A new text has been devised for use by the Personal Ordinariates – the structures established by Pope Benedict XVI which allow former Anglicans who wish to enter the full communion of the Catholic Church to do so whilst retaining aspects of their spiritual and liturgical traditions, described as “precious gifts” and “treasures to be shared.”
The liturgy – the work of a special commission established by Rome and now approved by the Holy See – includes material from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as well as the Roman Rite. It will be unveiled with a Mass on Thursday, 10 October at 6:30 pm, to be followed by a media launch organised by the Friends of the Ordinariate charity, at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, Soho.
The Mass will be celebrated by the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monsignor Keith Newton, and the preacher will be Monsignor Andrew Burnham, Assistant to the Ordinary and a member of the commission which devised the liturgy, known as the Ordinariate Use. Music, drawn from the English tradition, will include Howells’ Collegium Regale.
Mgr Burnham said: “For some time, the Ordinariate has had its own liturgy, approved by the Holy See, for marriages and funerals and the Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham already provides a daily office in the Anglican tradition. But the introduction of this new Ordinariate Use is very important because it means that we now have our own distinctive liturgy for the Mass which brings to the Roman rite beautiful Anglican words which have been hallowed for generations. It gives the Ordinariate unity and a corporate identity.”
The Roman Rite in both its ordinary and extraordinary forms remains available for use by Ordinariate priests and there will be no requirement for them to adopt the Ordinariate Use. However, all Ordinariate clergy will be expected to familiarise themselves with it. Some priests are expected to use it regularly, while others – especially in parishes with a large concentration of “cradle” Catholics in the congregation – may only wish to use it from time to time.
Congratulations to the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham on completing this great work.
3 comments:
To experience the Ordinariate rite come to St Agatha's Portsmouth Saturday September 28th at 11 for High Mass of OL Walsingham celebrated by the Bishop of Portsmouth Rt Rev Philip Egan .All welcome
John-of-hayling,
That's wonderful. The Ordo used experimentum in many parishes here in the US can be seen online. However, last week I was in an Ordinariate parish here in the Mid-Atlantic (I'll keep the name confidential), where the English Missal was used. I was delighted, and asked the priest about it afterward.
Father assured me his parish had permission from Msgr. Steenson to use it, and he also said, "I'm not supposed to tell, but I've seen the new Ordo - we get it officially next month - and this is it." I expressed my incredulity, and he said, "It's just like this."
Now, as you probably know, the English Missal Mass, with the exception of the Prayer of Humble Access, is precisely the EF of the Roman Rite. The proposed New Ordo I've seen however, while being like it to a great degree, is not.
I'm wondering, after you attend Bishop Egan's Mass, if you could report back here. I'd be interested what the form was like. If it's the proposed form I saw, I'd be interested in which options H.E. chooses; does he use the TLM Offertory, or the Novus Ordo? Does he use the bidding prayers? If so, which ones? Does he conclude with the Last Gospel?
At any rate, I'm glad you'll be able to attend. Whichever Ordo has been selected, I know it's beautiful, and a great blessing to the Church. God bless Pope Emeritus Benedict!
I'm afraid that I won't be able to attend this Mass myself, but I thought it was worth blogging about it...
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