Reluctant Anglicans (3) - Facts

Following is some useful information and factual references posted by commentators on various blogs in response to the questions from "Reluctant Anglicans" re. the Ordinariates:

ECONOMICS

wayfarer:

August 20, 2012 at 16:13

In a partial answer regarding the Economics issues, the CSP pubished a statement on its website regarding property ownership and how it works. It can be found here: http://www.usordinariate.org/parishproperty.html. This is a very useful resource to anyone who has questions regarding parishes and their entry into the Ordinariate, and specifically addresses many of these concerns.

AUTHORITY - Synods

Mourad:

August 24, 2012 at 10:15

The expression “synod” comes from the Greek for “meeting” and in the Catholic Church it is broadly synoymous with “council” And there is a whole long list of important synods in the history of the Church perhaps begining with those held at Antioch and Carthage from around 250 AD and certainly including the Synod of Whitby in 664AD. The institution survives and works in the Catholic Church and in Orthodoxy. So far as the Catholic Church is concerned, there can be diocesan synods, and also meetings of national episcopal conferences all of which are provided for by canon law. At diocesan level the functions of the synod are advisory. The authority is that of the bishop.

But various non-Catholic Churches have adopted with word “synod” to denote their own meetings and the confusion arises because in scuh bodies, the expression has different meanings. In the CofE, the supreme legislatative authority is vested in Parliament – Church law is what parliament says it is. But the authority has been delegated to “general synod” – a kind of mini-parliament with three houses, bishops, clergy and laity. and it is that form of governance which has proved a disaster.

The ordinary of an ordinariate is a voting member of the national episcopal conference. The Ordinary has identical powers over those subject to his jurisdiction as diocesans have to those subject to their jurisdictions. The Governing Council and Finance Council of the Ordinariates function in the say way as the equivalent diocesan institutions and the same provisions of canon law apply.

The single difference is that when it comes to the choice of an ordinary, the compilation of the “terna” of names to be submitted to the Pope is not undertaken by the Apostolic Nuncio but to a deliberative vote of the Governing Council. Hardly revolutionary. That’s broadly similar to what happens for Eastern Rite Churches too.

Canon law is quite precise.

See Canon 331 “The bishop of the Roman Church, in whom continues the office given by the Lord uniquely to Peter, the first of the Apostles, and to be transmitted to his successors, is the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ, and the pastor of the universal Church on earth. By virtue of his office he possesses supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church, which he is always able to exercise freely.”

See also Canon 372:

Ҥ1. As a rule, a portion of the people of God which constitutes a diocese or other particular church is limited to a definite territory so that it includes all the faithful living in the territory.

§2. Nevertheless, where in the judgment of the supreme authority of the Church it seems advantageous after the conferences of bishops concerned have been heard, particular churches distinguished by the rite of the faithful or some other similar reason can be erected in the same territory.”

And as with Apostolic Administrators – the Ordinary is provided with the full powers of a Bishop which he exercises by delegation. The only difference is that when an Ordinary is not in episcopal orders, he cannot ordain priests – he issues dimmisoral letters to a bishop, just as one bishop often does to another. One may expect that in the fullness of time, there will be Ordinaries in episcopal orders.

The excerpt below is from canons 211 to 214 of the Code of Canon Law (CoCL) which provide for a lay voice at the diocesan or ordinariate level in all Latin Rite Catholic churches. 

This council is mandated and gives a voice on a wide range of pastoral matters in the diocese while leaving matters of doctrine and jurisdiction to the bishop and the Magisterium.  

Unlike Anglican synods which have taken unto themselves the role of redefining doctrine, the Ordinariates will follow the guidelines set out in the CoCL. 

CODE OF CANON LAW

CHAPTER V.  THE PASTORAL COUNCIL

Canon 511 

In every diocese and to the extent that pastoral circumstances suggest it, a pastoral council is to be constituted which under the authority of the bishop investigates, considers, and proposes practical conclusions about those things which pertain to pastoral works in the diocese.

Canon 512 

§1. A pastoral council consists of members of the Christian faithful who are in full communion with the Catholic Church—clerics, members of institutes of consecrated life, and especially laity—who are designated in a manner determined by the diocesan bishop.

§2. The Christian faithful who are designated to a pastoral council are to be selected in such a way that they truly reflect the entire portion of the people of God which constitutes the diocese, with consideration given to the different areas of the diocese, social conditions and professions, and the role which they have in the apostolate whether individually or joined with others.

§3. No one except members of the Christian faithful outstanding in firm faith, good morals, and prudence is to be designated to a pastoral council.

Canon 513 

§1. A pastoral council is constituted for a period of time according to the prescripts of the statutes which are issued by the bishop.

§2. When the see is vacant, a pastoral council ceases.

Canon 514 

§1. A pastoral council possesses only a consultative vote. It belongs to the diocesan bishop alone to convoke it according to the needs of the apostolate and to preside over it; it also belongs to him alone to make public what has been done in the council.

§2. The pastoral council is to be convoked at least once a year.

