Tomorrow night at St Anne`s Catholic church in Darlington at 7pm sixty or so parishioners and their vicar will be received into the Catholic Church and the Ordinariate. This promises to be a wonderful event and I am intending to be there to see it.
UPDATE: 5.04.2012. Just to say I did get down to Darlington and it was a wonderful occasion. Musically it was more subdued than usual as it was Wednesday of Holy Week so we had Mass with hymns but the hymns were sung with tremendous gusto and at Communion soloists sang three items by Handel ( start of the Salve Regina; `He was despised` from the Messiah and `Soll mein Kind, mein Leben sterben` from the Brockes Passion`). Mgr Keith Newton was the main celebrant. At the end of Mass he gave a useful guide to what it means to be a Catholic in the Ordinariate and how it doesn`t mean they are not `proper` Catholics. Explanations of this kind are useful as there is still a ot of misunderstanding about the whole thing I find. He also spoke of how the moving force for the Ordinariate is the search for Christian unity. The bishop of Durham had been hoping to come but sady could not make it. A number of St James` parishioners who are not joining the ordinariate were in the congregation as well as some Anglican clergy. It was good to meet deacon James Bradley, the Ordinariate communications officer at the reception afterwards.
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Deo gratias.
I gather that Mr Grieves is being allowed to remain in his house until Christmas. Until then will Ordinariate Masses be said at St James' or will it be in a local Catholic church? Is the celebration of Mass by the Ordinariate simply another form of the Roman Rite.
This seems to be a good way forward for those preferring another form of the Roman Rite & a pity the EF isn't treated in the same way.
The ordinariate group left St James at the start of Lent and have been attending Mass at St Anne`s. The Ordinariate uses the Roman Missal until it`s own has been produced. Once Ian is ordained a Catholic priest he will say their Sunday Mass at St Anne`s.
As you say Fr Michael, an excellent evening at St Anne's last night. I was also pleased to meet Deacon James Bradley, as well as sponsor one of my good friends who has worshipped at St James' for many years. Also good to see Ian Grieves and a few of the group taking a full part in the Eucharist at the Chrism Mass at St Mary's this morning and Rory Thompson who was reader last night, taking the Oil of Catechumens in procession with Fr Seamus to Bishop Seamus and then reading the prayer. I wish the Ordinariate well and hope that they are welcomed with open arms in all our Darlington Churches.
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