Our Lady & St. Sebastian's Catholic Church
About Us
Eucharist is celebrated in due and proper form; We believe in the real presence not least because Christ said that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there with them...and that includes Eucharist. Transubstantiation - that the bread and wine actually turns into the body and blood of Christ is believed by some but not all. Narrative, and the formulated intention of doing what the Universal Church has always intended and done.
If you feel called to the priesthood, diaconate, the Clerical progress within the Church. We would like to hear from you! We welcome applications for both ordination and incardination from older people as well as the youthful. are open to all people of good will – men and women, heterosexual or LGBTQI, married or single.
“St Sebastian's Independent Catholic Church is welcoming church is source of peace and shared happiness”. to all God's children. We Preform marriages for all with the rite prescibed by the church.
Our Lady's & St Sebastian's Catholic church maintains a zero tolerance policy in regard to any form of violence, discrimination or abuse.
About Today
Christ the King Solemnity
Jesus Christ is the King of kings: come, let us adore him.
Year: B(II). Liturgical Colour: White.
Christ the King
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, the sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicaea at which the doctrine of the consubstantiality of Christ with the Father was defined. Its eschatological character was confirmed by its move, in the calendar reforms of the Second Vatican Council, to the final Sunday of the liturgical year.
The Pope asserted that the most effective defence against the destructive forces of the age is the recognition of the kingship of Christ; and, furthermore, a feast which is celebrated every year by everyone is a far better way of deploying that defence than any number of books written by learned people. First, we do; then we come to understand what it is that we are doing.
Each of us has been anointed with holy oil at baptism, as priest, prophet and king. The feast of Christ the King is thus a good moment to reflect on our kingship and on what “king” means and how to be one. Understanding the feast makes us understand our own call better.
One possible point of entry is in Genesis, where Adam sits in state and God brings him all the animals for him to give them names. To give names to one’s subjects is the act of a king. The responsibility of a king is then to care for his subjects, which is why we are obliged to act as custodians of creation: something no other creature is. How far that responsibility takes one can then be seen in the King of the Universe, who is simultaneously the ruler of all and the servant of all. He rules in triumph; and he rules from the Cross.
Perhaps a way into a meditation on all this would be to ask, “Over whom am I, personally, king?” and hence “Whom am I called to serve?”
In other years: Saints Andrew Dũng-Lạc and his Companions
The evangelization of Vietnam began in the 16th century and was formally established with the setting up of two Vicariates Apostolic in 1659. There are now about 6 million Catholics in Vietnam, some 10% of the population.
This growth comes partly from the fact that since the earliest times the seed of the Faith has been watered by the blood of the martyrs of Vietnam – the missionary clergy, the local clergy and the ordinary Christian people. They have all shared the labour of apostolic work and have together faced death to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel. In the course of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries no less than 53 decrees, signed by the lords and emperors of the country from 1625 to 1886, launched one persecution of Christians after another, each one more savage than the last. Over the whole territory of Vietnam about 130,000 Christians were killed in these persecutions. Over the centuries the names of most of them have been lost, but their memory is still alive in the Catholic community.
Since the beginning of the 20th century 117 of these heroes (those whose sufferings were cruellest and best documented) were beatified, in four groups. They were all canonized together by Pope John Paul II on 19 June 1988.
Each one of them was a soul individually created and loved by God, with a life and gifts uniquely his or her own; but with such a huge crowd one can only classify. By nationality, there were 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spanish and 10 French. By status, there were 8 bishops, 50 priests, and 59 laymen and women. By mode of death, 75 were beheaded, 22 strangled, 6 burned alive, 5 torn to pieces while still alive, and 9 died of torture in prison.
Gospel John 18:33-37 Jesus answered: 'Yes I am king'
Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’
Reflection on the enamelled cross
Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat! Christ conquers!
Christ rules! Christ reigns!
Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The Church's liturgical year concludes with today's feast, which was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee Year and the 16th centenary of the Council of Nicaea. Today we celebrate that Christ is king in the kingdom in which we already live. Here is a beautiful explanation given by Gerald Darring (St Louis University, Center for Liturgy):
‘The Kingdom of God is a space. It exists in every home where parents and children love each other. It exists in every region and country that cares for its weak and vulnerable. It exists in every parish that reaches out to the needy.
The Kingdom of God is a time. It happens whenever someone feeds a hungry person, or shelters a homeless person, or shows care to a neglected person. It happens whenever we overturn an unjust law, or correct an injustice, or avert a war. It happens whenever people join in the struggle to overcome poverty, to erase ignorance, to pass on the Faith. The Kingdom of God is in the past (in the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth); it is in the present (in the work of the Church and in the efforts of many others to create a world of goodness and justice); it is in the future (reaching its completion in the age to come). The Kingdom of God is a condition. Its symptoms are love, justice, and peace…'
Our artwork is an early 13th-century enamelled crucifix, made in Limoges. Christ the King wearing a regal crown is seen on the Cross, clad in a blue dalmatic. He is awake and in triumph, rather than suffering. The vibrant, colourful enamelling was an intricate art form perfected in the Middle Ages. The technique of enamelling used intense heat to fuse glass (in liquid form when heated) onto a prepared metal surface, allowing the metalworker to create brightly coloured images. Medieval enamelers used several different techniques, but champlevé enamelling was one of the most common. The word champlevé means literally 'raised fields', referring to the way that beds were dug out of a copper plate to receive the powdered enamels which would then rise and sit at the same level as the copper ground, making for an even surface. These enamel pieces were not only visually stunning but also highly durable.
Christ the King Crucified, Executed in Limoges between 1200-1215, Enamels on copper © Cluny Museum / Alamy
MEDITATION OF THE WEEK
Mark 13,24-32.
As we approach the end of the Church’s year, (the liturgical year), it seems inevitable that we reflect on the end of the world and the inauguration of a new age, (the end of the world), when justice, peace, love, mercy and truth will abound. Mark Ch 13 is concerned primarily with Jesus’ prophecy of the imminent destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem which took place in 70 AD, amid scenes of desolation and despair. Jesus saw these events as a foretaste of the trials that will precede the final judgement and end of the world. Inevitably the language and images of the destruction and judgement are highly colourful and dramatic, and while not to be taken as literal descriptions of actual events, the message they convey and the atmosphere they contrive are highly relevant to the time of Jesus, to our own age, and the end of the world.Daniel 7, 13-14, on which today’s gospel’s Son of Man reference is based was originally not about the coming of the Son of Man but rather his returning to God, triumphant after suffering. It is about the vindication of his mission and judgement on those who rejected and opposed God and his representative. For Mark this Son of Man imagery applies strikingly to Jesus whose mission is vindicated in the fulfilment of his prophecies (here) about the destruction of the Temple, but especially in his death, resurrection and ascension, and in his coming at the end of time. The first part of today’s gospel describes the signs and portents which will precede the coming of the Son of Man at the end of time to judge the world and gather into his kingdom those who remain faithful to God.Until that time comes, and no one but the Father knows when it will come, (13,32), we are to read the signs of the times, be on our guard and stay awake. We are adept at reading the signs of nature round about us. Jesus wants us to be equally skilled at reading the signs of the end of the world.The prediction about the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem was fulfilled within a generation of Jesus’ prophecy about them.Mark wrote his gospel (65-70 AD), at a time when Christians were being persecuted in Rome by Nero, and elsewhere by his cohorts. Mark would have been well- aware that the great promises of Jesus were vindicated by his resurrection, and he wants to assure Christians that all Jesus’ promises will be fulfilled, especially his promises about the coming of the Son of Man at the end of time. His words “will not pass away” – they too will be fulfilled in God’s own good time. The how, when, and where of which is God the Father’s business alone to know and determine. We are well advised to ignore idle predictions about times and dates. For each of us the end of our world will come when the end of our earthly life comes.The Christian stance as we await the second coming of Christ is, in the words of Ignatius of Loyola, to “pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you.”Fr Geoff O’GradyFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare
We Pray for peace for all those who are due to have surgery or sick at home/in hospital/Nursing care. We ask for God's blessing are doctors and nurses. The hospitail staff and all those whom look after the sick.
Let us pray Fr Jeffery Leach, Fr Nick Lowe, Sean McKenna, Jack Quinn, Hesketh Family, John and Bridget Mongan, Alan Willkison, Matthew Leach, Mike Lowe, Carol Clerkin,Karen & Steve Sarion, Barbara Ward. Dominique Kambala, Joan Turner
We have been ask to pray for the people who are suffering from floods in Spain
We pary also for peace in the world especially to Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, and Myanmar.
We remember those who have died recently: We remember Pauline Triggs, Mgr Peter Walton, canon Denis Marher
We also for our famlies and friends who have gone before us.
,
Resquiescat in pace+
Liturgical Calander
What the church can learn from LGBTQ Catholics
Ordinary Time Resources
LITURGY ONLINE: GOOD PRACTICES AND HELPFUL HINTS
Start on time – it’s a sign of respect. It also takes preparation. Don’t rush - The best way to cut back on time, but not on Page | 1 authenticity, is to cut out waffle and being well prepared in every aspect of the celebration. Try, then, to script everything that is necessary to be spoken in as few words as possible. The Word of God of the day gifted to us always offers us lovely phrases worth echoing at key moments of the celebration. Pay attention to your body language – Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God in word and deed. The Liturgy is not just words but has key actions that, when well done and clearly visible, can speak far louder than adding more words. Remember there are four presences of Christ in every celebration of the Eucharist: In times of restrictions, people very much miss being able to receive the Eucharist. But how can we also help them to welcome [online! ] those other 3 key presences of the Lord in every Mass: Christ present in those worshipping together, the ones ministering and crucially in His Word which calls our souls to life. It doesn’t always have to be Mass! Some Christian communities have been very creative in what they have offered as well as celebrations of the Eucharist: night prayers, holy hours, Lectio Divina, talks on theology, remembrance services, scriptural rosary. Each of these can be led by lay Liturgy Online: Good practices and helpful hints, November 2020 ministers. Expanding what your community offers helps prepare us for the day when we will not be able to celebrate the Eucharist as often as we do now. Page | 2 Watching an act of worship online can be a much more passive act than being physically present: We can miss the engagement that comes with the movement of going to God’s house, that comes from following bodily gestures of standing, kneeling, processing, responding, and singing together. How can we celebrate online in a way that invites people out of passivity? How can we make them be aware that they are part of an online communion of worshippers? Liturgy is by nature dialogical – God loves us and we respond. God speaks to us and we respond. How can we use ministers and microphones to help online worshippers to respond where they are? A full celebration of the Eucharist can still involve: As well as the celebrant: a Minister of the Word, Cantor(s), Organist, Musician, Commentator, Server – all properly distanced. How can we invite people, especially families, to interact with the church when it is open for times of private prayer? Invite people to send in their petitions, collected securely in a box in the open part of the church, sent in online, presented during the Prayer of the Faithful on Sunday, some discretely read out? Pictures drawn by our children decorating the entrance.
Read More
Season of Creation
Your action is the firstfruits of hope, a sign of the Spirit working among us. We’d be grateful to celebrate it with you. In the letter of Paul the apostle to the Romans, the biblical image pictures the Earth as a Mother, groaning as in childbirth (Rom 8:22). Francis of Assisi understood this when he referred to the Earth as our sister and our mother in his Canticle of Creatures. The times we live in show that we are not relating to the Earth as a gift from our Creator, but rather as a resource to be used. And yet, there is hope and the expectation for a better future. To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but rather groaning, crying, and actively striving for new life amidst the struggles. Just as in childbirth, we go through a period of intense pain, but new life springs forth.
Read MoreHow To Live the Gospel With Pride
WHO SOEVER
We take a look at "Living the Gospel with Pride" By Rev. Paul M. Turner Editor-in-Chief of Whosoever and Founding and Senior Pastor of Gentle Spirit Christian Church of Atlanta,
Read MoreJoin us
- Birkenhead, England, United Kingdom
- CH41 9DS
church Team
The Most Rev Kieran O'Neill MStJ, DD., OSB,
Patriarch
Based on the Wirral
Monsignor Alex Rydar
Vicar General of Wakefield West Yorkshire
Stafford Patrick Cunningham
Acolyte, Deacon Elect
London
Holy Year 2025
Finance and Mission
An interesting aside evolving from our voluntary status is that there are no arguments about property or money in our church, which some find a refreshing contrast. Our church canons forbid the church entity to receive or give money, so the church is unable to give money to 'good causes' and does not receive either.