The specific provision in Anglicanorum Coetibus for lay invlovement in the councils of ordinariates is as follows with my comments in red. 

SECTION X. 

§ 1. The Ordinary is aided in his governance by a Governing Council with its own statutes approved by the Ordinary and confirmed by the Holy See.[17]

§ 2. The Governing Council, presided over by the Ordinary, is composed of at least six priests. It exercises the functions specified in the Code of Canon Law for the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors, as well as those areas specified in the Complementary Norms. 

Does the provision for "at least six priests" leave the door open for lay consultants on the Governing Council as well? Likely the ordinary would want to have a canon lawyer who would at least attend some meetings of the Council in some capacity - many of these are laymen.

§ 3. The Ordinary is to establish a Finance Council according to the norms established by the Code of Canon Law which will exercise the duties specified therein.[18]

Again, lay members are important if not essential for transparent administration of finances. It is also important that the Ordinary and the clergy be at arms length from finances to put them beyond any question with regard to these matters which are often scrutinized very carefully these days. See the article in the latest edition of the  ECONOMIST magazine which is highly critical of the Catholic Church's financial dealings.

§ 4. In order to provide for the consultation of the faithful, a Pastoral Council is to be constituted in the Ordinariate.[The Code of Canon Law - see above] 

Reluctant Anglicans (2)

The questions presented here in the first "Reulcant" post have caused quite a flury of comment on other blogs. I will attempt to summarize some of the constructive comments since our purpose is to seek clarification for those sincerely seeking to respond to our Lord's prayer that we all may be one.

So, here is a partial summary with the caveat that any condensation will be incomplete and since, as repeatedly mentioned, this is a process which is unfolding over years there are no easy, much less permanent, responses apart from those which are made by the CDF and other agents of the Holy See.

With this in mind, here we go with a first attempt at summary.

1. Authority

A number of posts have raised concerns about "private judgement" in relation to questions of authority. Some have pointed out that, amongst others, J.H. Newman held that there was a role for and necessity for the Church to elicit the voice of the laity in the determination of many matters including the reception of doctrine.

As it applies to the Ordinariates there are a number of matters which affect how this role might be defined in the governance of parishes, sodalities and ordinariate structures generally.

Anglicanorum Coetibus outlines clearly that it is expected that the councils and committees which are to be part of the structure being erected will reflect the engagement and contributions of laity in oversight at various levels. This has been a developing part of Anglican patrimony which will continue in the Ordinariates.

For Newman consultation with and participation by the laity is an important aspect of faithful discipleship as it relates to the stewardship which we collectively share for the Church Militant. In no way does consulting the laity detract from the proper role of doctrinal development and definition through the Petrine office or the role of the Magisterium in governing. In fact, the role of laity was seen by Newman as complementary to the Magisterium and as a sign of a vibrant Church with an educated laity - something Newman stove for in his work to establish a Catholic university in Ireland and in other aspects of his ministry.

The role of the laity as an aspect of patrimony is not then to be confused with the issue of "private judgement" in matters of doctrine.

-----
NOTE TO READERS

Due to time constraints, posts on this topic will continue at irregular intervals. For those interested there is much more discussion on the "The Anglo-Catholic" blog and Fr. Smuts' blog amongst others.

Time does not allow a full digest of the constructive comments made there so discussion here will be selective but those who post comments to this blog will receive full consideration and, as stated, constructive comments will be posted here.

More to follow.

Why are some Anglicans reluctant about the Ordinariates?

This begins a series of posts which will seek to address questions that people have about the process of entering into full communion with the Catholic Church through the Personal Ordinariates being erected to receive Anglicans.

Barriers at St. Peter's, Rome

There are, of course, many reasons for the reluctance of many Anglicans and others to enter a process for reception through the ordinariates.

Anglicanorum Coetibus (AC) is the Apostolic Constitution crafted by Pope Benedict XVI to allow Anglicans, the Anglican patrimony and those drawn to the Church through the Anglican ethos to share full communion in response to our Lord's prayer that we all may be one, ut unum sint.

AC is a thoughtful, realistic and generous ecumenical response to requests made over the past thirty years by Anglican bishops and faithful to enter into full unity with the Catholic Church while retaining those elements of Anglican culture and tradition which conform to the Catholic faith.

This post will list some of these concerns and future posts will seek to address these from a Canadian perspective.

First a few facts and estimates:

- To date there are eight bishops worldwide (by my count which may be out of date) who have been received into full communion and ordained.

- Around a hundred priests (with more in process) have been received and ordained

- Something going on a couple of thousand lay Anglicans have been received or are in a process to be received into the three ordinariates that currently serve the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia.

These numbers, though small, change monthly. Generously, the Holy Father has bestowed the rank of prelate of honour (Monsignor) upon each of the received former Anglican bishops following their ordinations.

