To Buckfast Ordinariate Group

Dear brothers and sisters

This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, that is, a very special feast day in the church's calendar.

It is also a special moment in the journey we have made.

In many ways it seems so very long ago, when at the beginning of Lent we left our home in the Church of England and began our journey to find our home in the Catholic Church. Following the priestly ordinations tomorrow, I will be in a position to celebrate the mass for you, the 'Buckfast Group' of the Ordinariate. It is a special moment for me; it is a special moment for all of us.

I want to say thank you to each of you for accompanying me in this quiet and gentle conversion. It has been all the easier for our companionship along the way. Now we embark on a new phase and a new set of challenges. We begin in a very small and poor way. We don't even have a bank account yet! We don't have any property (which is a relief). We do have the friendships we are building with each other, and the new friends we have found in the Abbot and Abbey community. And we have our faith renewed by God's grace, so what else do we need?

God called us here and we have answered. We have tried to be obedient to him. But now we begin something new within the Catholic Church: what is called, the Ordinariate. What is that?

I don't know about you, but I feel a very ordinary sort of person. I am the son of a boiler-maker, who did moderately well in his education, but is no academic high-flyer, that's for sure. I am not the life and soul of a party (although I do enjoy a celebration now and again). I have not done extraordinary things in my life. But maybe this Ordinariate is for ordinary people like me. Some people are expecting exceptional things from the Ordinariate, but I do not feel capable of extraordinary things, do you? My belief is that we are not called to excitement so much as faithfulness; not called on special missions as obedience; not called to be extraordinary witnesses as to live an ordinary Christian life depending not on our own abilities but on the grace of God alone. It would be a privilege if you would continue to accompany me in this and I could serve you as God has called me to.

Please remember me in your prayers for I need them all. I will continue to keep you in mine. I, and Frs Robin and Colin, will be offering Mass each Sunday at 3pm in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Abbey. I look forward to seeing you, but above all I look forward to the future of the Ordinariate. Thanks be to God for His mercy and love.

A very ordinary pastor,

Ian

Interview with The Catholic Herald

Again there is no end of fascination with my particular circumstances, this time by The Catholic Herald. Again I publish my responses in case some of you are interested:

1) You commented that in the last 10 years you felt increasingly uncomfortable in the CofE and questioned its direction and decisions. What are the specific areas of concern?
I have been concerned with the way in which the C of E tries to discern the will of God through its governing body (General Synod) particularly in matters of faith and morals. It has increasingly seemed to many of us that this process has become political. Decisions made less on a consistent theological position and more on balancing the opinions of various groups within the church. Specifically I am troubled by inconsistent approaches to the life issues, especially at the beginning and end of life, and the church's confusion over what it understands ordained ministry to be about (is it purely functional or is it ontological too). Some of these specific issues come to a head in the decision of GS to admit women to holy orders.
2) How did your parishioners react to the news?
My parishioners were somewhat shocked at my decision because I was forbidden by my Anglican bishop from announcing my resignation in advance. The day we announced our decision was the day we began gardening leave. So many were shocked I was going like that. However many of them knew my discomfort within the C of E and most seemed to have come to terms with it. They gave very generously to us as a thank you for all that I had done since 2001.
3) You spoke of your amazement at the Ordinariate¹s respect for Anglicanism. When the news of the Ordinariate broke, some sections of the media understood/portrayed the Ordinariate as little more than a poaching exercise by the Catholic Church, namely lacking in respect for Anglicanism. How would you respond to this?
The Catholic Church made this provision for Anglicans because groups of Anglicans asked for it, i.e. "how can we come into full communion with the Catholic Church in groups?" Also, Anglicanism respects a person's conscience and essentially what my Anglican bishop wanted to know is whether I was testing my conscience properly, he was not against me following my conscientious decision. Equally every person in my ordinariate group discerned for themselves whether they believed God was calling them into the Catholic Church.
4)You referred to the Catholic Church evangelising in such a way that¹s most appropriate in our age. This is a very interesting observation. Can you elaborate on what you mean by this?
Well I find Blessed Pope John Paul's phrase "the new evangelisation" a very inspiring notion. It is not that there is new content to the Good News, but that we need a fresh start in how we live it, how we apply it in daily life, and how we communicate it in the world today. Somehow we need to find more effective means of communicating the gospel in our world today. And, of course, to be ready to field the sorts of questions and problems modern people have with the Catholic Faith. To be more effective in evangelisation we need also to be visibly united; I believe Christians' lack of unity is a great barrier to effective evangelisation. I understand the Ordinariate as an instrument for unity, and to have a prophetic aspect to this.