Our clergy support their ministries through their secular work, and in some cases are of independent means. Some have ecumenical ministry too, earning from funerals, weddings and life-state services for standard fees. Our clergy have a deep connection with those they serve as they too are exposed to the pressures and situations of working life; it makes our clergy 'connected' and helps them in their pastoral care.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following Frequently Asked Questions have been formulated as a primer for better understanding Independent Catholicism. Though we present here a brief summary of an extensive body of literature, we certainly invite you to perform your own research of these questions and to follow your conscience with respect to the answers with which you feel most comfortable.
Is Independent Catholicism even Catholic?
Yes, definitely. There are several expressions of Catholicism, and many Catholic churches comprise the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" that is professed by all.
In the Western world, the largest and most well-known expression of Catholicism is the Roman Catholic Church. In Asia and Eastern Europe, however, the most well-known expression of Catholicism is the Orthodox Catholic Church, which possesses over 300 million adherents and which excommunicated the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 A.D. for its deviance from the ancient creed of the Church, its insistence on unleavened bread, and its imposition of the novelty of clerical celibacy.
What do all Catholic churches have in common?
All Catholic churches, and indeed most Christian churches, profess faith in the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church."
Relating with one another as sister churches, these members of the universal Church believe that by baptism, we become members of the one Body of Christ and are nourished by the eucharist. The apostolic faith that has been handed down to us also teaches that there are other sacraments that we celebrate during important moments in life.
Like sisters in the same family, these churches share various similarities, and yet they are all different. As sister churches, most of our differences are administrative and disciplinary, but some of our differences are ecclesiological and theological. Differences are to be expected; not all sisters are the same.
Still, we are united by those bonds that we all hold dear: baptism, eucharist, and apostolic succession.
What does it mean to be one?
We often use a capital "C" when we refer to the universal Church (viz., the Body of Christ, which is composed of all sister churches), and with humility we use a lowercase "c" to refer to the many, particular churches to which we belong (unless used as a proper noun).
Despite any divisions that might exist, we recognize that all our sister churches belong to the one, universal Catholic Church. As such, despite our differences, we all form part of the People of God. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches (Jn 15:5). Christ is the head of the body, the Church (Col 1:18), of which we are all members (1Cor 12:12-27). We celebrate our unity (Gal 3:28), and we recognize our diversity (Rom 12:4-8).
What does it mean to be holy?
As individuals, we are simultaneously sinners and saints. We know that in our history, the same can be said of the institutions that are comprised of human beings. In the name of supposed good, our institutions have historically upheld narrow views, hosted inquisitions, waged crusades, advocated for slavery and the repression of various voices, and eliminated entire cultures. Despite this, we know that the work of redemption is somehow being carried out in us. Even though we sometimes stumble and get off track (Lk 15:13-17), we ultimately desire to keep turning toward that loving and compassionate mystery, which is God (Lk 15:20-24).
What does it mean to be catholic?
According to the Greek root of the word, to be "καθολιχοζ" is to be "whole" and "complete.” Yes, as St. Irenaeus suggested, every Catholic community is whole and complete in itself! In a cosmological sense, we also interpret this word as meaning "universal." We use the word "catholic" of our Church because we believe that it is completely and wholly that which God intends for God's Holy People.
No single branch (or church) within the universal Church can claim exclusive rights to the name "catholic," and no single branch can pretend to be the Vine, from which other branches have been "cut off" (Jn 15:5-6). Christ alone is the Vine; all authentic branches partake of the meaning and challenge of being part of the Vine, and all bear great fruit (Jn 15:7-8).
Humility demands that we continually reflect on the deep significance of Christ's words: "I have other sheep that are not of this flock. Them, too, I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd" (Jn 10:16).
What does it mean to be apostolic?
By word and deed, we cling to and stir into flame the faith handed down to us by the apostles (2Tim 1:6). These apostles planted various churches as they preached the gospel throughout the world. Though these churches have varied in expression throughout the ages, depending on the context in which they sprang up, they all trace their lineage to the apostles. Some of these local churches eventually yielded to Roman Catholic or Orthodox Catholic authority, while others continued to strive to live out the authentic message of Christ in their own way. By tracing their apostolic succession--their lineage back to the apostles--these churches confirm that they continue to pass on the gift of the Spirit that was received by validly consecrated ministers who, in turn, share the gift of that Spirit with other ministers.
How have divisions affected this one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church?
Despite St. Paul's vision that we are "all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28), a split within the Church occurred in 1054 A.D. Though the five patriarchs of the Church historically worked together to formulate doctrine, the Patriarch of Rome (now known as the pope) tampered with the Church's creed, thus changing the Church's Trinitarian theology. In what is now known as the East-West Schism, the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated the Patriarch of Rome, and the Patriarch of Rome excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, leading to the creation of the Orthodox Catholic Church (i.e., the church perceived to be orthodox and in communion with tradition and with the four patriarchs of the East) and the Roman Catholic Church (the church that aligned itself with the independently-acting Patriarch of Rome). Interestingly, no one thought of the nascent Roman Catholic Church as a new "church." Rather, beginning with that split, the universal Church now had two valid expressions of apostolic Catholicism.
After 1054, the next great divide within the Church occurred in 1517-1521, when a Catholic priest, Father Martin Luther, began raising questions about the sale of indulgences (viz., time out of purgatory, a concept that was made doctrine in 1274). Recall that indulgences were being used to finance the construction of the largest church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This difference in perspective on such issues as indulgences led to a division between "Roman Catholics" and "Reformers" (or "Protestants," as they would come to be called by adherents of the Roman church).
Three centuries later, another significant split occurred when the Patriarch of the West (now known as the pope) pushed for the declaration of his own infallibility (1870). He had split the Roman church with his proclamation of the Immaculate Conception (1854) and believed that the solution lay in declaring himself…infallible! More recently, divisions in the Church have occurred over such issues as contraception (1968) and the place of women within the Roman church (1994).
Despite these events, bishops who were validly consecrated through apostolic succession have continued to share the gift of the Spirit with others, and the ministry of the Body of Christ has continued. The Church is comprised of individuals who are at once saints and sinners. They are human beings who, like Peter, the Rock upon which the Church was built, have at times denied Christ (Mt 26:74-75), and/or who, like James and John, have sometimes jockeyed for positions of supposed power (Mt 20:20-28). Fortunately, the love of Christ continues to unite us all and lead us as the sinners-and-saints we are!
How can Independent Catholic churches claim to be apostolic churches?
The litmus test of any Catholic church is apostolic succession. Most Independent Catholic bishops are validly consecrated by other bishops possessing valid lines of succession from the apostles, including the lines of apostolic succession from the Roman Catholic Church, the Old Catholic Church, the Malankara/Syrian/Jacobite Churches, and various Orthodox Churches.
What is the Old Catholic Church and what is its place in Independent Catholicism?
The Old Catholic Church is the branch of the Church that traces itself back to the act of a Roman Catholic bishop, Dominique-Marie Varlet, who validly consecrated other bishops without the permission of the Vatican, beginning in 1724. It solidified nearly 165 years later various bishops questioned the pope's attribution of infallibility to himself in 1870.
Many people today are familiar with the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which greatly reformed our views of the Church. Less people are familiar with the First Vatican Council of 1870, when Pope Pius IX convinced his brother bishops to approve for him a doctrine of "papal infallibility" (viz., that the pope, acting alone in matters of faith and morals, might be "infallible"). For many bishops, this Gnostic heresy compounded the problem previously caused by Pius IX when he declared in 1854--more than 1,800 years after the fact--that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without sin. Ironically, "papal infallibility" was intended to heal the division in the Roman church that resulted from the proclamation of this "dogma"; instead, it further divided an already divided church!
In the tradition of the Church, the statements of one man [in the case of the Roman church], regardless of who he was, were never to be held with the same esteem as the statements of an ecumenical council, when all the bishops met together to discuss matters of faith and morals. Those who could not accept this novel teaching on "infallibility” separated themselves from the Roman church and self-identified as Old Catholics, a term to capture their belief that they were being faithful to the traditional beliefs of the ancient Church (viz., that the bishops were to act together in deciding matters of faith and morals).
The Union of Utrecht of Old Catholic Churches was officially formed in 1889, when the Old Catholic Congress produced the Declaration of Utrecht, a document explaining the issues that caused the bishops' separation from Rome. The Diocese of Utrecht possessed the right of electing and consecrating its own bishops without the pope's approval (first, through a privilege extended by Pope Eugene III in 1215, then confirmed by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1225, and later affirmed by Pope Leo X in 1520). The bishops and priests who signed the Declaration of Utrecht were now de facto independent from the Roman church. The Old Catholic Church quickly grew to 15 million members worldwide by 1900. In the U.S., those of the Old Catholics tradition of Western Christianity often refer to themselves as Independent Catholics, so as not to confuse people who might otherwise think that they belong to the Union of Utrecht of Old Catholic Churches. Technically, there are no Old Catholic clergy in the U.S. at present: The Union of Utrecht of Old Catholic Churches possesses no clergy or congregations in the U.S. There are, however, a number of Independent Catholic clergy who self-identify, for whatever reason, as “Old Catholic."
While some critics have blamed Independent Catholics for "fracturing" the Church, others see them as faithfully attempting to unite the Church by laying aside the false pretences that demand rigid conformity to one man's beliefs or opinions. Regardless of one's views on this, the Old Catholic Church and the Independent Catholic tradition continued to share valid lines of apostolic succession from the Roman church and other Catholic churches.
I've never studied Church history so deeply. This is all new to me. So, how do we view the pope today?
We esteem the pope, and we give him the respect due him as the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and the Patriarch of the West. In the college of bishops, he is considered the "first among equals."
It's simply the case that we understand history, and we view him as being on par with the other four traditional patriarchs of the Church (in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and Jerusalem). We understand that, historically, the Patriarch of Rome was the first of the five patriarchs to amass sufficient power and wealth to "support" his positions, create his own city-state, and enter into diplomatic relations with innumerable nations.
Regardless, we continue to believe in the age-old tradition of the Church, that there is greater wisdom in the collective action of bishops who work together to resolve issues of faith and morals, rather than allow one man, regardless of how informed he believes himself to be, to work alone in such matters.
We believe that sadly the doctrine of papal "infallibility" has reinforced the authoritarianism, the misuse of power, and the demand for blind "obedience" that can run contrary to the teachings of Christ. Though the notion was initially an effort to create unity within the Church, the doctrine of "infallibility" had the opposite effect, which is evident in such papal pronouncements as the supposed evil of contraceptives and the non-debatable matter of the ordination of women within the Roman church. In this sense, the words of one man (viz., the pope) have been more sectarian and divisive, than unitive and catholic.
What does St Sebastian’s Independent Catholic Church believe?
Squarely within this tradition of Independent Catholicism, Our Lady & Saint Sebastian’s Catholic Church in the UK affirms traditional Catholic beliefs of faith and love, spirituality, community, and prayer. We celebrate the seven sacraments and adhere to essential Catholic doctrine and practice, as expressed in the statements of the Second Vatican Council and the best of contemporary thought.
We proclaim the unconditional love and compassion of God, which embraces every human person regardless of his/her condition in life. We acknowledge the primacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to speak in our day through the sensus fidelium ("sense of the faithful"), leading to a world of justice and peace.
As our parish mission suggests, we seek to be "Loving. Catholic. Inclusive. Doing It Jesus' Way!"
How is Our Lady's & St Sebastian’s CC different from Roman Catholic parishes?
We share many of the theological and moral teachings of the Roman church, with a few important differences:
Christ's law of love for God and neighbour (Lk 10:27) is our supreme command. For this reason, we do not judge, especially with respect to complex moral questions. Rather, we affirm the dignity of all human persons regardless of race, national origin, religious affiliation, gender, or sexual orientation. We strive for justice within the universal Church and the world. We work together to build community as faithful, clergy and bishops, united as family in loving concern for each other, working together to live the scriptural command of love in our daily lives, and bringing the love of Christ to others. In all, we recall the ancient wisdom of the Church as expressed in the words of St. Augustine: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."
A Post-Vatican II theology, ecclesiology, and liturgy. We believe that the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the last ecumenical council of the Roman church, was a great source of wisdom and inspiration, at which the Holy Spirit was very active and present. We are heirs of the legacy of that ecumenical council, and we commit ourselves to the ongoing implementation of its teachings. Saint John XXIII, who convened the council, wisely observed that the Church is a garden and not a museum. We believe that the Spirit is very much alive and active among all the members of God's Holy People.