Three of these former Anglican bishops have been created "ordinaries" that is leaders with jurisdiction for those who enter the non-territorial personal ordinariates erected:

1. Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham (OOLW) for England, Scotland and Wales

2. Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (OCSP) to include jurisdiction for those received in North America including Canada and the USA

3. Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (OOLSC) for Australia and, presumably, contiguous regions

These ordinaries act with authority and jurisdiction like that of bishops of a diocese without the limitation of geography within the respective Episcopal Conferences to which they relate e.g. Msgr Steenson of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter acts in concert with the conferences of bishops in Canada and the USA.

On a personal level, for example, an individual person received into the Ordinariate in Toronto comes under the same "ordinary" jurisdiction as someone in Houston,TX i.e. Msgr Steenson and does not come within the jurisdiction of the Cardinal Archbishop of Toronto though, naturally, the ordinary and the cardinal co-operate in every way possible to promote the unified witness of the Catholic Church.

Anglican Use Mass celebrated on Sundays at Sacré-Coeur Parish in Toronto

All of this should indicate that there is a warm and generous welcome for Anglican clergy and people. Some Anglicans and others, however, demur, delay or have additional questions about the process for a variety of reasons and from varying circumstances. A few have decisively (for now anyway) decided to continue as Anglicans or Anglican Catholics or Anglo-Catholics as they variously describe themselves.

These articles will begin to explore some of the concerns that people have in a non-partisan manner by listing questions that have been raised. Together we seek some answers or responses to the many details that an unfolding process presents.

Clarification has been the purpose of all of the postings on this blog and so your responses and other questions and constructive comments are invited. These will be vetted and presented to advance the discussion and illuminate what, as we have said, has been and will continue to be a developing process with many twists and winds along the "narrow way" that we are called to by the Gospel.

To record some of the concerns of people, I have been compiling a list over the summer of 2012. Here it is for your consideration.


1. Authority

Is there still a place for the voice of the laity in the Ordinariate?

Will the Ordinary have real control over the administration and assets of the Ordinariate which, in the case of Canada and the USA, is spread over a continent.

What role will the local bishops have and can Anglican patrimony be restricted by an unsympathetic bishop?

Is there any way that conservative Anglicans (those who have evangelical sympathies and others) might be persuaded to enter into full communion?


2. Liturgy

Will the liturgy be familiar to Anglicans or will there be such changes that worship feels foreign?  Will the great Anglican musical tradition be nurtured and developed within the Ordinariates?

Will the RSV and King James (A.V.) bibles be used? Is it a "deal breaker" as some have said if the KJV is not used at Mass?  Can the KJV be used for other services, the Offices, group and private devotions, etc., even if the RSV is the authorized text for lections at Mass?

Will priests be required to use the approved Anglican Use of the Roman Rite or will they increasingly move to the Ordinary or Extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite?  Who decides?


3. Economics

What assets will groups be able to bring with them and what say will they have in the use of these assets.  With whom will the deeds for property reside?

Will small communities be able to afford to pay priests a living wage? Will priests have to work for the local RC diocese dividing time between Anglican Ordinariate congregations and other parish or chaplaincy work?

Will there be support from local dioceses and conferences of bishops in terms of health care, pensions and retirement care for priests and other employees of the Ordinariate?


4. Culture and Sharing

Pope Benedict has expressed his concern that Anglicans bring their patrimony with them to share with other Catholics. How will this happen?  What form will this sharing take or will Anglicans be absorbed into the larger Western Rite Catholic community eventually?

Will young men who marry continue to be approved for ordination?  Will the seminaries make allowance and provision for married candidates for ordination?

How will formation for the clergy of the Anglican ordinariates take place? Will everything be centred in Houston?

Will the Anglican Use parishes such as Our Lady of the Atonement in San Antonio, TX be included ultimately in the ordinariate? What will relations between AU and Ordinariate parishes and groups be in the meantime?


So, we welcome your thoughts on these matters and your further questions as we seek to follow our Lord in the way of unity under the guidance of the Holy Father and of those entrusted with the implementation of AC.

In light of the many ups and downs of any movement to unity within the Body of Christ we would do well to keep in mind the words of a young Ordinariate member:

"An Apostolic Constitution is for the ages. It will be here for any remaining Anglicans in 200 years."

Heartiest congratulations - Fr. Kenyon and Fr. Hunwicke

Fr. Lee Kenyon and parents

Fr. Hunwicke at the Oratory, Oxford

It is with great thanksgiving to God that we note amongst the numerous priests ordained recently to the ordinariates in Canada, the US and the UK two former Anglican priests.

Our heartiest congratulations to Fr. Lee Kenyon (Calgary, Alberta) and Fr. John Hunwicke (Oxford, UK).


These two sturdy Brits will add immeasurably to the ministry of their respective ordinariates and to the worldwide witness for unity that the ordinariates are designed by the Holy Father to give.

Photos of Fr. Kenyon.
http://oshawaordinariate.blogspot.ca/2012_06_01_archive.html

Certainly for Canada this is the beginning of the first fully formed ordinariate parish - St. John the Evangelist now with two priests and daily Mass. Already growing, St. John's sees new faces weekly with Sunday Mass attendance increasing steadily.