Pentecost

And just as dry soil cannot bear fruit unless it receives moisture, so we, who to begin with are dry wood, can never bear the fruit of life unless the rain from heaven falls upon our wills. St Irenaeus

These words impressed themselves upon me as I read them during the Office of Readings today, not least because the rain was pouring outside my study window! As we drove to Buckfast Abbey for the Mass of Pentecost, the rain was drenching everything. As I reflected on the saint's words I thought, indeed I need the rain of heaven to fall on my will.

Making Right Connections
Father Abbot was in very fine form today vested in his pontificals, not least in his homily. In the quest for human knowledge and endeavour there is always the need for linking things together, or, we might say making right connections. Imagination stimulates this, it is the fire that stimulates us to make the right connections. Not only is this true for human advancement in science and invention, but also in the religious sphere of life. Yet as we consider the human search for that which is noble and that which is true, there seems to be much confusion (the tower of Babel comes to mind). The more human influence, the more confusion, it seems, yet we say that we have access to the Spirit, to know the way, the truth, and the life. And on this day, Pentecost, connections were made in those who received the Holy Spirit. A light dawned in which connections were made between the salvation history of Israel and their experience of Jesus Christ, especially their encounters with the risen Christ. It was not an individual subjective experience. It was a shared experience. The Apostles, the other disciples (men and women) and the Blessed Virgin Mary shared this Pentecost outpouring of the Spirit. Minds were set on fire. The confusion of the human spiritual quest was replaced by the order of the descent of the illuminating Holy Spirit. A new Light was shed upon them. Faith and reason were united as never before. Yes it was a small group, a small spark, but it was a spark that set the whole world on fire.

How could they not be on fire, not communicate this to the world? How can we not be on fire today, and not communicate this to the world? And so the Church was born that used its sacramental weapons, brought forth sacred Scriptures for illumination, and guided people in the way by the Tradition, the faith handed on.

All of us have a vocation in the Body of Christ and need the Spirit to fill us with Christ. The Holy Spirit moulds us into sons and daughters of God, and we become sharers in the divine life.

The Sequence
It seemed to me that nearly all that we need to meditate upon regarding the Holy Spirit was contained in some way in the liturgy of Mass today, but for me the Sequence brought me gentle gladness. It was sung very beautifully in Latin, but with the help of the translation, we could rest in the beauty of the truth that bathed us through these holy words. I will pray it each day now before my ordination on Friday.

Blessings upon all God's people and may the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit be warmly received by us all... as rain pouring on parched earth.

Ordinations to the Sacred Priesthood

Please pray for Rev David Lashbrooke , Rev John Greatbatch , Rev Ian Hellyer , Rev Simon Chinery , Rev Robin Ellis , Rev Mike Cain , Rev Colin Furness to be ordained priest in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Also pray for Rev Win Fish to be ordained priest on the same occasion to serve in the Diocese of Plymouth.

We are very grateful to Bishop Christopher Budd who graciously consented to ordain us during what was already a very busy period in his diary. We are also very grateful for his generosity towards us in providing housing, and offering us appointments in the diocese.

We thank Monsignor Keith Newton for his example and fatherly care.

We give thanks to the Holy Father for the trust he has placed in us through the provision of the Apostolic Constitution. God give him strength and protection.

We also give thanks to our wives, families and parishioners who have shown much forebearance in the last few months especially.

