Our Ordinary, Mgr Newton, received a message today (27 February 2015) from the Holy Father as follows:
The Holy Father encourages you to continue to fulfil, in faith and truth, the mission of the Ordinariate. Commending you and all who belong to, and cooperate with, the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, the Holy Father willingly imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord.
It is with great joy that we receive the Successor of Peter's Apostolic Blessing, not least because we know what it is like not to be in full communion with him. We also are grateful that he has commended us to Our Lady, Mother of the Church. May the prayers of Our Holy Mother assist us to fulfil our mission in faith and truth.
Thank you Holy Father.
I also find it interesting that the Holy Father not only commends the members of the Ordinariate but also all those who cooperate with us. That is of course very proper as the Ordinariate is meant to foster bonds of charity with all our Catholic brothers and sisters even those who do not understand us and maybe are even suspicious of us.
Under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman and with the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Walsingham may the Ordinariates grow in faith, hope and charity to fulfil its God-given mission with the New Evangelisation in faith and truth.
Fr Ian Hellyer
