FAQ US Ordinariate
http://www.usordinariate.org/faq.html
Ordinariate Questions & Answers
Below are a number of frequently asked questions about the ordinariate, organized by five main topics:
1. General background on ordinariates
2. General background on the United States ordinariate
3. How the U.S. ordinariate will work
4. Pastoral provision parishes and the U.S. ordinariate
5. Are Anglican parishes always Episcopalian parishes?
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1. General background on ordinariates
What is Anglicanorum coetibus?
This is an apostolic constitution issued by Pope Benedict XVI in November 2009 that authorized the creation of “ordinariates,” geographic regions similar to dioceses but typically national in scope. Parishes in these ordinariates will be Catholic yet retain elements of Anglican heritage and liturgical practices. They are to be led by an “ordinary,” who will have a role similar to a bishop, but who may be either a bishop or a priest.
Note: Anglicanorum coetibus is pronounced Anglican-orum chay-tee-boose.
Why did Pope Benedict authorize this?
Anglicanorum coetibus was a response to repeated and persistent inquiries from Anglican groups worldwide who were seeking to become Catholic. Ordinariates seek to provide a way for these groups to enter in “corporate reunion”; that is, as a group and not simply as individuals. This will allow them to retain their Anglican liturgical heritage and traditions while being fully Catholic.
How many ordinariates are there in the world?
Two, in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Ordinariates also are under consideration in Australia and Canada.
The first ordinariate, Our Lady of Walsingham, was established for England and Wales on January 15, 2011, and is led by Monsignor Keith Newton, a married Catholic priest and former Anglican bishop.
Is there precedent for this?
These ordinariates are new in that they will provide a way for Anglicans to enter the Church in a corporate manner; that is, as a group or community, while also retaining their Anglican heritage and traditions. The other type of ordinariate is the military ordinariate. In the United States, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA has responsibility for Catholics serving in the U.S. armed services worldwide and works in collaboration with local bishops.
Is the ordinariate the same as a diocese?
An ordinariate and a diocese are very similar. Both are led by an Ordinary; in the case of this ordinariate, he may be a bishop or priest.
However, a diocese is “territorial”: its members live in a specific geographical area. An ordinariate is “personal”: its members may live anywhere the ordinariate is authorized to function. They belong to the ordinariate because of a shared attribute; in this case, because they are former members of Episcopal or Anglican churches who now are Catholic, but wish to retain elements of their Anglican heritage.
Do all former Anglicans and Episcopalians who become Catholic have to join the ordinariate?
No. They may choose to enter a local diocesan parish as an individual or to join the Ordinariate, whose parishes, while fully Catholic, will retain elements of their Anglican heritage and liturgy.
How does an ordinariate work?
According to the Complementary Norms for the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, issued in November 2009, an ordinariate is “juridically comparable to a diocese.”
An ordinary (an individual with a role similar to a bishop) may be a bishop or a priest. He is appointed by the Pope and is a voting member of the Episcopal Conference. If a priest is married, he may not be ordained a bishop.
The ordinary exercises his responsibilities in collaboration with local diocesan bishops, and is assisted by a Governing Council, Finance Council and Pastoral Council.
The Governing Council has the rights and responsibilities that canon law gives to a diocesan College of Consultors and Presbyteral Council. In addition, the Governing Council must give consent for an ordinary to (1) admit a candidate to Holy Orders; (2) erect or suppress a personal parish or house of formation; or (3) approve a formation program. The Governing Council advises on formation and also submits a terna of names to the Holy See when it is time to appoint a new ordinary. Half of the Council’s members are to be elected by the priests of the ordinariate.
Is an ordinary just like a bishop?
The term “ordinary” refers to the head of a diocese (a bishop) or ordinariate (a priest or bishop). Ordinaries are appointed by the pope. The head of an ordinariate has similar responsibilities in canon law to a diocesan bishop and is a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
However, if he is married, he may not be ordained a bishop, which means he cannot ordain priests (a bishop would assist in doing this as needed). He does have permission to wear a pectoral cross and miter, and to carry a crozier (or staff).