The nobility of the laity and the recognition of the priesthood of all believers. Many people are familiar with the oppressive structures and strictures of the top-down papacracy of the Roman church. In contrast, Our Lady's & St Sebastain’s CC fosters a congregational or shared model of leadership, where all God's Holy People join together to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit. As the bishops at the Second Vatican Council affirmed, "Upon all the laity, therefore, rests the noble duty of working to extend the divine plan of salvation to all [persons] of each epoch and in every land. Consequently, may every opportunity be given [to the laity] so that, according to their abilities and the needs of the times, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the Church" (LG 33).
Support through difficult life decisions. We reject legalistic moral pronouncements, often dictated by those in power for the purpose of maintaining power and control. Difficult decisions in life are always harder to make alone; at such times, the compassionate support of a community of faith can be crucial. Yet such support can be difficult to find in the face of moral pronouncements regarding such issues as divorce and re-marriage, birth control, sexual orientation, and complex medical issues. One case in point is the divisive issue of contraception. In the Roman church, artificial means of birth control have been banned by celibate, male bishops, but, according to the Guttmacher Institute, are currently used by 98% of Roman Catholic women ages 15-44 who are sexually active. We believe that members of the laity are endowed with great wisdom and that the responsible limiting of the size of one's family is an issue of conscience to be decided by couples. We believe that artificial contraception, if used responsibly, can be a positive good, a means of increasing the frequency of the gift of sexual union, reducing the incidence of abortion for unwanted pregnancies, and limiting the spread of sexually-transmitted disease.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes the sacraments of the Church. We do not see it as our role to judge and exclude others from Christ's sacraments. We wage no "wafer wars," contemplating from whom we should keep the eucharist. We do not refuse the sacraments of the Church to people based on marital status, living condition or sexuality. We recognize that Christ sat down to eat with sinners (Mk 2:16), and that all are welcome at the table of the Lord. Finally, we recognize that imposing excessive requirements in order to receive the sacraments of the Church is a heresy, condemned by the early Church as semi-pelagianism.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes women, and we embrace the wonderful gifts of women. We are aware of the scriptural tradition of deaconesses in the Church (Rom 16:1), the role of women in ordained ministry in several contemporary Catholic churches, and of the women who have been ordained as priests within the Roman Catholic Church, even as late as 1970 with the ordination of Ludmila Javorova and 2002 with the ordination of the “Danube Seven” seven Roman Catholic women who were ordained by a Roman Catholic bishop. Far from prohibiting conversation on the possibility of ordaining women for ministry in the Church, we recognize this as an injustice which unfairly diminishes women within our Church and our world. Instead, we openly welcome the movement of God in the ordained ministry of women.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes a non-celibate clergy. Like most Catholic and non-Catholic traditions, we recognize the invaluable gifts possessed by married clergy. We know that a celibate clergy is not a divine mandate, but a recent innovation in the Roman church. Our sisters and brothers of the Orthodox Catholic Church (which excommunicated the Roman church in 1054) have always allowed priests and bishops to be married. Likewise, following the longer and larger tradition of the Church, our clergy are not required to be celibate. Rather, we welcome clergy who are married, in domestic partnerships, divorced or widowed. Christ built his Church on the foundation of Peter, a married man (Mk 1:30). Such life states allow our clergy to be more attuned to the real issues of family life.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes sexual matters. Whereas Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) derided homosexuality as an objectively disordered inclination toward an intrinsic moral evil, we are open to the findings of contemporary psychology with respect to persons who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. We affirm the dignity and worth of our LGBTQ members, recognizing in them unique gifts particular to our time. In states that allow same-sex marriage, we are honoured to celebrate the Church's sacrament of marriage. We acknowledge that this idea can be especially challenging in cultures of high machismo, where many men may find themselves in roles where they feel they need to act contrary to their nature and/or where their identity as men is threatened by those more comfortable with varying sexual orientations.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes divorce and remarriage.
We empathize with the pain of a failed marriage, and we recognize our divorced and remarried sisters and brothers as members of Christ's Body. Divorce is a traumatic experience for all, including spouses, children, and extended family. Yet, in many circumstances, divorce is the best and most faithful response to a permanently broken relationship. For those whose marriages have failed and yet still feel the call to married life, the co-joining in intimate love with another person created in God's image and likeness is a way in which one can fulfil one's vocation. We join our sisters and brothers of the Orthodox Catholic Church in recognizing the tradition of divorce and remarriage that comes to us from the first thousand years of our common history with the Roman church. We counsel the remarried to reflect upon all they have experienced and to grow in all that will come, and we believe that their new union can best be nourished by the sacramental life of the Church.
Notwithstanding the list above, because we are an inclusive community, we would never want any of these differences to overshadow the fact that we are sisters and brothers with all God's Holy People in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church that we all together profess. Says St. Paul: "You are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). Even recent polls indicate that the majority of Roman Catholics in the U.k. believe these principles that we openly profess. As sisters and brothers, we have more in common than that which will ever be able to divide us.
Are the sacraments shared by the clergy of Our Lady's & St Sebastain's Catholic Church valid?
Of course, they are. They are administered by validly-consecrated bishops and validly-ordained priests and deacons. specifically cites the validity of baptisms performed in Old Catholic and Independent Catholic churches like Our Lady's & St Sebastian’s CC. Document, DOMINUS IESUS VATICAN DECLARATION ON THE UNICITY AND SALVIFIC UNIVERSALITY OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
DECLARATION OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Rome, August 6, 2000 "In each of these churches, the Church of God is built up and grows in stature and, although separated from us, these churches possess true sacraments, above all (by apostolic succession) the priesthood and Eucharist. This offers ecclesiological and sacramental grounds for allowing and even encouraging some sharing in liturgical worship (even Eucharistic) with these churches" (M-17).
More globally, Pope John Paul II mentioned Old Catholic and Independent Catholic churches in his 2000 encyclical letter Dominus Iesus, saying, "The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the [Roman] Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by Apostolic Succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches. Therefore, these separated Churches and communities as such...have by no means been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church. Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the [Roman] Church."
In his Pastoral Companion: A Canon Law Handbook for [Roman] Catholic Ministry, Fr. John Huels similarly shares, "The principal condition is that these sacraments can be received only from validly ordained ministers. These are ministers who belong to 'churches that have preserved the substance of the Eucharistic teaching, the sacraments of orders, and apostolic succession.' This would include all Eastern non-Catholic churches, the Polish National Church, Old Catholic, and Old Roman Catholic."
Religious scholar William J. Whalan concurs: "We have no reason to doubt that the Old Catholic Orders are valid. The Apostolic Succession does not depend on obedience to the See of Peter, but rather on the objective line of succession from Apostolic sources, the proper matter and form, and the proper intention....Likewise Old Catholic bishops are bishops in Apostolic Succession [and]...the Old Catholics, like the Orthodox, possess a valid priesthood."
In his commentary on canon law, Father Thomas Doyle, a Roman Catholic Dominican priest, writes, "Catholics may receive the Eucharist, penance, or anointing from sacred ministers of non-Catholic denominations whose Holy Orders are considered valid by the Catholic Church. This includes all Eastern Orthodox priests, as well as priests of the Old Catholic or Polish National Church."
Thus, there is no reason to doubt that we share the same apostolic succession and Catholicity in essentials, even if we dissent concerning matters of conscience. If it is important to you, be assured that the Roman church and the Orthodox church recognize the validity of our sacraments (even if individual bishops and priests may beg to differ), and that all sacraments performed with good intention by validly-consecrated bishops and validly-ordained priests and deacons are valid in the eyes of God.
Is Our Lady's & St Sebastain’s CC stealing people from the Roman Catholic Church?
That's certainly not our intention! Instead, we're happy to minister to the six billion people in our world who don't feel at home in the Roman church.
- Around 5.2 million Catholics live in England and Wales, or around 9.6 percent of the population there, and nearly 700,000 in Scotland, or around 14 percent.13 Sept 2010
Statistically, 44% of the total population) regard themselves as some form of Christian. 3 One in every five people identifies as Anglican: the most popular of the Christian denominations. Meanwhile, one in every thirteen people in England and Wales identifies as Catholic.
Admittedly, Our Lady's & St Sebastain’s CC provides a spiritual home for many of our sisters and brothers, family members, and friends who no longer feel at home in what used to be their church.
The story is told that Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Flores of San Antonio once responded to a woman who lamented that her son had left the Roman church to minister in a non-Roman church. Flores asked her to choose what she thought was best for her son: "Remain Catholic by name and never live the faith? Be a drunkard? A criminal? A drug addict? Take advantage of others or abuse them? Or [is it best for him to be] where he is now, bringing others closer to God? God knows the heart. That's what counts most." The mother understood the archbishop's wise words and was at peace.
we use the new translation of the Roman Missal approved by the Vatican in 2011?
Our Lady's & St Sebastain’s CC uses both the second edition of the Novus Ordo, which was used by the Roman church for forty years, until November 2011. Though we are not under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, In an act of great collegiality, all the Roman Catholic bishops of the English-speaking bishop’s conferences. had approved one translation, only to have the bishop of Rome demand their conformity to another translation. This action subverted the authority of national conferences of bishops, with whom authority rests for such translations. It also resulted in a stilted and very awkward English translation and yet more division within the Body of Christ.
Do we follow the rules of the Roman Catholic Church?
Thankfully, no. We are not under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, and therefore we are not subject to the same rules and regulations.
During his life, Jesus rebelled against a slavish adherence to the 613 laws established by his own religious tradition. The Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church now contains three times more rules and regulations than the codex possessed by the Jews during Jesus' day! Very few of these laws are rooted in scripture, and some of them admittedly contradict the spirit of Jesus' teachings.
Jesus esteemed two commandments above all others: Love of God and love of neighbour (Lk 10:27). While canon law is subject to change, Jesus' command of love is immutable.
The story comes to mind of the young girl who asked her mother why she always cut the ends off her pork roast. Not knowing how to respond, the woman asked her mother, who taught her the practice, who in turn asked her own mother. As it turned out, the woman's grandmother cut the ends off her pork roast so that it would fit in her pan, and nearly three generations later, under very different circumstances, the practice of cutting the ends off the pork roast was carried on without a great deal of thought. One can easily think of examples of rules in various churches that have sprung up over the generations and which have been passed down to us today, despite the fact that they have lost much of their original meaning.
Why do some Roman Catholic bishops speak ill of Independent Catholic churches, like Our Lady's & St Sebastian’s Ccatholic Church?
While most Roman Catholic bishops see us all as sisters and brothers, others are admittedly threatened by what they perceive to be "the competition." Traditional wisdom suggests that fear of losing power corrupts those who possess it.
This is sad, but we also recognize that these are three exceptions in a world of otherwise selfless leaders who share the loving compassion of Christ the Good Shepherd.
With whom can I share the questions I still have about Our Lady's & St Sebastian’s Catholic church?
It depends on what answers you're looking for. If you're looking for "orthodox" Roman Catholic teaching, the words you use veritably hint of a close-mindedness that suggests you might do best to search for answers in other places. If you're looking for someone who can detail in 30 pages all the supposed "errors" contained in a work like this, countless persons who style themselves as "theologians" and/or as defenders of the "true faith" doubtless exist. If you feel more at home among their likes, seek them out.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for the perspective of an intelligent, well-read and critical mind, heavily steeped in the Roman tradition, but unafraid to consider the complexity of important life issues, you shouldn't at all hesitate to speak with our clergy.
Better yet, don't ever hesitate to invite our clergy and other members of the clergy from other Catholic churches, so that you can hear a variety of perspectives on the same issues!
In the meantime, we thank you for taking the time to learn about Our Lady's & St Sebastian’s Catholic Church.
A prayer to St. Sebastian on his day
A prayer to St. Sebastian on his day
January 20 a prayer to San Sebastiano from the LGBT+ community
On the day when the people of God remember the martyrdom of San Sebastiano, a saint so loved by the LGBT + community, each of us is invited to ask for his intercession for our prayers.
Let each one choose the prayer that best suits his situation.
Naturally the Holy Rosary with the 15 mysteries is the recommended one.
Taking inspiration from the teachings of the life of San Sebastiano, the faithful find inspiration to support and improve his spiritual life.
In addition to personal intentions, it is advisable to add a prayer for all living or dead LGBT+ people of all times.
A good initiative is to organize a moment of prayer with several people according to the teaching in Matthew 18, 19-20.
