An Office for the Church's Missionary Work

From A New Prayer Book, Oxford: London

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STANDING

Blessed be the Lord God for his tender mercy whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

JESUS said, They shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Gospel.

Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Promise.

Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Word.

Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.

Thanks be to thee, O Christ, for thy holy Gospel.

Let us pray,

KNEELING

Thanks be to thee, most glorious God, + Father Son, and Holy Spirit, for the revelation of thyself in this our world, and for thy commission to thy Church to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to every creature.

Thanks be to thee, O God.

For the early disciples who were sent forth by Christ to proclaim the coming of the kingdom;

We praise thee, O God.

For the apostles of the nations, who in obedience to his word carried the Gospel through the world;

We praise thee, O God.

For the missionaries, known and unknown, who first brought the Gospel to these shores;

We praise thee, O God.

For all the faithful who, in ages of darkness, kept their lamps burning and watched for the coming of the Lord;

We praise thee, O God.

For all who at any time have recalled the Church to her great task of evangelizing the world;

We praise thee, O God.

For those who have gone to the ends of the earth with the joyful news, and have sought out the dark places to bring light to them that dwell in the shadow of death;

We praise thee, O God.

For thy messengers who have joined the noble army of martyrs, and for all converts to the faith who have sealed their testimony with their blood;

We praise thee, O God.

For the innumerable company who now praise thy Name, out of every kindred and nation and tongue;

We praise thee, O God. Alleluia. Amen.

We humbly acknowledge, O Lord our unworthiness of thy mercies, and confess how little we have done to hand on in freedom and fulness the faith which was brought to us through so many perils, and purchased with such pain.

Our long neglect of this, our bounden duty,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our past unfaithfulness,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our neglected opportunities,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our deafness to thy calls,

O Lord,  forgive.

Our small sacrifice for so great a cause, 

O Lord,  forgive.

Our forgetfulness of those who have gone forth relying on our prayers,

O Lord,  forgive.

We beseech thee to hear us, O Lord, that thou wouldst stir up the hearts of thy faithful people to greater obedience, and unite thy Church to face the world's great need.

That thou wouldst send forth labourers into thy harvest;

Hear us, we beseech thee.

That those who have gone forth may be supported by thy presence, guided by thy counsel, and filled with thy power;

Hear us, we beseech thee.

Let us pray in silence for . . .

Finally, O Lord, we pray thee to give to all professing Christians living in foreign lands a sense of their responsibility, that they may adorn the doctrine of our Saviour by their good example, and so commend the faith to tohers; and we beseech thee to hasten the time when the Gospel shall be preached to all nations, and the whole world filled with the knowledge of thy love.  Amen.

O God of all the nations of the earth, help us to remember the multitudes who have been created in thine image, yet know not the fulness of thy truth; and, according to the love of thy Son Jesus Christ, grant that by the prayers and labours of thy Church they maybe delivered from superstition and unbelief, and brought to worship thee; through him whom thou hast sent to be our salvation, the resurrection and the life of all the faithful, they Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shine in your hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Devotional Offices for General Use

John Wallace Suter, DD

The Century Co.: New York, 1928

+We beseech thee to hear us, Good Lord.

New Evangelisation Retreat in the OLW Ordinariate

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Click on the image of the Holy Father to enlarge the information below.

 I sincerely hope that many will attend this Saturday retreat by Professor Tracey Rowland. 

Collect for the New Evangelisation

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With the Anglican Use Society Annual Meeting studying the Call for the New Evangelisation of Blessed Pope John Paul II, let us remember that great Prayer for Mission of the sainted Charles Henry Brent that stands par excellence as the perfect prayer  for Roman Catholics of the Anglican Patrimony to express our acceptance of the Call to the New Evangelisation given by Blessed Pope John Paul II:

Lord JESUS Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love upon the hard wood of the Cross, that all men everywhere might come within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us with thy Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of thee; for the honor of thy Name. 

This prayer by Dr. Brent may be found in The Book of Divine Worship authorised by the Holy See for the Anglican Use communities in the USA and for the worldwide membership of the Personal Ordinariates of the Anglican Patrimony. It would be encouraging to see this prayer on Ordinariate and Anglican Use websites.