2. General background on the United States ordinariate
When was the United States and Canada ordinariate established?
Pope Benedict XVI approved the creation of a U.S. ordinariate, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, on January 1, 2012. This was publicly announced on January 2, 2012. At the same time, the Vatican announced it would be led by Reverend Jeffrey N. Steenson, a married Catholic priest and former Episcopal Bishop of Rio Grande.
Who will run the ordinariate?
Father Jeffrey Steenson is a member of the faculty of St. Thomas University in Houston, Texas and has created the formation program for former Anglican clergy seeking to become priests for the ordinariate. He will be installed as the ordinary, on Feb. 19, 2012. He and his wife, Debra, have three adult children – two adult sons and a daughter – and a grandson.
Fr. Steenson will be assisted by Fr. R. Scott Hurd, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington. Also a former Episcopal priest, married and the father of three, he became a Catholic priest under the pastoral provision. Fr. Hurd will be on loan to the ordinariate for three years and will serve as Vicar General. He will be based in Washington, DC.
What is the timeline for the ordinariate in the United States and Canada?
Sept. 2010 The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) asks Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, to be its delegate for the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus in the United States.
Sept. 2010 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) creates an ad hoc committee of Cardinal Wuerl, Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth and Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester to assist the CDF with implementation of the document and to assess interest in the United States. Rev. Scott Hurd, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington (and a former Episcopal priest), is named as staff to the committee.
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Sept. 2010-May 2011 Numerous groups and parishes interested in joining an ordinariate begin to contact Cardinal Wuerl and Fr. Hurd. Some were part of The Episcopal Church. Others, though Anglican, were not part of The Episcopal Church.
June 2011 Cardinal Wuerl presents the findings to the U.S. bishops at their semi-annual meeting, noting there is sufficient interest to establish a U.S. ordinariate. St. Luke’s Episcopal parish in Bladensburg, Md., announces that the rector and members are planning to be received into the Catholic Church with the intent of joining the ordinariate when it is established.
July 2011 Former Episcopal and Anglican clergy interested in being ordained Catholic priests begin the application process to become priests for the new ordinariate.
Sept. 25, 2011 A former Episcopal community, St. Peter of the Rock, in Fort Worth, TX is received into the Catholic Church with the intention of joining the ordinariate.
Oct. 9, 2011 A former Episcopal parish, St. Luke’s, in Bladensburg, Md., is received into the Catholic Church with the intention of eventually being part of the ordinariate.
Nov. 15, 2011 Cardinal Wuerl annoUSps at their annual meeting that Pope Benedict XVI has approved the creation of an ordinariate in the United States, to be established on January 1, 2012.
Jan. 1, 2012 The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is established. Rev. Jeffrey N. Steenson is named the first ordinary and given the title of Monsignor.
Jan. 27, 2012 The first group of former Anglican priests begins formation program to be ordained Catholic priests for the ordinariate.
3. How the U.S. ordinariate will work
How many groups in the United States will be part of the ordinariate?
As of January 1, 2012, over 100 Anglican priests have applied to become Catholic priests for the ordinariate. This is a multi-stage process; to date, 47 have been accepted for the second stage of the process. Most of them will begin their formation course to become a Catholic priest in early 2012.
In addition to the clergy, 1,400 individuals, part of 22 communities, have expressed their interest. The rectors and members of two former Episcopal communities seeking to join the ordinariate were received into the Catholic Church – one in Fort Worth, Texas (September 2011) and the other in Bladensburg, Maryland (October 2011). Others are currently preparing to be received.
How do priests and groups join the ordinariate?
Anglican priests seeking to enter the Catholic Church under an ordinariate may apply to be ordained as Catholic priests after a period of preparation.
Groups seeking to be part of the ordinariate will undergo a process of catechesis involving the use of the United States Catechism for Adults that was approved by the ad hoc Committee on the Implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus.
What is the process to become a priest in the ordinariate?