Pious images bring religious beliefs to mind. If you wish to receive the one of the Miracle of Our Lady of Montevergine in 1256 or if you wish to share your experience with the Madonna of Montevergine. Please write us by email : montevergine1256@gmail.com
Sanctus-Sebastianus.com
Same -sex blessings declaration
Today the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Víctor Fernández, issued a declaration that will long be remembered by L.G.B.T.Q. people. Entitled “Fiducia Supplicants” (from the first two words in Latin, meaning, “Supplicating trust”), the declaration opens the door, for the first time, for the official blessings of same-sex couples by ministers of the church, something that has long been desired by L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics and their families and friends.
The declaration also includes a larger meditation on blessings in the Catholic tradition and cautions that the blessings for same-sex couples and others in “irregular” unions should be done in a way that does not confuse these blessings with sacramental marriage or suggest a liturgical rite. But even with those provisions, this is a major step forward for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics.
“It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage,” wrote Cardinal Fernández in the document, which had the approval of Pope Francis.
Why is this a major step? First, it is the first time that a Vatican document treats same-sex couples with such pastoral care. It marks a dramatic shift from the dicastery’s (then congregation’s) “responsum” two years ago, which said that priests and deacons could under no circumstances bless same-sex couples because “God cannot and does not bless sin.” As an aside, a “declaration” is more substantial and, therefore, authoritative than a “responsum,” which is usually responding to a more specific question (called a “dubium”) and is narrower in scope. (For some context, “Dominus Iesus,” a landmark document on other Christian denominations and other religions, published in 2000, was also a declaration.)
Today the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration that will long be remembered by L.G.B.T.Q. people.
Tweet this
There was widespread reaction to that “responsum,” as the new declaration notes in its opening. Especially, L.G.B.T.Q. people and their friends and families felt that the focus on such relationships as sinful ignored or rejected their experience of loving, committed and self-sacrificing same-sex relationships. News reports at the time also suggested Pope Francis was himself unhappy with that statement, and eventually the person responsible for its publication was removed from the office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. So, the Vatican’s pastoral approach to same-sex couples (as well as other couples not sacramentally married) has clearly shifted in the last two years.
The declaration is also in line with the letter that Pope Francis wrote to Cardinal Fernández when he was installed as the new prefect of the D.D.F., in which the pope encouraged him to support the “harmonious growth” in theology and, quoting from “Evangelii Gaudium,” noted that the church itself “grow[s] in her interpretation of the revealed word and in her understanding of truth.” Many observers saw that as a new way of understanding the role of the D.D.F., which in recent decades had been more concerned with responding to errors.
Second, you may hear from some quarters that “nothing has changed.” It reminds me of my church history professor, John W. O’Malley, S.J., who said that when church teaching changes, the most common introduction is “As the church has always taught...”
Here, Father O’Malley’s insight is made manifest in a slightly different way. Some Catholics oppose any steps toward greater inclusion for L.G.B.T.Q. people in the life of the church. We saw some of this during the Synod on Synodality, where I was a voting member, with significant pushback from certain quarters on even using the term L.G.B.T.Q. So, for some, this declaration (even though it specifies that the blessings must not in any way seem like a marriage rite) will be threatening, and the temptation will therefore be to say, “Nothing has changed.”
But a great deal has in fact changed. Before this document was issued, there was no permission for bishops, priests, and deacons to bless couples in same-sex unions in any setting. This document establishes, with some limitations, that they can.
Of course, some may say that there are many restrictions (as noted above), while others will note that in some places (most notable in the German church) these blessings were already widespread. (One German bishop told me during the synod that he himself blessed unions outside his cathedral.) The change here is that these blessings are now officially sanctioned by the Vatican. Today, with some limitations, I can perform a public blessing of a same-sex couple. Yesterday, I could not.
Third, it is a major step because it continues Pope Francis’ continual outreach to L.G.B.T.Q. people.
To take but one example, during the month of October Pope Francis met with L.G.B.T.Q. representatives three times. A few days before the Synod began, he met with me in a private audience at the Casa Santa Marta; halfway through the synod he met with Jeannine Gramick, S.L., along with her New Ways Ministry team; finally, toward the end of the month, during a general audience, he met with Marianne Duddy-Burke and other representatives from the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, an umbrella group for L.G.B.T.Q. Catholic groups worldwide. (Speaking of umbrellas, on the day of that final meeting with G.N.R.C., an immense rainbow was seen over St. Peter’s Basilica.)
Some L.G.B.T.Q. people may be disappointed that this declaration doesn’t go as far as they might hope—that is, allow same-sex couples to be married sacramentally. Others, especially in countries (and dioceses) where the entire topic is off-limits, will think it goes too far. Both groups, however, can agree that this is a significant change. As for me, I welcome this new declaration and see it as a much-needed pastoral response to Catholic same-sex couples in loving, committed and self-sacrificing relationships who desire God’s presence and help in their lives. And as a priest, I look forward to blessing same-sex couples, sharing with them the graces that God desires for everyone, something I’ve waited years to do.
This article was co-published with Outreach.
Church of England blesses same-sex couples for first time
Prayers of love and faith, a type of blessing, were granted to Catherine Bond and Jane Pearce on Sunday morning
A couple have become one of the first same-sex partnerships to receive a blessing at a Church of England service.
Prayers of love and faith were granted to Catherine Bond and Jane Pearce on Sunday morning, celebrating their shared “love and friendship” and “commitment to one another”.
Blessing same-sex couples was sanctioned by the House of Bishops just days ago and they were allowed to be handed out from Sunday.
Not all clergy members agree with the decision to permit the blessing for same-sex couples – some welcome it as progress, others believe it has gone too far, and many hold that the real change needed is marriage recognition.
The couple knelt in front of the vicar, Canon Andrew Dotchin, at St John the Baptist Church in Felixstowe, Suffolk, where they are both associate priests in the parish.
Safeguarding & Wellbeing
If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or adult at risk, do not delay in contacting the police, using 999 if a child or adult is believed to be in immediate danger.
It is the policy of St. Sebastian’s Independent Cathoilc Church report all allegations of abuse to statutory authorities, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or in the past, or whether the accused person is living or deceased.
If you are in any role within St. Sebastian’s, you must refer allegations directly to the Police.
What is Safeguarding?
“St. Sebastian’s Independent Catholic Church is striving towards a culture of safeguarding where all are safe from harm and abuse and where every person is encouraged and enabled to enjoy the fullness of life in Jesus Christ through the prayerful, caring, nurturing, supportive and protective endeavours of the Catholic community, both individually and collectively.”.
(Towards a Culture of Safeguarding 2012).
Safe Guarding useful originations
Children can call helplines such as ChildLine (0800 11 11) or the NSPCC National Helpline (088 800 5000) free, at any time, for information and confidential advice about all types of problems.
Childline’s
Child line’s website offers a free and confidential helpline for children and young adults in the UK. It offers help and advice plus volunteering and fundraising details: https://www.childline.org.uk/
There4me.com
NSPCC’S Confidential online service for young people age 12 to 16 www.there4me.com/
Dom Edyelso I (Edyelso Gabriel)Edyelso. As the crown Prince of Potiers. preserves the dynastic rights and prerogatives over the Old Duchy and the former Kingdom of Aquitaine, in the legal condition "in exilium - pro memoria" having all the pertinent rights and prerogatives (jus Majestatis, jus Honorum and FonsHonorun), guaranteed and recognized juridically, dynastically and canonically. Having as head of the Royal house, His Imperial and Royal Highness Dom Edyelso l, the prince and Duke of Aquitaine and peer of France, sovereign prince of Poitiers.
The family name is also recognized by the Arbitration Tribunal of Mediation and Conciliation of Espirito Santo registered on 27/04/2024 and apostille to the Hague Convention of 5/10/1961 with number 2688489-23 and in the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Anglo-Catholic Church of Europe with number 28/24.
Moved by reciprocity, we grant his Beatitude Kieran Thomas O'Neill, on whom we have created, in the character of two lives, and we have established the title of Count of São Sebastião He became, therefore, a member of the Nobiliary Corps of the House of Mozer and was responsible for the noble treatment of His Grace KieranThomas, Count of São Sebastião.
VATICAN DECLARATION
DECLARATION OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Rome, August 6, 2000
ON THE UNICITY AND SALVIFIC UNIVERSALITY OF JESUS CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
DECLARATION OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Rome, August 6, 2000
IV. UNICITY AND UNITY OF THE CHURCH
16. The Lord Jesus, the only Saviour, did not only establish a simple community of disciples, but constituted the Church as a salvific mystery: he himself is in the Church and the Church is in him (cf. Jn 15:1ff.; Gal 3:28; Eph 4:15-16; Acts 9:5). Therefore, the fullness of Christ's salvific mystery belongs also to the Church, inseparably united to her Lord. Indeed, Jesus Christ continues his presence and his work of salvation in the Church and by means of the Church (cf.Col 1:24-27),47 which is his body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12-13, 27; Col 1:18).48 And thus, just as the head and members of a living body, though not identical, are inseparable, so too Christ and the Church can neither be confused nor separated, and constitute a single “whole Christ”.49 This same inseparability is also expressed in the New Testament by the analogy of the Church as the Bride of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25-29; Rev 21:2,9).50
The Catholic faithful are required to profess that there is an historical continuity — rooted in the apostolic succession53 — between the Church founded by Christ and the Catholic Church: “This is the single Church of Christ... which our Saviour, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care (cf. Jn 21:17), commissioning him and the other Apostles to extend and rule her (cf. Mt 28:18ff.), erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth' (1 Tim3:15). This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in [subsistit in] the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him”.54 With the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that “outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth”,55 that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.56 But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that “they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.57
17. Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him.58 The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches.59 Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church.60
On the other hand, the ecclesial communities which have not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery,61 are not Churches in the proper sense; however, those who are baptised in these communities are, by Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church.62 Baptism in fact tends per se toward the full development of life in Christ, through the integral profession of faith, the Eucharist, and full communion in the Church.63
“The Christian faithful are therefore not permitted to imagine that the Church of Christ is nothing more than a collection — divided, yet in some way one — of Churches and ecclesial communities; nor are they free to hold that today the Church of Christ nowhere really exists, and must be considered only as a goal which all Churches and ecclesial communities must strive to reach”.64 In fact, “the elements of this already-given Church exist, joined together in their fullness in the Catholic Church and, without this fullness, in the other communities”.65 “Therefore, these separated Churches and communities as such, though we believe they suffer from defects, have by no means been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.66
The lack of unity among Christians is certainly a wound for the Church; not in the sense that she is deprived of her unity, but “in that it hinders the complete fulfilment of her universality in history”.67
The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, at the Audience of June 16, 2000, granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with sure knowledge and by his apostolic authority, ratified and confirmed this Declaration, adopted in Plenary Session and ordered its publication.
Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, August 6, 2000, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect
NOTES RELATING TO IV: 16, 17
(47) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 14.
(48) Cf. ibid., 7.
(49) Cf. St. Augustine, Enarratio in Psalmos, Ps. 90, Sermo 2,1: CCSL 39, 1266; St. Gregory the Great, Moralia in Iob, Praefatio, 6, 14: PL 75, 525; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 48, a. 2 ad 1.
(50) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 6.
(51) Symbolum maius Ecclesiae Armeniacae: DS 48. Cf. Boniface VIII, Unam sanctam: DS870-872; Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
(52) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 4; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 11: AAS 87 (1995), 927.
(53) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 20; cf. also St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, III, 3, 1-3: SC 211, 20-44; St. Cyprian, Epist. 33, 1: CCSL 3B, 164-165; St. Augustine, Contra adver. legis et prophet., 1, 20, 39: CCSL 49, 70.
(54) Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 8.
(55) Ibid.; cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 13. Cf. also Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 15 and the Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(56) The interpretation of those who would derive from the formula subsistit in the thesis that the one Church of Christ could subsist also in non-Catholic Churches and ecclesial communities is therefore contrary to the authentic meaning of Lumen gentium. “The Council instead chose the word subsistit precisely to clarify that there exists only one ‘subsistence' of the true Church, while outside her visible structure there only exist elementa Ecclesiae, which — being elements of that same Church — tend and lead toward the Catholic Church” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Notification on the Book “Church: Charism and Power” by Father Leonardo Boff: AAS 77 [1985], 756-762).
(57) Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(58) Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, 1: AAS65 (1973), 396-398.
(59) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 14 and 15; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17: AAS 85 (1993), 848.
(60) Cf. First Vatican Council, Constitution Pastor aeternus: DS 3053-3064; Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium, 22.
(61) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 22.
(62) Cf. ibid., 3.
(63) Cf. ibid., 22.
(64) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, 1.
(65) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut unum sint, 14.