+Laus Deo!

Pope Benedict, New Evangelisation, Ordinariates

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In the United Kingdom the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham continues to lead in its forward vision of programming and events to build up that newborn portion of the Church.  After my brief comments, I have copied the list of forthcoming happenings as printed in the excellent e-Newsletter of the OLW-Ordinariate which keeps all apprised both home and abroad of the work of the OLW-Ordinariate.  

Naturally, these sorts of events are normative from the C of E experience, but it is wonderful to see the Personal Ordinariate not missing a beat and carrying on with what needs to be done in a calm and efficient manner.  Of course, that is what the English do, isn't it?  Keep Calm and Carry On. Bravo to Msgr. Newton for guiding this little barque in the flotilla of St. Peter forward and locating the Personal Ordinariate daily within the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The forthcoming one day event at Buckfast Abbey with Professor Tracey Rowland entitled "The New Evangelisation in the thought of Pope Benedict" I wish to 'underline' as a valuable and important contribution toward locating the theological resources that should underpin the Missionary Vision of the Personal Ordinariates as they are adapted in local situations.  For those of us from the English-speaking world outwith the UK, should we be in England on holiday it would be most worthwhile to take in this event.  I'd think to be certain that there is room available for one to attend it is best to contact Fr Ian Hillyer at the link provided. 
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Saturday 30th June 2012 -  The New Evangelisation in the thought of Pope Benedict
Professor Tracey Rowland, Dean and Permanent Fellow of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne, will present a concise examination of the idea of the New Evangelisation in the writings of Pope Benedict XVI, with particular reference to the establishment of Personal Ordinariates. The day will take place at Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre. Tickets are £5 (to help cover costs) and are available from Fr Ian Hellyer.

Forthcoming events in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, UK

Sunday 24th June 2012 at 11am - Ordinary to preside at Mass in Portsmouth

Monsignor Newton will preside and preach at the Church of St Agatha, Portsmouth for the IoW and Portsmouth Ordinariate Group.

Saturday 30th June 2012 -  The New Evangelisation in the thought of Pope Benedict

Professor Tracey Rowland, Dean and Permanent Fellow of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne, will present a concise examination of the idea of the New Evangelisation in the writings of Pope Benedict XVI, with particular reference to the establishment of Personal Ordinariates. The day will take place at Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre. Tickets are £5 (to help cover costs) and are available from Fr Ian Hellyer.

Friday 6th – 8th July 2012 - Invocation 2012

Invocation is a national festival for young adults held in the grounds of St Mary’s College, Oscott from 6-8 July 2012. The festival is aimed at young men and women aged 16-35, who are looking to deepen their relationship with Christ and are open to possibility of a vocation to the priesthood or Religious life. A number of members of the Ordinariate were present last year. This year the relic of the heart of St John Vianney will be present at the festival. 

Saturday July 14th 2012 - Annual Pilgrimage of Reparation and Consecration to Walsingham

This will be Led by Fr. Ivan Aquilina of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. 

Saturday 28th July 2012 – A day with Newman at Littlemore

The Portal Magazine is organising this event giving the opportunity to spend a day in Littlemore on Saturday 28th July 2012. Hear about Blessed John Henry Newman’s time at Littlemore, attend Mass and enjoy a good lunch. Further details, timings and booking details for the day are published here. 

Thursday 9th - 12th August 2012 - Blessed John Paul II Walking Pilgrimage

Members of the Ordinariate are taking part in the Blessed John Paul II walking pilgrimage to Walsingham for the New Evangelisation in England & Wales. The 50 mile pilgrimage starts with Mass in the ruins of the Abbey at Bury St Edmunds and concludes at the Sunday Mass in the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Accommodation and food are provided as is transportation each day for luggage. Morning & Evening Prayer is sung each day and Mass is celebrated en route with prayers, hymns, rosary and talks as the pilgrims walk along. The cost is £55 per person. Further information and booking from Sister Hyacinthe OP. 