The East End Calgary parish will attract people from many backgrounds including many Catholics who are looking for beautiful and inspiring traditional celebrations of the Liturgy.

The Anglican Use Sunday High Mass as celebrated at St. John's is virtually the E.F. High Mass in English. The careful attention to ceremonial and preaching will make St. John's a destination parish and it is already a shrine church of Our Lady of Walsingham (whose prayers no doubt helped to accomplish the miracle which has brought St. John's as a complete parish into full communion with the Holy See).

This truly is a miracle and so we give thanks for Fr. Kenyon and his associate, Fr. Wright. God bless you both, your wives and families as together you serve and enjoy  your wonderful and vibrant parish as it grows - the first flower of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter in Canada!

Of Fr. Hunwicke what can be added to the many accolades from those who know him well: classicist, liturgist, gifted writer, wit and devout servant and admirer of our Holy Father Benedict. He is a treasure and surely embodies the Anglican patrimony in a unique way.

Photos of Fr. Hunwicke:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ukordinariate/7463439952/in/set-72157630325062294/




Ad multos annos!

Video of Anglican Use Choral Mass in Toronto

People gather for Anglican Use Choral Mass in Toronto

Here are a couple of video clips from the Corpus Christi Choral Mass at Sacré-Coeur Church in downtown Toronto last Sunday.

The next scheduled Choral Eucharist is being planned for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady in August.

In the meantime, Sunday Sung Mass continues weekly at 1:45 pm with organ, cantor, hymns, chant and Mass in the language of the Book of Common Prayer according to the Book of Divine worship as approved by the CDF in Rome for use in Canada with permission of Cardinal Collins.

Here are links to the video clips with marvellous music for the Mass by Healey Willan and Duruflé:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCmsRLUM31M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzjqXYXrVgk

                         and Father . . .                                     . . .  preaches.

Anglican Use Choral Eucharist for Corpus Christi

This Sunday for the Feast of Corpus Christi, the regular weekly Mass of the Toronto Anglican Use Sodality will once again be a Choral Eucharist (our weekly service is usually a Missa Cantata Sung Eucharist, with hymns and English plainsong). 

A professional choral ensemble has been assembled to lead the congregation in the music of the sacred liturgy, which will feature Healey Willan’s Missa Brevis I and Durufle’s Tantum Ergo, as well as the usual complement of Anglican hymns and English plainsong.

There will be free parking at the Green P parking lot just north of the church on the east side of Sherbourne St (it’s about four doors north of the church). This is a special arrangement for this Sunday only. Because this weekend is the anniversary of Sacré-Coeur parish, the parish parking lot is going to be in use for the afternoon, so the Green P lot has been reserved for our use this Sunday afternoon.

As usual, Mass is at 1:45pm at Sacré-Coeur (the Church of the Sacred Heart) at 381 Sherbourne St in downtown Toronto. There is a children’s program downstairs during the liturgy of the Liturgy of the Word, and afterwards we have been invited to join the Sacré-Coeur parishioners outside for their BBQ.

As always, our Masses fulfill the Sunday obligation for all Catholics, regardless of whether or not they are of an Anglican background. Everyone is welcome to attend.

May - The Month of Mary

To honour Blessed Mary, the mother of Our Lord, the month of May is traditionally acknowledged as the month of Mary in  the Church's calendar. She is also honoured especially on Saturdays throughout the year and on her several solemnities and feast days e.g. Immaculate Conception, Assumption, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Victory, etc.

No other saint is accorded such devotion. It is the source of great spiritual strength for the majority of Christians who understand and accept that an appropriate, biblical and thoroughgoing Mariology is the most important support for understanding the role of Christ (Christology) upon which the entire Christian enterprise rests.

"You are either Marian or you are Arian." This a blunt but not inaccurate way of stating the case. What does it mean?

To be Marian is to believe that the mother of Jesus is truly the Theotokos (as defined by the Council of Ephesus, AD 431) or mother of God in that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine and so his mother is the God-bearer or the mother who brought the incarnate God into this world. Nothing less really does justice to who Jesus is as the second person of God the Holy Trinity.

The Arian heresy (which had and has many variations including semi-Arianism, etc.) is stuck to one degree or another on the idea that the humanity of Jesus cannot co-exist with the divine nature in the single person of Jesus. The doctrine that Christ has two natures was and continues to be a problem for many who want, to some degree, to claim Jesus and a limited 'Christianity' without what they consider the troublesome baggage of dogma.

              

The Council of Ephesus, AD 431

In other words, Arians and many modern so-called 'liberal Christians' want a good Jesus, a human Jesus, a blessed Jesus, a spirit-led Jesus, a prophetic Jesus, a holy Jesus, even a sinless Jesus but not a divine Jesus.

