian community and not just the Catholics?

I honestly think that the bishops had this coming since they badly mishandled the response to the RH bill. When I heard the threat of excommunication bandied around, I know that they would lose to secular politicking.

Bishops are simply priests who have the fullness of the priestly ministry. Like any priest, they can hear the confession of anyone. I dare say priests are "professional forgivers" even if this is not entirely accurate. They can hear the worst sins confessed by the most debased penitent but if the penitent is really repentant, they have no choice but to absolve him/her. It is the Christ who forgives the sinner through them. This is a fact that people forget, especially Catholics. A priest is a human being, how then can he absolve when his human wits tell him it is impossible? And this is the reason why the confession is sealed and that we must pray for priests to continue to receive the special grace to absolve.

But bishops have other responsibilities much of with are in administrating a bureaucracy and they themselves need our prayers. But for the "birthday gift SUV" bishop, I have no opinion except that he should send his resignation to the Holy Father. And while he may not be legally liable, he is morally culpable and the only remedy for this is reparation which is the first step to authentic justice. I have to agree with Conrad de Quiros. Resignation is the best expression of reparation here. And he should tell all about his cozy relationship with the former President. And after which we will have to leave him alone to confess his sins to his confessor.

But I have good news for the "Freethinkers", the CBCP was able to deftly defuse the ecclesiatical side of the scandal. And this proves that our separation of church and state really works. Now it is up to the PNoy government to make good its promise of cleaning up corruption in the government!

Miles Coverdale's translation of the Roman Canon of the Mass

Note: Miles Coverdale, Anglican Bishop of Exeter who had Protestant leanings translated the Bible into English for the first time. His translation of the Roman Canon is noted for its accuracy and majesty and is authorized for use by the Roman Catholic Church for the Anglican Use. 

The Roman Canon

Most merciful Father, we humbly pray thee, through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord.

[He joins his hands and, making the sign of the cross once over both bread and chalice, says]:

and we ask, that thou accept and bless + these gifts, these presents, these holy and unspoiled sacrifices.

[With hands extended, he continues]

We offer them unto thee, first, for thy holy Catholic Church: that thou vouchsafe to keep it in peace, to guard, unite, and govern it throughout the whole world; together with thy servant N., our Pope and N., our Bishop and all the faithful guardians of the Catholic and apostolic faith.

Commemoration of the Living

Remember, O Lord, thy servants and handmaids [N. and N.]

[He prays for them briefly with hands joined. Then, with hands extended, he continues]

and all who here around us stand, whose faith is known unto thee and their steadfastness manifest, on whose behalf we offer unto thee, or who themselves offer unto thee, this sacrifice of praise; for themselves, and for all who are theirs; for the redemption of their souls, for the hope of their salvation and safety; and who offer their prayers unto thee, the eternal God, the living and the true.

United in one communion, we venerate the memory, first of the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord Jesus Christ; of Joseph her spouse; as also of the blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Thaddaeus; Linus, Cletus, Clement, Xystus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, Chrysogonus, John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian and of all thy Saints: grant that by their merits and prayers we may in all things be defended with the help of thy protection.

[Through Christ Our Lord. Amen]

[With hands extended, he continues]

We beseech thee then, O Lord, graciously to accept this oblation from us thy servants, and from thy whole family: order thou our days in thy peace, and bid us to be delivered from eternal damnation, and to be numbered in the fold of thine elect. [Through Christ our Lord.]

Vouchsafe, O God, we beseech thee, in all things to make this oblation blessed, approved and accepted, a perfect and worthy offering: that it may become for us the Body and Blood of thy dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

[He joins his hands].

Who the day before he suffered, [On Maundy Thursday he says:

Who the day before he suffered to save us and all men, that is today],

[He takes the bread and, raising it a little above the altar, continues]:

took bread into his holy and venerable hands,

[He looks upward]

and with eyes lifted up to heaven, unto thee, God, his almighty Father, giving thanks to thee, he blessed, broke and gave it to his disciples, saying:

[He bows slightly.]

Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you.

[He genuflects, shows the consecrated Host to the People, places it on the paten, and again genuflects in adoration. Then he continues]:

Likewise, after supper,

[He takes the chalice, and, raising it a little above the altar, continues]:

taking also this goodly chalice into his holy and venerable hands, again giving thanks to thee, he blessed, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

[He bows slightly.]

Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.

[He genuflects, shows the Chalice to the People, places it on the corporal, and again genuflects in adoration].

[Then with hands extended, the Priest says]:

Wherefore, O Lord, we thy servants, and thy holy people also, remembering the blessed passion of the same Christ thy Son our Lord, as also his resurrection from the dead, and his glorious ascension into heaven; do offer unto thine excellent majesty of thine own gifts and bounty, the pure victim, the holy victim, the immaculate victim, the holy Bread of eternal life, and the Chalice of everlasting salvation.

Vouchsafe to look upon them with a merciful and pleasant countenance; and to accept them, even as thou didst vouchsafe to accept the gifts of thy servant Abel the Righteous, and the sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham; and the holy sacrifice, the immaculate victim, which thy high priest Melchisedech offered unto thee.

[Bowing, with hands joined, he continues]

We humbly beseech thee, almighty God, command these offerings to be brought by the hands of thy holy Angel to thine altar on high, in sight of thy divine majesty; that all we who at this partaking of the altar shall receive the most sacred Body and Blood of thy Son,

[He stands up straight and makes the sign of the cross, saying]

may be fulfilled with all heavenly benediction and grace. [Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.]

Commemoration of the Dead

[With hands extended, he says]

Remember also, O Lord, thy servants and handmaids, [N. and N.], who have gone before us sealed with the seal of faith, and who sleep the sleep of peace.

[The Priest prays for them briefly with joined hands. Then, with hands extended, he continues]

To them, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, we beseech thee to grant the abode of refreshing, of light, and of peace.

[Through the same Christ our Lord.]

[The Priest strikes his breast with the right hand, saying]

To us sinners also, thy servants, who hope in the multitude of thy mercies,

[With hands extended, he continues]

vouchsafe to grant some part and fellowship with thy holy Apostles and Martyrs; with John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia and with all thy Saints, within whose fellowship, we beseech thee, admit us, not weighing our merit, but granting us forgiveness;

[He joins his hands and continues]

through Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom, O Lord, thou dost ever create all these good things; dost sanctify, quicken, bless, and bestow them upon us;

[He takes the Chalice and the paten with the Host and, lifting them up, sings or says]

By whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without end.

The People respond: Amen.

Monsignor Andrew Burnham on what the Anglican patrimony is all about

Msgr Andrew Burnham of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and former Anglican Bishop of Ebbsfleet writes about what the Ordinariate liturgy would look like here. My comments on what he wrote  will be in a later post. His essay was distributed to attendees of the 2011 Anglican Use conference in Texas, USA.

Asking for your prayers...

The provincial office of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines recently announced that the Most Rev. Edward Malecdan, Prime Bishop has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will undergo radiation therapy for one month.

Please include the Most Rev. Malecdan in your prayers. May the Divine Physician restore him to health that he may witness the Gospel for more years to come.

The new English translation of the Mass may yet revive English in our isles

So much has been written about the decline of the English language in the Philippines. While the nation remains the 3rd largest Anglophone nation on the planet with 57% of the 92 million Filipino population  functional in it. However literacy in the language is declining. Literacy would mean that being Filipino can be expressed in the English language. When a Filipino uses the language, another English speaker should see, hear and fell the Filipino speaking or writing and not just a poor imitation of the former American colonial master.

Of course many people are using English for specific purposes (e.g. for call center jobs, employment abroad, for tourism and hospitality jobs etc) but the use of the language to build the nation, its culture and, its ethos is declining. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has decided to implement the new translation of the Mass in English starting Advent 2012. This would give the parish priests one year or so to orient their congregations.