(66) Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 3.
(67) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Communionis notio, 17; cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 4.
Contact
- Birkenhead, England, United Kingdom
- CH41 9DS
- revkieran@gmail.com
- Mon-Fri - 08:00-19:00
Vatican publishes papal primacy document aimed at ‘a reunited Church’
Vatican publishes papal primacy document aimed at ‘a reunited Church’
The study document, titled “The Bishop of Rome: Primacy and Synodality in Ecumenical Dialogue and Responses to the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint,” is the first Vatican text since the Second Vatican Council to outline the entire ecumenical debate on papal primacy.
In addition to identifying the theological questions surrounding papal primacy in ecumenical dialogue, the document goes a step further to provide suggestions “for a ministry of unity in a reunited Church,” including “a differentiated exercise of the primacy of the bishop of Rome.”
The end of the text published on June 13 includes a section of proposals from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity on “the exercise of primacy in the 21st century,” including recommendations for “a synodal exercise” of papal primacy.
Synodality
The dicastery concludes that “growing synodality is required within the Catholic Church” and that “many synodal institutions and practices of the Eastern Catholic Churches could inspire the Latin Church.”
It adds that “a synodality ad extra” could include regular meetings among Christian representatives at the worldwide level in a “conciliar fellowship” to deepen communion.
This builds off of dialogue with some Orthodox representatives who have asserted that “any restoration of full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches will require, on both sides, a strengthening of synodal structures and a renewed understanding of a universal primacy — both serving communion among the churches.”
At a Vatican press conference on June 13, Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, said that this study document is being released as a very “convenient time” as the Church prepares for the second session of the Synod on Synodality in the fall.
A representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, who joined the press conference via video link, underlined that “the synodality of the Catholic Church is an important criterion for the Oriental Orthodox churches on our way to full communion.”
Defining responsibilities of the pope
The Catholic Church holds that Jesus made Peter the “rock” of his Church, giving him the keys to the kingdom and instituting him as the shepherd of the whole flock. The pope as Peter’s successor is the “perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful,” as described in one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium.
The new study document proposes “a clearer distinction be made between the different responsibilities of the pope, especially between his ministry as head of the Catholic Church and his ministry of unity among all Christians, or more specifically between his patriarchal ministry in the Latin Church and his primatial ministry in the communion of Churches.”
It notes the possibility of “extending this idea to consider how other Western Churches might relate to the bishop of Rome as primate while having a certain autonomy themselves.”
The text notes that Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches emphasized the importance of regional leadership in the Church and advocated “a balance between primacy and primacies.” It adds that some ecumenical dialogues with Western Christian communities also applied this to the Catholic Church by calling for “a strengthening of Catholic episcopal conferences, including at the continental level, and for a continuing ‘decentralization’ inspired by the model of the ancient patriarchal Churches.”
Invoking the principle of subsidiarity, which means that no matter that can properly be dealt with at a lower level should be taken to a higher one, the text describes how some ecumenical dialogues argued that “the power of the bishop of Rome should not exceed that required for the exercise of his ministry of unity at the universal level and suggest a voluntary limitation in the exercise of his power.”
“In a reconciled Christianity, such communion presupposes that the bishop of Rome’s relationship to the Eastern Churches and their bishops … would have to be substantially different from the relationship now accepted in the Latin Church,” it says.
‘Rewording’ of teachings of Vatican I
Another concrete proposal put forward by the dicastery is “a Catholic ‘re-reception,’ ‘re-interpretation,’ ‘official interpretation,’ ‘updated commentary,’ or even ‘rewording’ of the teachings of Vatican I,” particularly with regard to definitions on primacy of jurisdiction and papal infallibility.
The First Vatican Council, which took place between 1869 and 1870 under Pope Pius IX, dogmatically defined papal infallibility in the constitution Pastor Aeternus, which said that when the Roman pontiff speaks “ex cathedra,” that is, when he officially teaches in his capacity of the universal shepherd of the Church on a doctrine on a matter of faith or morals and addresses it to the entire world, the defined doctrine is irreformable.
An Anglican representative who spoke at the Vatican press conference highlighted how certain aspects of Vatican I have been a particular “stumbling block” for Angelicans.
The study document released by the Vatican pointed to how arguments have been made in ecumenical dialogue that some of the teachings of Vatican I “were deeply conditioned by their historical context” and suggested that “the Catholic Church should look for new expressions and vocabulary faithful to the original intention but integrated into a ‘communio’ ecclesiology and adapted to the current cultural and ecumenical context.”
It describes how some ecumenical dialogues “were able to clarify the wording of the dogma of infallibility and even to agree on certain aspects of its purpose, recognizing the need, in some circumstances, for a personal exercise of the teaching ministry, given that Christian unity is a unity in truth and love.”
“In spite of these clarifications, the dialogues still express concerns regarding the relation of infallibility to the primacy of the Gospel, the indefectibility of the whole Church, the exercise of episcopal collegiality and the necessity of reception,” it adds.
‘That they all may be one’
The document summarizes responses by different Christian communities to Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical on Christian unity, Ut Unum Sint (“That They All May Be One”).
In particular to the Polish pope’s invitation in the encyclical for Christian leaders and theologians to engage in a patient and fraternal dialogue on papal primacy.
“It is out of a desire to obey the will of Christ truly that I recognize that as bishop of Rome I am called to exercise that ministry. I insistently pray the Holy Spirit to shine his light upon us, enlightening all the pastors and theologians of our Churches, that we may seek — together, of course — the forms in which this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned,” John Paul II wrote.
Ut Unum Sint says that the bishop of Rome as the successor of the Apostle Peter has a “specific duty” to work for the cause of Christian unity.
The study document published by the Vatican is the result of more than three years of work summarizing some 30 responses to Ut Unum Sint and 50 ecumenical dialogue documents on the subject.
Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic experts were consulted in collaboration with the Institute for Ecumenical Studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, noted at the press conference that one of the fruits of the ecumenical theological dialogue in the past three decades has been “a renewed reading of the ‘Petrine texts,’” in which dialogue partners were invited to “consider afresh the role of Peter among the apostles.”
The Vatican notes that the “the concerns, emphases and conclusions of the different dialogues varied according to the confessional traditions involved.”
As a study document, its goal is only to offer “an objective synthesis of the ecumenical discussions” on papal primacy and “does not claim to exhaust the subject nor summarize the entire Catholic magisterium on the subject.”
Koch explained that Pope Francis gave his approval for the dicastery to publish the document, but this does not mean that the pope approved every sentence.
Ian Ernest, the director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, thanked Catholic leaders for publishing the new document, which he said, “opens up new perspectives for ecumenical relations on the much-debated question of the relationship between primacy The Vatican published a 130-page study on papal primacy on Thursday containing suggestions from Orthodox and Protestant Christian communities for how the role of the bishop of Rome might look in a future “reunited Church.”
The study document, titled “The Bishop of Rome: Primacy and Synodality in Ecumenical Dialogue and Responses to the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint,” is the first Vatican text since the Second Vatican Council to outline the entire ecumenical debate on papal primacy.
In addition to identifying the theological questions surrounding papal primacy in ecumenical dialogue, the document goes a step further to provide suggestions “for a ministry of unity in a reunited Church,” including “a differentiated exercise of the primacy of the bishop of Rome.”
The end of the text published on June 13 includes a section of proposals from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity on “the exercise of primacy in the 21st century,” including recommendations for “a synodal exercise” of papal primacy.
Synodality
The dicastery concludes that “growing synodality is required within the Catholic Church” and that “many synodal institutions and practices of the Eastern Catholic Churches could inspire the Latin Church.”
It adds that “a synodality ad extra” could include regular meetings among Christian representatives at the worldwide level in a “conciliar fellowship” to deepen communion.
This builds off of dialogue with some Orthodox representatives who have asserted that “any restoration of full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches will require, on both sides, a strengthening of synodal structures and a renewed understanding of a universal primacy — both serving communion among the churches.”
At a Vatican press conference on June 13, Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, said that this study document is being released as a very “convenient time” as the Church prepares for the second session of the Synod on Synodality in the fall.
A representative of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, who joined the press conference via video link, underlined that “the synodality of the Catholic Church is an important criterion for the Oriental Orthodox churches on our way to full communion.”
Defining responsibilities of the pope
The Catholic Church holds that Jesus made Peter the “rock” of his Church, giving him the keys to the kingdom and instituting him as the shepherd of the whole flock. The pope as Peter’s successor is the “perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful,” as described in one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium.
The new study document proposes “a clearer distinction be made between the different responsibilities of the pope, especially between his ministry as head of the Catholic Church and his ministry of unity among all Christians, or more specifically between his patriarchal ministry in the Latin Church and his primatial ministry in the communion of Churches.”
It notes the possibility of “extending this idea to consider how other Western Churches might relate to the bishop of Rome as primate while having a certain autonomy themselves.”
The text notes that Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches emphasized the importance of regional leadership in the Church and advocated “a balance between primacy and primacies.” It adds that some ecumenical dialogues with Western Christian communities also applied this to the Catholic Church by calling for “a strengthening of Catholic episcopal conferences, including at the continental level, and for a continuing ‘decentralization’ inspired by the model of the ancient patriarchal Churches.”
Invoking the principle of subsidiarity, which means that no matter that can properly be dealt with at a lower level should be taken to a higher one, the text describes how some ecumenical dialogues argued that “the power of the bishop of Rome should not exceed that required for the exercise of his ministry of unity at the universal level and suggest a voluntary limitation in the exercise of his power.”
“In a reconciled Christianity, such communion presupposes that the bishop of Rome’s relationship to the Eastern Churches and their bishops … would have to be substantially different from the relationship now accepted in the Latin Church,” it says.
‘Rewording’ of teachings of Vatican I
Another concrete proposal put forward by the dicastery is “a Catholic ‘re-reception,’ ‘re-interpretation,’ ‘official interpretation,’ ‘updated commentary,’ or even ‘rewording’ of the teachings of Vatican I,” particularly with regard to definitions on primacy of jurisdiction and papal infallibility.
The First Vatican Council, which took place between 1869 and 1870 under Pope Pius IX, dogmatically defined papal infallibility in the constitution Pastor Aeternus, which said that when the Roman pontiff speaks “ex cathedra,” that is, when he officially teaches in his capacity of the universal shepherd of the Church on a doctrine on a matter of faith or morals and addresses it to the entire world, the defined doctrine is irreformable.
An Anglican representative who spoke at the Vatican press conference highlighted how certain aspects of Vatican I have been a particular “stumbling block” for Angelicans.
The study document released by the Vatican pointed to how arguments have been made in ecumenical dialogue that some of the teachings of Vatican I “were deeply conditioned by their historical context” and suggested that “the Catholic Church should look for new expressions and vocabulary faithful to the original intention but integrated into a ‘communio’ ecclesiology and adapted to the current cultural and ecumenical context.”
It describes how some ecumenical dialogues “were able to clarify the wording of the dogma of infallibility and even to agree on certain aspects of its purpose, recognizing the need, in some circumstances, for a personal exercise of the teaching ministry, given that Christian unity is a unity in truth and love.”
“In spite of these clarifications, the dialogues still express concerns regarding the relation of infallibility to the primacy of the Gospel, the indefectibility of the whole Church, the exercise of episcopal collegiality and the necessity of reception,” it adds.
‘That they all may be one’
The document summarizes responses by different Christian communities to Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical on Christian unity, Ut Unum Sint (“That They All May Be One”).
In particular to the Polish pope’s invitation in the encyclical for Christian leaders and theologians to engage in a patient and fraternal dialogue on papal primacy.
“It is out of a desire to obey the will of Christ truly that I recognize that as bishop of Rome I am called to exercise that ministry. I insistently pray the Holy Spirit to shine his light upon us, enlightening all the pastors and theologians of our Churches, that we may seek — together, of course — the forms in which this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned,” John Paul II wrote.
Ut Unum Sint says that the bishop of Rome as the successor of the Apostle Peter has a “specific duty” to work for the cause of Christian unity.
The study document published by the Vatican is the result of more than three years of work summarizing some 30 responses to Ut Unum Sint and 50 ecumenical dialogue documents on the subject.
Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic experts were consulted in collaboration with the Institute for Ecumenical Studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, noted at the press conference that one of the fruits of the ecumenical theological dialogue in the past three decades has been “a renewed reading of the ‘Petrine texts,’” in which dialogue partners were invited to “consider afresh the role of Peter among the apostles.”
The Vatican notes that the “the concerns, emphases and conclusions of the different dialogues varied according to the confessional traditions involved.”