Catholic Christianity teaches that it is really Mary that they should be looking for in this regard: a good woman, a blessed woman, a holy woman, a sinless woman. Yes, the doctrine of Immaculate Conception (often confused with the Virgin Birth of Jesus) applies to Mary and means that though she had an earthly mother and father she is immaculate i.e. preserved from the taint of sin so that she was prepared to be the mother of the divine Jesus Christ. Nothing less than a sinless immaculate vessel would do for the unique entry of God into our humanity.

If Mary does not occupy this position as the Blessed Virgin Mary, immaculate, the first Christian of the human family (i.e. Catholic Mariology) then Jesus will logically and likely be forced into this category in the minds of many well-meaning but doctrinally misled people.

Blessed Mary is not divine; she is sinless. She is not worshipped she is the object of our love and devotion. She is honoured in order to direct all worship, praise and adoration to her divine Son.

 Coronation of the Virgin - Fra Angelico

We do not pray to her as a god; rather the Catholic Church teaches that in a real sense she is our mother as well -- the Mother of Christians and Queen of Heaven -- and just as we ask our own earthly mothers to pray for us so we ask Mary's prayers. As the universal invocation goes: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee . . .  pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."

Has devotion to Mary been exaggerated and has she sometimes been seen as a substitute for prayer to God in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ? Yes, just as with any good thing or any good idea, devotion to Mary has been and can be abused. However, the abuses associated with the lack of a proper understanding of Mary's role in the history of salvation are arguably far more dangerous because they undermine a proper understanding of the divine nature of Jesus and his saving action and mission as the incarnate God.

Mary is in the divine presence having been received body and soul into heaven and so intercedes unceasingly as our Blessed Mother. Why would we expect anything less. She is alive to God but united to us through her divine Son whose body we are part of by virtue of our Baptism.

As someone said to me: If you meet a person, liked them, respected them and honoured them, you would naturally want to know their mother and speak with her as well. If we know Christ, why would we not want to know and speak with his mother?

Yes, there are all sorts of historical hang-ups people have over devotion to saints as we have mentioned on this blog. These and the problems with devotion to the Blessed Virgin are largely misunderstandings of the Church's actual teachings or conclusions drawn from abuses which often have not been at issue for generations or centuries in most places. In short, misunderstanding the Church's teaching with regard to Mary and the saints is often simply a matter of prejudice not based upon fact or real practice but upon impression, rumour and ignorance.

What do we need to do? Ask Mary's prayers for her misguided children and for the rest of humanity which is fallen and needs her Son. Many approach her Son, Jesus, supported by  the maternal love which she offers. Blessed Mary's acceptance and compassion is unlimited because she is sinless and "full of grace". She dearly wants to love us in the service of her Son's mission, the salvation of humanity.

So "the merry, merry month of May" is much merrier in the truest sense of the word for those who devote themselves to the Blessed Mother and join her in giving all worship and praise in the power of the Holy Spirit through her Son to the God the Father.

"My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit doth rejoice in God my Saviour."

Indulgences . . . a thorny issue

Amongst the most controversial topics both for those not raised in the Catholic faith as well as for many Western Catholics is the Church's teaching with regard to indulgences. 


As promised in my posting last June on Relics (see the listed postings to the right) we will have a look at this controverted topic, the historical abuses associated with indulgences and the current teaching of the Church - which many neglect to refer to when condemning a practice which has been a source of both comfort and misunderstanding since antiquity.


The very word "indulgence" can raise the hackles of those raised as Protestants or the large majority in Western culture who have been given a biased view of the history of the Christianity, the Middle Ages and the Reformation by secular historians and journalists who express a vehement and often uninformed animus towards the Church.  


Let us begin with the current definition of  'Indulgence' from the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH which links the teaching about and the practice of granting various kinds of indulgences to our Baptism, to the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation and to the Communion of Saints:

"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church . . . " (Indulgentarium Doctrina norm 1). 

This teaching has several elements which we need to explore to get at the healing intention of the doctrine. 

Dante meets Beatrice in Purgatory - Alineri

1.  Remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven

The Church teaches that the Sacrament of Penance assures and conveys forgiveness for sins both mortal and venial but, as we all know, actions have consequences and the consequences of sin may be permanent and so have implications for us as incarnate beings in time and space (temporal) even though we are forgiven.

Think of the killing of a person in an armed robbery. The criminal may truly repent and through the Sacrament of Penance receive forgiveness for a mortal sin. He may even have the forgiveness of the families affected. He might, and this has happened to those forgiven mortal sins, become a saint. The effects of the killing, however, are permanent and continue through time and beyond.

Or, if I steal something it may have an effect upon multiple people and may lead to all sorts of consequences both intended and unintended.  A good contemporary example of this concept of the interconnectedness of human sin is illustrated in the 2002 move Changing Lanes.  Two men involved in a relatively minor car accident have their lives and the lives of their families profoundly and permanently changed as a result of their actions and sins against one another. They ultimately forgive one another, but the effects of their sins continue. 

The Church holds that justice demands that there be responsibility for actions and that there is a 'punishment' or consequence due for sinful actions. This is balanced with the teaching that there is 'merit' for good and loving actions.  I hasten to add that the latter does not mean that we 'merit' salvation by our good deeds - quite the contrary, our good deeds flow from the grace we receive from  the sacrifice of Jesus for us and our incorporation into his eternal life at Baptism.