Above all we give thanks to our Saviour Jesus Christ for His grace poured upon us and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Mike's Diaconal Ordination

Last Monday, we rejoiced together as we gathered for the ordination of our beloved brother, Mike Cain, at the parish church of St Gregory, Salisbury. Bishop Declan welcomed us very warmly. Mike's ordination had been delayed due to the paperwork so he hadn't been able to be ordained with the rest of us back in May. God willing we shall all be ordained together on Friday 17th June at Plymouth Cathedral. We pray for God's blessing on Mike in his ministry and his wife, Wendy.

We also had the chance of a photo of the southwest ordinariate clergy with the Ordinary, Monsignor Newton. The retired clergy were not able to be present.

Hail the day that sees Him rise, alleluia!

In the homily today Fr Gabriel reminded us that while it might seem that the Ascension is the reverse feast of Christmas, this in fact is not the case. This seems to supported by the spatial symbolism we often use; that Christ came down to us in His Incarnation, and in His Ascension He returned whence He had come. Fr Gabriel said that this was not the case at all - in fact it was more complicated, but we should not be put off by the complication. Christianity reveals things to us that requires us to stretch our minds. He said that if it does not stretch us it is very likely not Christianity. The first thing to grasp is that Christ did not return as He came. The second thing is that the incarnation was not undone by the ascension. The crucial thing for us to appreciate as we celebrate the Ascension was that Jesus Christ, God made man, was at the right hand of the Father. Christ brings His humanity to God's right hand. He is God's right hand man, if you like. Thus the Ascension is a time for joy not sorrow, because otherwise we would be mourning our loss of Christ. Instead we celebrate the elevation of our humanity to the very godhead, and because of this Christ is present to us through the Holy Spirit. He is really, truly, personally present to each and every one of us. Alleluia!

Following our mass today there was so much female veneration of our newborn, Rose, that I forgot to check the developments in the pond - please forgive.

I ask you to especially remember seven of us in your prayers who are to be ordained priest by the Bishop of Plymouth, on Friday 17th June at 7pm, at Plymouth Cathedral.
David Lashbrooke, Ian Hellyer, John Greatbatch, Colin Furness, Robin Ellis, Simon Chinery, and Michael Cain.

A Final Session

As we gathered for our final session with the Abbot today, we were surprised to see him walking to us without his habit - something we had not seen before and worthy of a photograph I thought. Today the Abbot gave us a talk on the monastic and religious life in the church, followed by a grand tour. We were treated to a tour of parts of the abbey seldom seen by the hoards of visitors who visit the abbey each day. It turned out that we had only seen a fraction of the abbey until today.

Over the centuries the monastic life has flourished here, then died out, and then risen again. And on its many buildings evidence of these years has been etched. Most visitors to the abbey are familiar with the hospitality they are provided with, and the facilities made available to them. And this the monks deem to be very important. It is no coincidence that it is amongst the most visited places in the southwest. It is a place where people feel welcome.

The monks live a type of life that is a sign to the rest of the church. They show us that the Christian life is a life in community, of stability in the cross of Christ, where money is not the highest priority, where one's own opinions about things are not the most important, and where one is called to live a life of self-less love. Monks and nuns do this in a distinctive way through making vows but these are at the service of the whole church.

In order to be able to be this sign to the church, the monastic community must also guard its life, so while it treasures its ability to offer hospitality, it must also take measures to protect itself from becoming too affected by the world. So there needs to be parts of the life which is kept away from most people. Today we were privileged to walk through some of the grounds of the abbey which normally are kept private. Most visitors do not realise there is so much more to the abbey, yet perhaps this is also symbolic of the whole monastic life: only some of it can be seen.

So as we walked around the abbey and drank in the tranquillity of the place, we considered the witness of the monks over the centuries. In my thoughts I gave thanks for the privilege of being welcomed into the Catholic Church by Father Abbot and the community of Buckfast Abbey.

As we took stock and thought about all that had taken place over the last few months, in one way it has been a whirlwind, but in many ways no whirlwind at all. Now we have found peace. Thanks be to God for Father Abbot and Buckfast Abbey.