Saturday 15 September 2012 - National Pilgrimage to Walsingham

The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is organising a National Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham on Saturday 15 September 2012. More details here. 

+Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

New Evangelisation & Church Planting

The Anglican Use Society, which predates the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, will be having its 2012 Conference around the theme of the New Evangelisation of Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Wonderful news!  But remember a New Evangelisation Conference does not a missionary make.  But with the proper catechetical instruction and reference points in the New Evangelisation of Blessed Pope John Paul II you will have the most fertile intellectual ground from which to develop your local mission strategies.  I hope the Ordinariate would develop a common mission strategy.  A consideration may be that perhaps because you are scattered all across North America in relatively small groups the really important task is to develop your local mission strategy in concert with the Church's invitation to the New Evangelisation rather than a directive from the Ordinariate itself.

Papers will be given by most excellent speakers at the Conference relating to the New Evangelisation and the Anglican experience, and some issues will be explored in a presentation by Fr. Scott Hurd, the Vicar General of the Ordinariate, and Mr. Marlon de la Torre of the Pastoral Provision Office in Fort Worth, Texas that I think will be very key:  "Pastoral Considerations and Future Directions in the Pastoral Provision and in the Ordinariate".  One would hope that a common mission strategy could be developed for both the Pastoral Provision parishes and clergy and the Ordinariate... but there is a great danger if it is simply a strategy delivered from on high, top down.  The great chance you have is to collaborate as clergy and laity in the whole process because your numbers are so small that you could all gather in one Great Conference ... even by satellite uplink technology.

I note in particular that there will be a presentation on financing start-ups and new congregations by C. Denis Green.  I sincerely hope many more such informational presentations will be made targeting the particular issues of planting new churches.  This will be a very different thing for the Ordinariate than what is normally done in the dioceses of the USA.  Because the Ordinariate comes from an Anglican wellspring, I would hope they would look to the whole Boot Camp for Church Planters experiences that are out there in order to tailor one for the Ordinariate's own needs and one for the needs of the Pastoral Provision parishes.

Without the fresh ideas coming from this very successful movement a priest starting a new congregation will be tempted to simply do what he knows from his own experience and what he tries to apply from what he has studied or heard.  It can be so much easier than trying to reinvent the wheel.  It's been done.  So if you are starting up a new Ordinariate congregation, try not to rely on the fact that you are coming from existing congregations with their structures and customs and merely replicate those.  Take advantage of the expertise that largely comes from the committed Evanglical part of the Protestant Churches and make it your Catholic own.

Starting a new parish can be the most difficult thing in a priest's life.  It can also be the most rewarding.  By making use of the Church Planting models, needless stress upon one's wife or children can be avoided.  And needless stress and troubles can be avoided for you too by simply learning some of the strategies for growth in the contemporary post-Christian culture as well as strategies for avoiding the pitfalls of parish formation and life.

The Rev. Tom Herrick of Titus Church Planting is one of the best in Church Planting in North America, and as he is an Anglican in North America you will likely find a sympathetic soul prepared to challenge the hell out of you to bring in new souls for the Lord of the harvest.  Some of you may well know him from courses he has taught at various venues including Nashotah House.  I would hope you would seek out someone like him as you new priests and deacons plant your new communities of Catholics of the Anglican Patrimony.

More established congregations from a TAC background might also consider the model of a "restart" that is found in Church Planting strategies since you are in fact restarting your communities within a new context and now have all of the fulness and beauty of the Catholic Church and your Anglican heritage to offer.

Admittedly, many, many souls will be drawn to your  new churches because of the profound reverence and beauty of your liturgies that are so different from the normative Latin rite but are not as big a leap as the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy.  You will be that place just right to worship God and watch the family grow.

I offer these thoughts as a person who has no authority beyond the authority of the Lay State as enunciated in Christifideles laici of Blessed Pope John Paul II ... which in short means I am called to the front lines of the battle for souls sharing in Christ's threefold office as prophet, priest and king.  I am not connected to the Ordinariate in anyway except for that I pray for its clergy, religious, and people daily. 

+Laus tibi, Christe.