The consequence or punishment is not something applied by a vengeful God but rather the requirement of Justice which must be served by a just but merciful God.  So it is that our merciful God, who is also just, provides both forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus and a remedy for the temporal (as related to time and the created order) punishment due for sin.  As the Letter to the Hebrews has it: "the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" .(Heb. 12:6).

Physics and human experience both teach us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If sin has consequences, and it manifestly does, then how does the forgiven sinner avail himself of the means to deal with the consequences of sin?

The merit that accrues through the loving actions of saints i.e. baptized sinners who are united to the sacrifice of Christ as part of His Body manifest heroic sanctity and participate in sharing the grace available to all who seek to unite themselves in acts of devotion and service to God and others. St Paul puts it this way in the Epistle to the Colossians:

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the Church;" (Co.l 1:24)

The basic reality of this connection is clear to us from our experience of the self-sacrifice of those who love us.  We share in the benefits of what others do for us and for others in love.  The Church teaches that there is no limit to the power of this goodness which may be applied along with Christ's grace through time and into eternity.

 2.  The faithful Christian who is duly disposed

Though we are forgiven by our merciful God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the Cross the actual consequences of our actions have a continuing effect for good or ill because we are linked to one another and to the society in which we live.  Mercifully, we are also linked, by virtue of our Baptism, to the Communion of Saints and so we share in the profound grace of the Sacrifice of Christ as manifested in the lives of the saints and their merits of grace.

This leads us to a consideration of the means that effect remission of the consequences or the penalty due for our sins. The teaching of the Church here draws us deeply into the heart of the Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints. As in a loving family, individual members benefit from the work and good actions of other members of the family. Often sacrifices are made by a parent or sibling for the benefit of others.

The Church teaches that we are intimately linked to the love and grace of others in the Body of Christ. By virtue of our Baptism we are united to all other Christians living and dead - the Communion of Saints. This is a real communion or sharing at the deepest level both spiritual and physical. Indeed the effects of our own sins can be and are mitigated by the actions of others who are united in the Body of Christ, crucified and risen. 

Contrary to the individualism of Protestantism, the Catholic teaching provides that through the ministry of the Church, the due penalty for sin is covered by Christ who has united himself to his saints in order that love may be conveyed to all as they are in need.

3.  Indulgences are granted under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church 

Properly disposed i.e. penitent and absolved, the forgiven sinner may avail himself or herself of the infinite merits of Christ and all those united in love with him. This is necessary, as we have seen, in order to balance the need for just consequences which flow from sin.  

Our experience shows us that we as individuals are clearly unable to rectify the effects of mortal or even venial sins on our own. We may be penitent and forgiven but we need the grace of the merits of Christ and his saints.

We are linked to the Communion of Saints and through the mercy of God may avail ourselves of the 'treasury of merits' not for forgiveness of our sins (as is often mistakenly assumed) but to balance the need for justice in the temporal punishment due to us. This linkage to the grace flowing through the Body of Christ means that the Church has a duty and responsibility to encourage the penitent to grow in grace by participating in the gracious sharing of the remission of the temporal consequences of our sin.

Common Misconceptions

A)  A person can buy his way out of hell with indulgences.

This charge is without foundation. Since indulgences remit only temporal penalties, they are not about forgiveness. No indulgence will ever forgive sin. That is a matter for Penance, the reconciliation of the sinner through the blood of Christ which is accomplished in this life.

B)  A person can "buy forgiveness" with indulgences.

The definition of Indulgence presupposes that forgiveness has already taken place. Indulgences in no way forgive sins. They deal only with punishments left after sins have been forgiven. 

C)  Indulgences were invented as a means for the Church to raise money.

Indulgences developed as a means of building upon the sacrament of reconciliation (Penance) and to encourage sanctification of the faithful. They are a way of shortening the penance of sacramental discipline and were in use centuries before money-related problems appeared. The Council of Trent instituted strict reforms in the practice of granting indulgences and, because of prior abuses, "in 1567 Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions" (Catholic Encyclopedia).  So, since the Council of Trent no money transactions are allowed to be directly connected with the granting of Indulgences -- that is almost 500 years ago. As the kids say "Get over it".

 D)  An indulgence will shorten your time in purgatory by a fixed number of days. A person can buy indulgences for the number of days they think are needed.

The number of days which used to be attached to indulgences were references to the period of penance one might undergo during life on earth. This was a relative measure or benchmark which is no longer used and certainly one does not buy nor obtain an indulgence to cover a period of time. The Catholic Church does not teach anything about how long or short Purgatory may be for anyone.

E)  A person used to be able to buy indulgences.