I just listened via live streaming the Ordinary of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monsignor Keith Newton deliver his keynote address to the 2011 Anglican Use Conference in Texas, USA. While on the subject of the Ordinariate liturgy, Mgr Newton said that the Ordinariate has decided to stick with traditional English in its future liturgy now aborning. The reason is that this English usage will preserve the Anglican  patrimony in the Roman Catholic Church and enrich the culture of today's multicultural England. Mgr Newton admits and we have to agree that the Anglican patrimony is extremely hard to define even in England. The use of the traditional  will make it easier. This is unlike in the USA, where the Anglican Use has options for contemporary English use. This insistence on traditional English struck me since as Mgr Newton says many of the Ordinariate groups when they were in the Church of England used the Roman Novus Ordo with its more to be desired English translation. The shift to the traditional use will require adjustment from these congregations. Mgr Newton also said that the Ordinariate prefers the Revised Standard Version (RSV) Bible to be used at Mass and the prayers. The Catholic Church in England has long opted for the Jerusalem Bible but the RSV represents continuity from the Anglican tradition. (Rome has used the Jerusalem Bible since 1966 in its English liturgies) I myself have been reared and nurtured in the Oxford Anglican and Catholic versions of the RSV with the Catholic one having Cardinal Heenan's imprimatur. The RSV has nurtured me in my study of English. While the Jerusalem Bible is good, I learned my English from English language teachers taught by Episcopalians, thus the partiality to English language translations made in England.

The CBCP is rightly concerned about  Filipinos being habituated to the English 1973 Mass translation and that a sudden shift to the more literal new translation will be a shocker.  But I believe it is a necessary shift since the new English translation will help recover tradition (although the new translation is in contemporary English) and Catholic faith among our people. Also it would help revive the English language in the country. Why do I say so?

Mgr Newton points out that the language used in worship enriches the use of that language in daily life. The good monsignor believes that the Ordinariate may preserve and conserve something good and beautiful in the English language. This does not preempt the fact that the English language evolves and coins new terms. English is a dynamic language which borrows and innovates, but it is not a good idea to throw what is good in the past.

The English language was brought to the Philippines by the American colonizers and not a few of the teachers were Episcopalian. In a real sense English in the Philippines is an Anglican/Episcopal patrimony which needs to be conserved and promoted. The ECP has been completely Filipinized but it has an obligation to celebrate the English language it received more than a century ago. But English is not just an Episcopal inheritance. Irish and American Roman Catholic priests also taught the language and by the late 1920s the Ateneo de Manila had garnered the reputation of being a good school to learn excellent English.

The old Roman Missals were an example of good traditional English. The Latin of the Mass was on the left page and the correct English (traditional) translation on the right.

Was Mgr Newton correct in saying that the language used in worship builds the culture of the nation? Your thoughts please.

The new English translation of the Roman Missal, Ordinariate liturgy

Will the new translation cause Mass confusion?

The Catholic Bishops of Conference of the Philippines will implement the new English translation of the Mass starting Advent 2012. This will give enough time for the bishops to familiarize their flocks on the new translation. A catechetical guide has been published authored by liturgist Fr Anscar Chupungco to help priests familiarize their congregations.

The new translation has been in the works since 2000 when Pope John Paul II ordered a new translation that corrects errors in the 1973 translation. The 1973 translation was a "sense" translation while the new one is a more literal translation from the Latin. The US Catholic Bishops conference has published sample texts here.

The new translation is more faithful to the original Latin. For example in the words of consecration it uses the word "Chalice" instead of "Cup" which the 1973 translation uses and which all editions and versions of the Book of Common Prayer use. The 1549 BCP translates "calix" as "cuppe".  This is more faithful since the meaning of "cup" has changed since 1549. While "calix" literally translates to "cup", the nuance has changed since when Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer translated the Latin of the Mass into English. "Cup" now is so banal and we can expect to get one at Starbucks or any coffee shop!