As a study document, its goal is only to offer “an objective synthesis of the ecumenical discussions” on papal primacy and “does not claim to exhaust the subject nor summarize the entire Catholic magisterium on the subject.”
Koch explained that Pope Francis gave his approval for the dicastery to publish the document, but this does not mean that the pope approved every sentence.
Ian Ernest, the director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, thanked Catholic leaders for publishing the new document, which he said, “opens up new perspectives for ecumenical relations on the much-debated question of the relationship between primacy and synodality.”
“As the p
ersonal representative of the archbishop of Canterbury, I am delighted that one of the most comprehensive and detailed responses to St. John Paul II’s invitation in Ut Unum Sint was given by the house of bishops of the Church of England in 1997,” he said.
Ernest described the Anglican Lambeth Conference and Primates’ Meeting as examples of “synodality at work,” which enable the Anglican communion “to prayerfully understand the ecumenical dialogues and new perspectives which touch on … important doctrinal aspects.”
In response to questions from journalists, Grech acknowledged that different Christian churches have different ways of conceiving synodality.
Grech noted that the synthesis report from the 2023 assembly of the Synod on Synodality asked theologians to examine “the way in which a renewed understanding of the episcopate within a synodal Church affects the ministry of the bishop of Rome and the role of the Roman Curia.”
He added that “the debate is still open” as the Church continues the synodal process with the second assembly in the fall.and synodality.”
“As the personal representative of the archbishop of Canterbury, I am delighted that one of the most comprehensive and detailed responses to St. John Paul II’s invitation in Ut Unum Sint was given by the house of bishops of the Church of England in 1997,” he said.
Ernest described the Anglican Lambeth Conference and Primates’ Meeting as examples of “synodality at work,” which enable the Anglican communion “to prayerfully understand the ecumenical dialogues and new perspectives which touch on … important doctrinal aspects.”
In response to questions from journalists, Grech acknowledged that different Christian churches have different ways of conceiving synodality.
Grech noted that the synthesis report from the 2023 assembly of the Synod on Synodality asked theologians to examine “the way in which a renewed understanding of the episcopate within a synodal Church affects the ministry of the bishop of Rome and the role of the Roman Curia.”
He added that “the debate is still open” as the Church continues the synodal process with the second assembly in the fall.
Continued
Vatican City, Nov 1, 2014 / 15:02 pm Despite continuing theological, ethical and ministerial differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the schismatic Old Catholic Conference, the two communions can continue to work together, Pope Francis counselled on Thursday.
"The theological and ecclesiological questions that arose during our separation are now more difficult to overcome due to the increasing distance between us on matters of ministry and ethical discernment," lamented Pope Francis in an Oct. 30 address to the Old Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Union of Utrecht.
However, the two Churches can continue to dialogue and cooperate in order to address spiritual crises in the world. "In the meantime, in the heart of Europe, which is so confused about its own identity and vocation, there are many areas in which Catholics and Old Catholics can collaborate in meeting the profound spiritual crisis affecting individuals and societies," the Pope said.
The Old Catholic Church is a group of Churches that separated from communion with the Catholic Church over the question of papal authority.
After the First Vatican Council, bishops in parts of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland formed a communion of Churches, later claiming apostolic succession from the Old Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht, in the Netherlands, who ordained the group's first bishop.
In the early 20th century the Union of Utrecht of Old Catholic Churches was recognized as being in full communion with the Anglican Communion. The communion accepts doctrine formed before the Great Schism in 1054 and the first seven ecumenical councils, but rejects communion with the Pope and other doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church.
In 2009, the International Roman Catholic-Old Catholic Dialogue Commission produced a report detailing the two Churches' understandings of ecclesiology, the role of the Bishop of Rome, fundamental points of agreement, and remaining open questions The Oct. 30 meeting, whose Old Catholic members were led by Archbishop Joris Vercammen of Utrecht, president of the International Old Catholic Bishops Conference, is the latest in a continuing attempt at ecumenical dialogue between the Old Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis explained that since the Second Vatican Council it " has been possible to build new bridges of a more profound mutual understanding and practical co-operation," between the Old Catholic communion and the Catholic Church.
This dialogue has led to a better identification of the differences between the two Churches, but it has also lead to the realization "that in the course of time new disagreements between us have emerged," Pope Francis continued.
In recent years, the Old Catholic Church has accepted the ordination of women.
The Pope called both Catholics and Old Catholics "to persevere in substantive theological dialogue" and to continue to pray and work together towards a deeper conversion in Christ.
In the meantime, he continued, the Churches ought to work to address the spiritual crises and needs of the world, particularly in Europe.
"There is a thirst for God," the Pope counselled. "There is a profound desire to recover a sense of purpose in life. There is an urgent need for a convincing witness to the truth and values of the Gospel."
He suggested that the two communions can "support and encourage one another, especially at the level of parishes and local communities," in helping address the spiritual difficulties facing the continent. The Old Catholic Church is a schismatic communion of churches that broke away from the Catholic Church in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries over the issue of papal authority. Because its bishops had been validly ordained, they retained the ability to ordain other bishops and priests. This was confirmed on January 3, 1987, by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Prot. no. 795/68): Among the churches which are in the same situation as the oriental churches named in can. 844 § 3 we include the Old Catholic churches in Europe and the Polish National Church in the United States of America. The Catholic Church has recognized the sacraments of the Old Catholic Church as valid and in the same category as the sacraments of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. However, the Old Catholic Church in more recent times has begun ordaining women. Since such ordinations are invalid, the Catholic Church cannot recognize any sacraments (other than baptism) as valid that a female priest performs. This issue also presents problems when it comes to valid lines of apostolic succession. A female bishop can impart ordination to neither priests nor bishops, thus rendering their ordination and sacraments also invalid (except for baptisms). As of now, I am unaware that the Old Catholic Church has ordained any female bishops, and thus its line of apostolic succession appears to still be valid. Even though the sacraments of these churches are valid (when performed by a validly ordained priest), they are still illicit, and therefore Catholics should avoid them outside a danger-of-death situation.
Latest News
News
Everything you need to know about the New English Lectionary, from Advent 2024
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has confirmed the approval by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales for the new Lectionary.
The Lectionary, which includes the scripture readings for Mass and the sacraments, will come into use in Catholic parishes in England & Wales and in Scotland from Advent 2024.
The Catholic Truth Society is proud to have been selected as the publisher of the new Lectionary. Find answers to common questions about the Lectionary and sign up to be notified when it’s ready for pre-order below.
New Catholic Lectionary: FAQs
Why is the Lectionary changing?
The lectionary is changing as part of the continuing process of revising liturgical translations. The process began with the Roman Missal in 2011 and has continued to work through all the other liturgical rites.
The changes are intended to make the biblical translations more faithful to the original languages, using better and more up-to-date biblical scholarship and to use a text which is more proclaimable.
What translation will the new Lectionary use?
The new lectionary will be using the English Standard Version – Catholic Edition of the Bible and the Abbey Psalter.
When will the Lectionary be available to pre-order?
The new Lectionary will be available to pre-order by the end of April/start of May 2024.
When will the Lectionary be in stock?
The Lectionary will be in stock in October 2024.
When will the new Lectionary need to be used?
The new Lectionary will come into force on the first Sunday of Advent 2024.
Can parishes keep using the old Lectionary?
No, parishes will need to change over to the new Lectionary on 1st December 2024.
Which countries will be using the new Lectionary?
This version will be used in England and Wales, and Scotland.
Other than the translation of Scripture, will there be any other key differences between the new Lectionary and the old one?
The lectionary will have a fully up-to-date Proper of Saints including the new universal and national feasts that have been instituted since the publication of the last lectionary.
Will CTS also be producing the Book of the Gospels?
Yes, CTS will produce a book of the Gospels in a leather-bound, as well as a more finely bound Processional Edition for larger parishes and cathedrals.
How many volumes will the new lectionary be?
The new lectionary is currently set to consist of 4 volumes:
Sundays, Solemnities, Feasts of the Lord.
Weekdays: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time (weeks 1-9), Lent, Easter.
Proper of Saints: December – May, Commons.
Weekdays: Ordinary Time (6-34).
Proper of Saints: June – November, Commons.
Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, Votive Masses, Masses for the Dead.
How many editions will be produced?
There will be three different sizes of the lectionary: a full-size Ambo Edition, a much smaller Chapel Edition for use in small chapels, and a Study Edition for liturgy and homily preparation.
How much money is the Lectionary likely to cost?
Ambo Edition: £695
Chapel Edition: £395
Study Edition: £250
Do parishes need to replace their Altar Missal?
No. Your Altar Missal remains unchanged. However, People’s Missals will need to be replaced.
Latest News
Belgian bishops have published a new document on the pastoral care of Catholics who identify as LGBT, including a text for blessing same-sex couples.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/belgian-bishops-signal-approval-of-same-sex-blessings/https://www.pillarcatholic.com/belgian-bishops-signal-approval-of-same-sex-blessings/
Pope Francis “united in prayer” with Outreach LGBTQ Catholic conference
ttps://outreach.faith/2024/08/pope-francis-united-in-prayer-with-outreach-lgbtq-catholic-conference/
A new book of prayers for laypeople ministering to the sick could be on its way
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252797/a-new-book-of-prayers-for-lay-people-ministering-to-the-sick-could-be-on-its-way?fbclid=IwAR27ZW_Yk-YLtqqj16P6DCY5ZD4w3pquv5l73Ir62Gntxlj3oC1jMsBd-jE/
Declaration of Friendship signed at Dunfermline Abbey bewteen the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church 16th Nov
https://archedinburgh.org/st-margaret-declaration-we-are-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ/?fbclid=IwAR27VCLAljpe5eoW6Ll8mqSrtCRmFyiXvZYmG2k7u3b5oUMk-kcC36YY0do
Why Catholics and Orthodox might once again celebrate Easter on the same date
Let Pray for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, Syria, Palestinians and Israelis,Yemen, peoples at risk of famine, especially in Afghanistan and in the countries of the Horn of Africa. The people of the Middle East. At home enjoy gathering with our loved ones, let us think of families that experience great hardship and those that, in this time of economic crisis, are struggling as a result of unemployment and lacking in the necessities of life.
Holy Communion from the chalice reintroduced in the UK:
The bishops of England and Wales announced this week that the distribution of holy Communion from the chalice during Mass will resume starting Holy Thursday.
The U.K. bishops’ announcement comes after COVID-19 transmission concerns caused a three-year hiatus in the use of the chalice to distribute Communion.
Auxiliary Bishop John Sherrington of the Archdiocese of Westminster explained in a letter to priests that the resumption of Communion through the chalice on Holy Thursday allows pastors a period to educate the faithful on the importance of Communion in both forms.
“The period leading up to Holy Thursday presents an opportunity for appropriate catechesis of the faithful regarding the significance of the reception of holy Communion under either or both species,” Sherrington wrote.
“Important teaching, such as the totality of the body, blood, soul, and divinity of the Lord is received in either or both species, the personal disposition of those receiving holy Communion, and the reverence offered to the Blessed Sacrament should be included,” he wrote.
The bishops’ announcement has been met with enthusiasm in the U.K.
“I understood and supported the temporary withdrawal of the chalice on health grounds, but it still felt like a loss,” said Father Philip Dyer-Perry, a parish priest at the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Staines, England. “There is so much richness in understanding the Eucharist not only as food but also as drink.”
LGBTQ+
St. Sebastian's Independent Catholic Church. LGBTQ Spirituality Community Welcomes You! We are an inclusive, caring, and supportive Catholic community providing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning persons and their families the opportunity to explore and express their Catholic Christian spirituality in a safe, non-judgmental, and nurturing community of shared faith and concern. We seek to have conversations with one another and with our Churches that are charitable and just, informed by love, compassion, respect, and understanding. Our integration with our church achieved in prayer, sacraments, community, and service. We strive to meet and accompany persons, wherever they are in life or on their spiritual journey, inclusive of each individual as one of “us” and never as someone “other.” Know that the Lord is God who made us, to whom we belong. We are God’s people, the sheep of God’s flock. —Psalm 100 Jesus commanded us, “Feed my Lambs….Feed my Sheep.” —John: 21 It is our goal that all LGBTQ persons may grow in love and hope, grace and fulfillment through participation in this ministry. Our activities include open discussion groups, family support meetings, social and prayerful gatherings, and speakers.