As previously stated indulgences were never sold. The financial scandal surrounding indulgences which  Martin Luther and others criticized related to the giving of alms (money for charity). Indulgences were sometimes granted for the giving of alms to some charitable fund or good work. This was at times badly abused and poorly administered. There was no outright selling of indulgences allowed or encouraged by the Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains how abuses occurred: "[I]t is easy to see how abuses crept in. Among the good works which might be encouraged by being made the condition of an indulgence, almsgiving would naturally hold a conspicuous place. . . . It is well to observe that in these purposes there is nothing essentially evil. To give money to God or to the poor is a praiseworthy act, and, when it is done from right motives, it will surely not go unrewarded." 

Current Church Teaching on Indulgences

The current 'Manual of Indulgences' mandates in practices to be associated with the grace of Indulgences a "greater zeal for the exercise of charity."

Prescribed prayers along with Mass and Holy Communion and pilgrimages have traditionally been part of the granting of the various types of Indulgences. A new emphasis on such volunteer activities as helping at a soup kitchen, working to resettle refugees or donations to a worthy cause are being engaged as a means for the faithful to participate in what is meant to be a sharing of grace.

Much like how many youth learn in school to fulfill a community service requirement, Catholics are urged to link their faith with action. The Church's teaching has evolved. Indulgences are devotional but are also meant to engage the whole person. Redemption involves body and soul.

By what amount are penalties lessened by an Indulgence?

Before Vatican II each indulgence was said to remove a certain number of days as a means of measuring the significance of the acts associated with obtaining the indulgence.  An act might gain '200 days’ indulgence for example. The use of the term "days" confused people, giving them the mistaken impression that in Purgatory time as we know it still exists.  

The number of days associated with indulgences actually never meant that a certain amount of time would be taken off one’s stay in purgatory. Instead, it meant that a partial (not complete) amount of remission would be granted, proportionate to what  Christians in the early centuries would have received for performing a penance for a certain number of days. So, gaining 200 days’ indulgence gained roughly what an early Christian would have received, for example, by reciting the Our Father upon waking for 200 days. 

To overcome the confusion Pope Paul VI issued a revision of the handbook (Enchiridion) of indulgences. Numbers of days are no longer associated with indulgences. They are either plenary (full) or partial depending upon the particular actions and prayers specified following confession and absolution of sin in a separate, though related, act of reconciliation.

Finally, it is important to note that this teaching along with the other related teachings of the Church with regard to relics, Purgatory and the Communion of Saints emphasizes the communal nature of the Christian faith. Baptism and its meaning for the individual as part of the Church Catholic is at the heart of all these doctrines. By virtue of our incorporation into Christ, we share in the manifold graces of his Body which aid us in our pilgrimage to the eternal city of God. It is a wonderful consolation to know that even the effects of our sins can be overcome once we have accepted the forgiveness and absolution won for us once and for all by the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

First Weekly Anglican Use Sung Mass in Toronto

With the establishment of a weekly Anglican Use Sunday Mass in Canada's largest city an important element of the New Evangelization called for by Pope Benedict begins to take shape in this city.

Anglicans, Catholics of various rites along with others not yet in communion with Rome are invited to explore the meaning of our Lord's call to unity in the Body of Christ - ut unum sint - "that they all may be one". This is the central focus of the Anglican Use Sodality of Toronto and it will be its measure of success as those seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit find a place to experience the unity and peace of full communion with the universal Church.

Amongst the roughly sixty people who attended the inaugural A.U. Mass at Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart) Parish in downtown Toronto were those from Mennonite, Presbyterian and other Protestant backgrounds as well as former Anglicans now in communion with Rome and other Anglicans seeking a way to integrate their personal experience of the patrimonial and cultural life in Anglican communities with the doctrinal order of the Catholic Church.

The Sung Mass offered some fine examples of Anglican music and liturgy in a traditional setting. A children's catechesis was offered during the Liturgy of the Word and the children joined the congregation at the offertory. Many in attendance were under 30 years of age, some with families.

People came with many questions and stayed to discuss these along with conversation about Fr. Rodrigues' enlightening homily linking Anglicanorum Coetibus to the wider mission of the Church in its recovery and renewal of liturgical tradition at the service of renewed Catholic worship which is in tandem with the new evangelization.

Excellent patrimonial music is at the heart of the A.U. Mass and the Sodality is committed to developing this important aspect of their mission in Toronto.  The hospitality of L'abbé Justin and the parish of Sacré Coeur is greatly appreciated.

L'abbé Justin

The parish has been a French-speaking cultural island in Toronto since 1887. Now they have some confreres who hope to develop this island of Catholic witness with them, adding another of Catholicism's patrimonial gems - Anglican liturgy, music and pastoral care.