Nonetheless the new English translation is in contemporary English. The Roman Catholic Church never had a public English Mass liturgy in what Anglicans still call as "Traditional Language". The closest Anglophone Roman Catholics ever had were the English translations in their Latin Roman Missals. The left pane of each page (often beautifully illustrated) had the Latin said at Mass and the right pane had the English in traditional usage.  These pre Vatican II Missals often used a traditional language similar to what Anglicans used. The English used is quite close to equivalent BCP texts. But Vatican II reforms did away with all of these. Traditional English almost disappeared from the Anglophone Roman Catholic's mindset. This made Anglophone Roman Catholicism culturally poorer.

Anglicans on the other hand struggled with the issue of Traditional and Contemporary English that use of either is an option in the liturgy. The contemporary use as much as possible tries to be faithful to the traditional one.

Filipino bishops are worried that since for over 40 years, Filipino Catholics have been used to the 1973 translations, a quick shift to the new translation may confuse. But this can be overcome by effective catechism. I hope parish priests are up to the challenge. But some traditionalists are much concerned that Fr Chupungco is the author of the prescribed catechism. They note that Fr Chupungco is liturgically trendy!

The proof of the pudding is if people will respond to "The Lord be with you" with "And with your spirit" which is  faithful to the Latin and was first translated into this form by Cranmer in 1549.

The Ordinariate liturgy

Father Aidan Nichols' essay on the Ordinariate liturgy continues here. Fr Nichols gives a historical survey which is required reading for those into Liturgy. What is interesting is that he writes that the Ordinariate liturgy has taken much from really Anglican sources

"There were no comparable difficulties attached to the other texts in the proposed English book: the daily Offices of Mattins and Evensong (to which, following the example of the 1928 proposed Prayer Book, an Office of Compline and a Day Hour were added; the Litany; the Lectionary (for the Office as well as for the Mass), and rites for marriage and funerals – though the inclusion in the latter of explicit prayer for the departed (and not simply for the bereaved) was strengthened by the addition of the Sarum rites for the commendation of the dead person which followed on the Requiem Mass. The calendar proposed was the current seasonal calendar of the Church of England, itself of Sarum origin, together with the cycle of festivals as found in the 1970 General Calendar of the Roman rite, and a number of English or British commemorations, in excess of those in the National Calendar for England and Wales (though not necessarily exceeding the total number if saints in the local calendars of English and Welsh [and Scottish] dioceses were to be added together). There was one unusual feature of the Office of Mattins. Following contemporary Church of England precedent, the second reading at Mattins could be drawn from post-biblical sources. In the context of the Latin church, the Roman rite Office of Readings is an obvious source for these, but the book drafted for the English Ordinariate contains an alternative cycle for Sundays and feasts taken from insular sources. A number of these are taken from patristic writers (Bede, Aldhelm), mediaeval sources (John of Ford, Mother Julian, Nicholas Love), and English Catholic martyrs (Fisher, More, Campion), but the larger number derive from the Anglican patrimony (the Caroline divines and their Restoration successors, the Tractarians with particular reference to Newman, and a selection of later Anglo-Catholic writers). It is, as it were, a testimony to what might have been had the English Reformation proceeded on Catholic lines, as did the Catholic Reformation in much of Continental Europe. No Baptismal liturgy or liturgy for Confirmation has been provided, on the twofold ground that Anglicanism has not produced a version of such a liturgy which has endeared itself to its faithful, and also that there is something especially fitting about the use in an Ordinariate of the rites of the Roman liturgy for Christian initiation, as a sign of belonging to the wider Latin church (and thus to the Catholic Church as a whole). The same congruence might well be ascribed to the use of the Ordination rites of the mainstream Latin church."

The question is whether the Mass books of other Ordinariates will be similar to the English one. What happens to the American Anglican Use? We have to keep posted on these developments.