The process for a former Anglican priest to be ordained for the ordinariate includes several steps:
Request permission and submit a dossier of the forms, documents, and personal information necessary to evaluate suitability for ordination. The dossier is reviewed by the U.S. staff and, if complete and approved, is sent to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Receive a nulla osta (no impediment) from the CDF, permitting the applicant to continue in the process; as of November 2011, 41 of 67 dossiers were at this stage
Undergo a criminal background check and psychological evaluation, and obtain a votum (endorsement) from the Ordinary, from the Catholic bishop where the individual resides, and from his former Anglican ecclesiastical authority, if possible
Complete the formation program, provided through St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston (in-person and online), and theological examinations
Final evaluation by the Formation Review Board before ordination.
What is the process for an Anglican community to become a member of the ordinariate?
The Anglican community would apply to the Ordinary, who would oversee the catechesis of the members of that community and arrange for the formal reception of its individual members into the Catholic Church. Once the stability of the community is assured, it could be recognized as a mission or parish of the ordinariate. The ecumenical implications of a congregation separating from a previous ecclesial relationship would be carefully observed.
Can lifelong Catholics join the ordinariate?
The ordinariate was formed in response to repeated and persistent inquiries from Anglican groups who were seeking to become Catholic. The ordinariate provides a way for these groups to enter in “corporate reunion”; that is, as a group and not simply as individuals. This will allow them to retain their Anglican liturgical heritage and traditions while being fully Catholic.
While lifelong Catholics are welcome to attend Masses in an ordinariate parish, they would be members of a regular diocese.
Will the liturgy look like a typical Catholic liturgy?
The liturgy in ordinariate parishes will be fully Catholic, though will feel very similar to that of a traditional Anglican liturgy in terms of music, structure and prayers. Parishes will use the Book of Divine Worship, which is a Vatican-approved Catholic liturgical book that is based upon historic Anglican liturgies, with the prayers adapted to fully reflect Catholic belief. Both the Book of Divine Worship and the Roman Missal will be authorized for use.
Can ordinariate priests marry?
Former Anglican bishops, priests or deacons who are married and who complete the application and formation process may become priests for the ordinariate. Non-married clergy who are ordained Catholic priests may not subsequently marry.
With the exception of these former clergy, the discipline of a celibate clergy in the Roman Catholic Church, will, as a rule, be followed. However, the ordinary “may also petition the Roman Pontiff, as a derogation from canon 277, para 1, for the admission of married men to the order of presbyter on a case by case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy See.” (Anglicanorum coetibus, Article VI).
4. Pastoral provision parishes and the U.S. ordinariate
How does this differ from the “pastoral provision”?
The pastoral provision was established by Pope John Paul II in 1980 to provide a way for individual Episcopal priests, including those who may be married, to be ordained Catholic priests for dioceses in the United States. It also allowed Anglican parishes to become Catholic parishes or chaplaincies within existing dioceses. Since 1980, three parishes and a number of smaller groups have been established. They are commonly referred to as “Anglican Use” communities, since they use The Book of Divine Worship in their liturgies, a Vatican-approved Catholic resource that reflects traditional Anglican prayers and formularies.
Anglicanorum coetibus is new in two ways: it applies to the world, not solely the United States, and it allows Anglican groups to be received into the Catholic Church – not through a local diocese, but through a new entity, an ordinariate. Though similar to a diocese, the ordinariate is national in scope and reflects Anglican liturgical and other traditions.
A note regarding the pastoral provision: In November 2011, Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth, Texas, succeeded Archbishop John Myers of Newark as the Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision, through which married Anglican priests become diocesan priests in the Catholic Church.
Will pastoral provision parishes automatically become a part of the ordinariate?
No. While it is likely that many will seek to join the ordinariate, it is not required. Some may choose to remain part of the diocese where they already belong.
How many pastoral provision parishes and communities are there?
Since 1980, three parishes and a number of smaller groups have been established in the United States.
5. Are Anglican parishes always Episcopalian parishes?
Is there a difference between Episcopal and Anglican?
Parishes that are part of The Episcopal Church belong to the worldwide Anglican Communion, under the spiritual direction of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. Thus, they are both Episcopalian and Anglican. However, there other Christians in the United States who identify themselves as Anglican, although they are not part of the Anglican Communion or the Episcopal Church.
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