We offer Same - Sex blessingsLGBTQ+
We offer same sex Blessings for couples joining together in matrimony “St Sebastian's Independent Catholic Church is welcoming church is source of peace and shared happiness”. to all God's children. We Preform marriages for all with the right prescibed by the church. If we love one another, God will live in us in perfect love.
Meesage from Pope Francis
St Sebastian Unoffical patron saint of Lgbtq+ community
Nothing is known about St Sebastian except the fact that he was martyred early on in the persecutions of Diocletian. St Ambrose knew of him and states that he was already venerated in Milan in the fourth century. One of the seven chief churches of Rome was built over his grave in 367.
All else (his youth, his martyrdom by arrows) is fiction, some of it dating from more than a thousand years after his death. But what we know is what we need to know. For the Christians of the fourth century the important, the true, the sufficient fact about Sebastian was that he was a martyr, and they venerated him as such. It should be enough for us as well.
Prayer:
Lord,
fill us with that spirit of courage
which gave your martyr Sebastian?
strength to offer his life in faithful witness.
Help us to learn from him to cherish your law
and obey you rather than men.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
‘unified date’ for Easter in East and West
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 4, 2024 / 10:15 am
The Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople has expressed a desire that Christians in the East and the West begin celebrating Easter on a “unified date” rather than adhere to separate Lenten calendars.
“It is a scandal to celebrate separately the unique event of the one resurrection of the one Lord,” Patriarch Bartholomew I, who holds the title “first among equals” in Eastern Orthodoxy, said in a recent homily, according to Orthodox Times.
The ecumenical patriarch made the comments during a homily on March 31, which marked Easter on the Western calendar and the second Sunday of Lent on the Eastern calendar.
“We extend a heartfelt greeting of love to all Christians around the world who celebrate holy Easter today,” Bartholomew said during the homily. “We beseech the Lord of Glory that the forthcoming Easter celebration next year will not merely be a fortuitous occurrence but rather the beginning of a unified date for its observance by both Eastern and Western Christianity.”
The ecumenical patriarch noted that the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople sent representatives to Christian communities who celebrated Easter on March 31 “to extend our heartfelt wishes.” He also said this effort is “particularly significant” because the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicea of 325 is approaching. That meeting took place at a time when the Eastern and Western Churches were in full communion with each other.
“Among [the Council of Nicea’s] pivotal discussions was the matter of establishing a common time frame for the Easter festivities,” Bartholomew said. “We are optimistic, as there is goodwill and willingness on both sides.”
Pope Francis has also expressed his intent to reach an agreement to establish a common date for Easter. In 2015, the pontiff said the two churches “have to come to an agreement.”
The pontiff similarly said that disunity is a scandal and joked that Christians could say to one another: “When did Christ rise from the dead? My Christ rose today, and yours next week.”
The Roman Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, in the late 16th century. This replaced the Julian calendar, which was enacted in the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C.
The Gregorian calendar was eventually adopted by most of the world as the standard calendar because its revision of leap years more adequately accounted for the revolution of Earth around the sun than the Julian calendar did, ensuring the dates more accurately reflected the seasons.
In the Eastern Church, however, the liturgical calendar remained based on the Julian calendar for several more centuries. In the 20th century, most Orthodox churches adopted a revised version of the Julian calendar.
Some Orthodox churches still adhere to the old Julian calendar, including the largest patriarchate, Moscow. Adherence to either the old Julian calendar or the revised version lead to major feasts like Christmas and Easter falling on different days than adherents to the Gregorian calendar.
Any revision of the calendar by Patriarch Bartholomew would likely be rejected by the Moscow Patriarchate, which excommunicated Bartholomew in 2018 amid disputes about the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
‘The truth that has been given to us’: Norway’s Bishop Varden on speaking about sexuality
Vatican City, Apr 5, 2023 / 10:30 am
In March, the bishops of the five Nordic countries issued a pastoral letter affirming the Catholic Church’s teaching on human sexuality.
“This covenantal sign, the rainbow, is claimed in our time as the symbol of a movement that is at once political and cultural,” the bishops wrote. “We declare dissent, however, when the movement puts forward a view of human nature that abstracts from the embodied integrity of personhood, as if physical gender were accidental.”
Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim, Norway, spoke to CNA about the role of a bishop and why the Nordic bishops’ conference chose to publish a letter on sexuality and transgenderism at this time.
“Obviously the topic has been on our radar for a long time, as it has been on anyone’s radar,” Varden said via phone call last week. “The importance of saying something constructive has been obvious to us.”
The bishops discussed the issue at their fall 2022 meeting, and one member wrote a draft letter that was discussed at their March assembly.
“We were substantially in agreement about what we wanted to say and how we wanted to say it,” he said. “In terms of the substance I think we were entirely agreed.”
He said the pastoral letter was written for the people of their dioceses.
“But I suppose it’s part of this whole synodal dynamic,” he added. “The point is that everyone’s voice should be heard. We felt that we had something that we wanted and needed to contribute to an ongoing debate.”
Varden, 48, is a Trappist monk and spiritual writer. He was consecrated bishop of Trondheim, in central Norway, in 2020.
He noted that in discussions of gender and sexuality, “everything is subjectivized” and focused on people’s individual stories and wounds — giving the idea that everyone “has his or her own truth.”
“What we wanted to make clear was simply that we’re not sending this letter as eight individual blokes who agreed on something and then decided to make this known to the world,” he explained, “but that we have been commissioned to a teaching ministry, and that ministry isn’t about spouting our own opinions but about teaching and expounding as clearly as we can the truth that has been given to us.”
“The notion of the deposit of faith is very deep in the Christian understanding of transmission. It’s an extremely helpful reminder of what a bishop’s task is, which is to keep this deposit, which is vast and expansive, and introduce people to the richness contained in it.”
Talking about the truth
The bishops’ pastoral letter was read aloud at Masses the weekend of March 25 and 26 at Catholic churches in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland.
Varden said the bishops were surprised by the range of interest the letter provoked.
“The letter is longer than the average homily, so it was a bit of a Lenten mortification for the faithful” to have it read at Mass, he said. “But they accepted it very graciously.”
He said questions about sexuality are on everyone’s mind these days, especially given their prevalence in the media. Part of the reception of the letter was “a sense of relief that we could talk about it.”
“Part of our desire was to create an environment in which to talk about it without polemics,” he explained. The discussion, he added, has to be “grounded in faith, in Scripture, in Christology,” the study of the person of Jesus Christ.
“From a Christian point of view, anthropology divorced from Christology limps and is incomplete. And when the Church speaks about these issues, she needs to speak from what is her particular treasure of insight, which is a Christocentric insight.”
Though the Church’s teaching on sexuality is not always an easy thing to bring up, Varden said he hopes people will nonetheless talk about it around the dinner table.
“That’s another really important thing,” he said, “that we talk across generations about these things. Different generations speak different languages, but when it comes to issues of sexuality, when there’s a massive culture shift, there’s a risk we talk past each other.”
He said the bishops cannot force people to have these conversations, but they can invite them to.
“It’s hard to talk about, that’s why we need to practice,” he underlined.
“There’s a spiritual motif of the opportune time, and it is important to try to find the opportune time,” the bishop advised, also encouraging the use of tact.
He also said the discourse should be rooted in what it means to be a human and what it means to be the Church.
“Our times try to isolate this topic and discuss it in a bubble. This ends up being both complicating and limiting. As we point out in the letter, a purely secular take on sexuality is necessarily different from a Christian take on it because we’re dealing with very, very different understandings of what it means to be alive and what it means to be a human.”
“We have to be at the same time lucid and delicate. That’s the balance to aim for,” he said.
What’s next
Varden said when issuing the letter, the bishops hoped it would be a catalyst for further discussion in families, groups, and parishes.
“A lot will depend on local initiatives,” he said. “There’s a bit of a risk that pastoral letters from bishops aren’t what people will keep reading during the year.”
In the Diocese of Trondheim, Varden has encouraged his priests and catechists to incorporate the letter’s content into their preaching, teaching, and work with young people.
Varden will also be producing a series of weekly five- to 10-minute podcast episodes in English on sexuality and other topics. They will be available via online streaming after Easter.
He said he will be returning to the topic in some of his other talks and catechesis as well.
The bishop will also publish a book this summer on related topics and “spelling out the implications of what the bishops have said.”
“I met the other night a group of students and we sat around the table talking about chastity, of all things, and it’s just great to be able to do that in a way that isn’t merely prescriptive but is faith- and theology-based and grounded in real questions and real complexities,” he said.
Catholics have to talk about this topic “simply because it’s fundamental.”
What We Believe
How can I know for sure that God exists when I cannot see him?
Take a look around you. Maybe you are at a computer screen, and you have just flicked through emails or various websites. Outside it’s pouring with rain but there’s a glimmer of sunshine in the distance. Cars going past, police-sirens wailing, something’s cooking in the kitchen and the waft is seeping up your nose. You feel a little anxious because you haven’t done that assignment and there’s something good on telly in ten minutes’ time.
A typical experience for many of us! But how has it got anything to do with the existence of God?
Thinking it through…
“How can I believe in God when just last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of an electric typewriter?” Woody Allen once asked. An extreme example to illustrate a quite serious point: we are not always thinking about God’s existence. Everyday (or not-so-everyday!) occurrences constantly crop up that stop us thinking about such ‘big questions’ as “Who am I?”, “What is the purpose of my life?”, “Is there purpose in my life?”, “Why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?”.
But the fact that you have been able to even ask these types of question tells us a very important thing: we are able to think and reflect about our surroundings. Even apes can’t do that…
And doing so means that we can think about how we got here in the first place.
But I’ve never seen God…
Some people say, “God cannot be proved, so he cannot exist”. That’s a weak argument. If I have not been to America, does that mean America is not there? I rely on others to inform me. What about great acts of love? Can I ‘see’ the love? No, what I see (for example) is a mother looking after her child, a couple walking slowly together, a heroic act to grab someone from a fire. These are acts of love. I cannot ‘see’ love, but I can deduce it from observing such acts.
We know that God exists because we can detect the signs in the universe. There is an overall order to things. That cannot be put down to chance. And how did it all begin? With God!
Apart from thinking about God’s existence from the signs of his presence in the world, we can also reflect on our own deepest longings. All of us, deep down, crave happiness, contentment, joy, fulfilment and peace. Yet our lives are often so unhappy, they lack contentment, the joys can be fleeting, and our fulfilments left wanting. This is, harsh as it may seem, a normal experience. We are made for nothing less than a life of total fulfilment in God. The great Saint Augustine of Hippo once said that, “You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (Confessions, 1,1). The Christian faith tells us that we are never going to be completely happy on this earth. Instead, by turning in faith and trust to Christ, he will satisfy our deepest longings in a mysterious way.
The Big Bang theory and God
God is the creator of everything. The ‘Big Bang’ theory is a good hypothesis of what could have happened when God created the universe. And it was a Catholic priest, Mgr Georges Lemaître, who proposed it!
But no matter how the universe and everything in it developed, something or someone must have put it there in the first place. We call that something or someone ‘God’.
https://youtu.be/s4CRvAPzxjI
For Your Name Is Holy - I Enter The Holy of Holies - Paul Wilbur - Lyrics - YouTube
vocation
- All
- Formation and Education
- How do I Know God is Calling Me?
- The Call to Priesthood
- What do I next?
- What is God intending for me? Each vocation is a call to follow Christ. The lifestyle and demands of each particular vocation are very different, but there are some common threads. Each vocation is a commitment to love in a certain way, and to draw closer to others – whether that closeness is through marriage or service or prayer. Each vocation challenges us to live our faith more deeply and to follow Christ more closely. Each vocation, if it is lived generously, will involve times of deep happiness and joy. Each vocation, if it is lived faithfully, will almost inevitably involve moments of great suffering and sacrifice. We should not think that one vocation is easier than another. Genuine love always costs a great deal, and brings great rewards. In one sense, to make a commitment to lifelong celibacy as a priest or consecrated person seems like a more radical choice, because it pulls us away from the natural joys of family life. But to live an authentic Christian marriage today, and to uphold Christian values in family life, requires enormous courage and commitment – it ‘costs’ as much, if not more, than celibacy. It is not wise to compare the value of different vocations, but to appreciate the value of each one, and to discover which one is right for you. The important thing is to set out for yourself and see. (Photo: mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk)
- Steps in Discernment
- Training
- Prayers for Vocations
St patrick's seminary
Confessional Training
This will be with your mentor, who will ‘role-play’ some scenarios that you may encounter when hearing confessions.