Under the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and with the prayers of our patrons: Our Lady of Walsingham, St. Peter, St. John the Baptist and Blessed John Henry Newman along with the many who are coming into the Anglican Use and Ordinariate communities throughout North America we are hopeful to be used as a voice calling others to unity and as a musical voice grounded in tradition and patrimony open to the Holy Spirit and serving the New Evangelization in response to the call of our Holy Father.

laus deo

Anglican Use Sunday Mass at Sacré-Coeur Church in downtown Toronto

Anglican Use Sunday Mass

will be celebrated every Sunday beginning

May 6, 2012

1:45 p.m.

at 

Sacré-Coeur Parish Church

381 Sherbourne Street, Toronto

(east of Jarvis, at the corner of Carlton)

 

Father Eric Rodrigues will offer Sung Mass (Missa Cantata) on Sundays at 1:45 pm using the approved Anglican Use rite from the Book of Divine Worship (adapted for Canada). Anglican patrimonial music and ceremonial will be incorporated into the liturgy. 

Mass will be offered for the Toronto Anglican Use Sodality including those who were received into full communion at St. Michael's Cathedral,Toronto in December of 2011 as full membership in the Anglican Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is developed.

All Catholics, former Anglicans and those otherwise interested in Anglican Use, as well as those who are exploring the Ordinariate as a way of entering into full communion with the Holy See are most welcome. Roman and Eastern Rite Catholics of all traditions may fulfill their Sunday obligation by attending this AU Mass.

A Children’s programme will be available. The church has ample parking (entrance off Sherbourne north of the church and parish house). 

For subway users, take the Yonge line to College Station and then the 506 Carlton streetcar eastbound two stops to Sherbourne (the streetcar runs every 7 minutes).

Two bishops and an Ordinary

Our congratulations to those who were received into full communion with the Holy See in Canadian cities this weekend.  It has been a long but fulfilling journey for many.

Also encouraging is the visit of Msgr. Steenson to Calgary on his first visit to a proto-Ordinariate parish in the proto-deanery of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

Next Sunday in Oshawa members of another sodality will be received into full communion under the guidance of Fr. Eric Rodrigues.

They will then join with Calgary, Cambridge, Toronto, Ottawa and Victoria Anglican Use sodalities in the regular celebration of the Anglican Use Mass on Sundays beginning April 22.  Details for a regular time and place on Sunday are still being worked out for the Toronto Sodality but should be available soon.

D.V. the regular celebration of the AU Mass with patrimonial music and ceremonial will, over time, allow other Anglicans and Christians from various backgrounds to find their way to full communion in the Catholic Church.

This is a great step for those in Ottawa and region as well as Victoria, Calgary and other locations very soon. The emerging Deanery of Saint John the Baptist will soon be a reality and so we celebrate with them in patience and hope.


Our Lady Walshingham, St. Peter, St John the Baptist, Blessed John Henry Newman, orate pro nobis

Christ my Hope is Risen, Alleluia!

URBI ET ORBI GREETING OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
ST PETER'S SQUARE
EASTER SUNDAY
8 APRIL 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and throughout the world!

"Surrexit Christus, spes mea" – "Christ, my hope, has risen" (Easter Sequence).

May the jubilant voice of the Church reach all of you with the words which the ancient hymn puts on the lips of Mary Magdalene, the first to encounter the risen Jesus on Easter morning. She ran to the other disciples and breathlessly announced: "I have seen the Lord!" (Jn 20:18). We too, who have journeyed through the desert of Lent and the sorrowful days of the Passion, today raise the cry of victory: "He has risen! He has truly risen!"

Every Christian relives the experience of Mary Magdalene. It involves an encounter which changes our lives: the encounter with a unique Man who lets us experience all God’s goodness and truth, who frees us from evil not in a superficial and fleeting way, but sets us free radically, heals us completely and restores our dignity. This is why Mary Magdalene calls Jesus "my hope": he was the one who allowed her to be reborn, who gave her a new future, a life of goodness and freedom from evil. "Christ my hope" means that all my yearnings for goodness find in him a real possibility of fulfilment: with him I can hope for a life that is good, full and eternal, for God himself has drawn near to us, even sharing our humanity.

But Mary Magdalene, like the other disciples, was to see Jesus rejected by the leaders of the people, arrested, scourged, condemned to death and crucified. It must have been unbearable to see Goodness in person subjected to human malice, truth derided by falsehood, mercy abused by vengeance. With Jesus’ death, the hope of all those who had put their trust in him seemed doomed. But that faith never completely failed: especially in the heart of the Virgin Mary, Jesus’ Mother, its flame burned even in the dark of night. In this world, hope can not avoid confronting the harshness of evil. It is not thwarted by the wall of death alone, but even more by the barbs of envy and pride, falsehood and violence. Jesus passed through this mortal mesh in order to open a path to the kingdom of life. For a moment Jesus seemed vanquished: darkness had invaded the land, the silence of God was complete, hope a seemingly empty word.

And lo, on the dawn of the day after the Sabbath, the tomb is found empty. Jesus then shows himself to Mary Magdalene, to the other women, to his disciples. Faith is born anew, more alive and strong than ever, now invincible since it is based on a decisive experience: "Death with life contended: combat strangely ended! Life’s own champion, slain, now lives to reign". The signs of the resurrection testify to the victory of life over death, love over hatred, mercy over vengeance: "The tomb the living did enclose, I saw Christ’s glory as he rose! The angels there attesting, shroud with grave-clothes resting".