Spiritual Leadership
You will need to develop your own style, but every priest is a Spiritual leader and guide. Watch other priests taking worship, celebrating Eucharist, or dealing with people. Try and learn as much as you can from observing what and how they do it.
Public Speaking
Skill You will need to be able to speak competently in public, for example to speak when leading worship or taking meetings. Practice this skill with your mentor, and you will be assessed on this.
Skill at Holding a Service
You will need to be able to competently hold services of Mass, Benediction and Services of Blessing. Practice doing this at home and with your mentor; you will be assessed on this.
Prayer Delivery
You will need to be able to lead others in prayer, and to be able to pray in public and when others are listening to you. Practice this in your own home but take each opportunity that arises to pray openly in public.
Study Units
You will need to answer all the following questions unless exemption is granted by virtue of prior learning or experience. The preferred method is word-processed document or email as they can be done at any time and sent to your mentor for assessment, however those with special needs may be able to deliver their answers verbally.
Study One – Salvation
So, what exactly is Salvation?
1. ‘We are each responsible for our own salvation’. Comment.
2. How much does our belief of salvation drive us to be ‘our brother’s keeper’?
3. Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. Discuss
4. If we are 'saved' can we 'lose' our salvation?
Is Salvation a response? Or a reward?
5. Is salvation a reward for a sinless life?
6. Argue for and against salvation being a response to our belief in Jesus.
7. How does the contemporary world view salvation?
8. How can we bring others to salvation? And should we, do it? Discuss.
Study Two – Confession
1. How will you prepare yourself to hear a confession?
2. A confessional commands the utmost confidentiality. During a confession, you hear something very serious indeed which is either a crime that has been committed, or one soon to be committed. How will you decide: What, How much, Who to and the manner in which you divulge anything, whilst keeping confidence and also acting in a safeguarding role?
3. Is a corporate, congregational confession less effective or worthy than a private confession?
4. Write an essay as a commentary on the following: ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we confess our sins God will forgive us’.
Study Three – What does 'Real Presence' mean?
1. Give an outline of what is happening during Mass.
2. Many Protestant, Evangelical or Pentecostal Christians deny the Real Presence as understood by many Catholics. Yet they will recount Jesus’ words saying: ‘Wherever one or two are gathered in my Name, I will be there with them’. Explore the differences and similarities between these views.
Study Four - Church
-in general
1. Explain the role of scripture in the mass.
2. Explain why a priest should be present at mass. Is communion among friends less effective if a priest is not there?
3. We are called to baptise those who Christ calls. Is total immersion the only way to baptise? Explain using examples from the Bible and your own experience.
-about OLSSCC
4. How can the Theology of Salvation be brought in Healing (Unction)?
5. In an essay, describe how healing works.
6. How does the Holy Spirit empower in sacrament?
7. Being a priest is about the sacramental; being a pastor is about practical serving: is it as simple as that?
8. The church’s liturgical year carries what significance for the modern priesthood?
Study Five - The Practical Priesthood
1. Aren’t priests and deacon’s the same thing? You answered this in the pastors training course. How do you answer now?
2. When someone has come to you for help or advice, when and how do you involve others in this duty of care?
3. Expound the concept of 'care of souls' and explain how you will exercise this in your priesthood.
4. Upon ordination, you will be a priest forever. Why is this?
5. Explain what each vestment is and the meanings of the vestments. What secular roles wear vestments? How are vestments different from uniforms
Upon reaching a suitable point; after prayer and discussion with your mentor and your bishop, an appointment to the priesthood will be made. A date will be set for an ordination service and a licence outlining the ministry which will be followed. Our Lady & St Sebastain’s Catholic Church will then support and encourage that serving and support you in it.
Learning never ends, being a priest is always a 'work in progress' and you will be no different. 'We never arrive but the joy is in the journey....' Patriarch Kieran OLSSCC.
Why Sacraments?
What's up with Sacraments? Find out by listening to the 24-minute audio presentation above.
What the Saints say about the Sacraments
The Sacraments are the salvation of those who use them rightly, and the damnation of those who misuse them.
- St. Augustine
No one is sanctified except him who is united to the Church.
- St. Prosper of Aquitaine
The Church is built on the rock of Peter, and he who eats the Lamb outside this holy dwelling is reprobate .... He who eats the Lamb outside this Apostolic See has no part with God!
- Bl. Pope Pius IX
Whoever eats the Lamb outside this House is profane.
- St. Jerome
Baptism
https://youtu.be/wv5GyWJaQ-Q
Confession
https://youtu.be/CDyMHg8HkSE
Holy Eucharist
https://youtu.be/QcB7Uem00n4
Confirmation
https://youtu.be/Lu3MoT_egFI
Holy Matrimony (Marriage)
https://youtu.be/yjwPsZaK4Do
Bible
https://www.usccb.org/offices/new-american-bible/study-materials
https://www.usccb.org/bible/understanding-the-bible
https://www.usccb.org/offices/new-american-bible/liturgy
https://www.usccb.org/offices/new-american-bible/study-materials
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
Compendium OF THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
https://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html
CODES OF CANON LAW
https://www.vatican.va/archive/cdc/index.htm
ECUMENICAL COUNCILS
https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/index.htm
OFFICIAL ACTS OF THE HOLY SEE |
| https://www.oikoumene.org/ |
https://www.vatican.va/archive/atti-ufficiali-santa-sede/index_en.htm
JUSTICE & PEACE
COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html
Gallery
INTERCOMMUNION AGREEMENTS'
⛪ Eglise Catholique Libérale Unie
⛪ Apostolic Catholic Church
Links
children's Liturgy Resources
Who is God?
What is the Church?
The Church is the community of believers in Jesus Christ, united with the Pope. Christ did not leave his earliest followers – the apostles and other disciples – alone. He sent his Holy Spirit to be with us until the end of time, when he will come again. United “in the power of the Holy Spirit”, we are members of the Church and continually inspired by the same Spirit to “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News” (Mark 16,15) of the salvation brought by Jesus Christ.
We become members of this great body through baptism. Thanks to the power of baptism, which, freeing us from sin and making us children of God, bestows upon us the Holy Spirit, we are united with the entire Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – in a powerful way even on this side of the grave. In fact, the Church is sometimes called the Mystical Body of Christ, to signify its intimate connection with Christ with whom it remains one, under the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christ said to St Peter, “You are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my Church” (Matthew 16,18). Through the laying-on of hands, the successors of St Peter (the Pope) and of the other apostles (the Bishops) receive the divine mandate to act as pastors on behalf of Christ’s faithful. That succession has never been broken.
The Church grew, under the influence of the same Holy Spirit. In the early days the Church consisted of small pockets of believers dotted around the eastern Mediterranean. But as time went on, it became easier for Christians to become established.
It is tempting to think that the Church is for ‘holy’ people – bishops, priests, nuns. This is not the case. The whole point of Christ’s coming was to save us all for eternal life in heaven. We need people to be active in the Church so that the whole body of believers will be united under Christ, the head. That mission is for everyone. After all, Christ commanded his apostles (and therefore he instructed the Church too), to “Go out to all the nations … baptising in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have told you” while knowing that he is with us always, “until the end of time” (Matthew 28,19-20).
The Church offers the sacraments as one of the chief means to help us on the way. Another gift is the Bible (also called the Sacred Scriptures).
But none of this will make any sense unless we admit to ourselves that we need Christ. And if we need Christ, then we need his Church, since the two cannot be separated.
The Saints
We need to be holy. Not ‘Holy Joes’, or ‘Holier-than-thous’ who look down on everyone else. Holiness means trying, with God’s help, to become what God is asking us to be. For that task, we have the weapons given to the Church, through the apostles, by Christ. Those weapons are the sacraments and the word of God (the Bible, the Sacred Scriptures) sustain us in our efforts to become holy.
And there’s more: the Church is made up of a countless number, both visible and invisible, living and dead. The angels (pure spiritual beings) and saints (those who have gone before us in the way of holiness) are there to help us. Together with the angels and saints in heaven and the souls in purgatory, we all make up the ‘Communion of Saints’.
The Communion of Saints is a huge number of witnesses to Christ, “impossible to count”, says the book of Revelation (Revelation 7,9) who are enjoying the presence of God and each other forever. And they want us there with them.
The ‘Universal Call to Holiness’
“Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5,48) says Our Lord to those who would listen to him. This is a call to all of us: the wholehearted devotion to God’s glory and to the needs of our neighbour. It is nothing short of an invitation to holiness. To be holy means to live out our lives to the ‘full potential’ for which we were created. Holiness means to become more Christ-like every day. All of us need to become holy if we are to become like Christ and inherit eternal life. The challenge is nothing short of that!
Getting to know a saint or two
What better way to help us than the example of the saints themselves? There are thousands upon thousands of them. Some are officially recognised by the Church to be in heaven: these are the ‘canonised’ saints.There are the big guns like St Peter, St Paul and St John. These are the apostles who lived with Jesus. St Peter was the first Pope, St Paul brought the Gospel to uncharted territories, St John was the ‘Beloved Disciple, who wrote a Gospel, some letters and the book of Revelation (the Apocalypse). St Mary Magdalene and St Martha are also great figures of the Gospels. St Mary Magdalene, St Martha.
Other saints down the ages light up the history of the Church: St Augustine, St Athanasius, St Mary of Egypt, St Cecilia being examples from the early period.
There are saints famous for their theology: St Thomas Aquinas, St Catherine of Siena. Others are famous for founding great religious orders: St Benedict, St Francis, St Dominic. Others still are famous for their missionary zeal: St Ignatius Loyola, St Francis Xavier.
Still more inspire us to pray more: St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross.
Then there are the martyrs of England, put to death for refusing to accept the authority of the King or Queen over that of the pope in the 16th and 17th centuries. Some, such as St John Plessington or Blessed Thomas Holford, were priests, and brought the Mass to communities in secret. Others, such as St Margaret Ward and St Margaret Clitheroe, were brave laypeople who would rather sacrifice their lives rather than their fidelity to the truth.
There are patron saints of families (St Maximilian Kolbe, St Joseph), of students (St Jerome, St Joseph of Cupertino), of the unemployed (St Cajetan), of shepherdesses (St Bernadette), of actresses (St Pelagia), of astronauts, of flour merchants, of glovermakers, of printers, of politicians…
Get to know a saint. Start with your own patron (your name-saint), if you have one. Look him or her up. Speak to your saint. Ask him or her for guidance. They will, even immediately, be of immense value on your road to holiness.
Who Am I?
Deep within us, we sense that all is not as it should be. Even the most happy occasions can leave us not quite satisfied. We can easily feel isolated, even among a crowd of friends.
That is because we have an inbuilt yearning for eternity. Through prayer and reflection, we begin to recognise this thirst, and come to realise that we achieve true greatness not through success in the ordinary sense of the term, but through the gift of ourselves. That is because God, in whose image and likeness we are made, is himself in relation. He does not exist ‘for himself’. We too are like that: we are created to look beyond our immediate concerns and towards the needs of others. That is what love is. The more we are aware of this, the more our lives will make sense and in fact become fulfilled.
Life is not aimless. It has a purpose. God sent his Son into the world to die for me. I have an infinite value and am loved unconditionally by God. The task is to recognise that and do something about it! How?
The Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman said, “Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning”. And therein lies the task – to make something of our lives. For a Christian, that ‘making something of our lives’ has an extra flavour, a greater impulse than the drive for mere ‘success’ understood in conventual terms. The call is to offer ourselves back to God who created us and loves us, in a way which he desires for our greatest happiness. He has a great plan for each one of us.
A mission for me
Cardinal Newman also wrote the following, which underlines the point:
God knows me and calls me by my name.…?
God has created me to do Him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission—I never may know it in this life,?but I shall be told it in the next.
Somehow I am necessary for His purposes…?
I have a part in this great work;?
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection
between persons.?
He has not created me for naught. I shall do good,
I shall do His work;?
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
in my own place, while not intending it,?
if I do but keep His commandments?and serve Him in my calling.
Therefore I will trust Him.?
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.?
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;?
In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.?
My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be
necessary causes of some great end,
which is quite beyond us.
He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life,?
He may shorten it;?
He knows what He is about.?
He may take away my friends,?
He may throw me among strangers,
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink, hide the future from me
—?still He knows what He is about.…
Let me be Thy blind instrument.
I ask not to see—?I ask not to know—I ask simply to be used.?
from Meditations and Devotions,?”Meditations on Christian Doctrine,” “Hope in God—Creator”, March 7th 1848
That just about sums up who I am.
(Photo: mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk)
Prayer and spirituality
Prayer and Spirituality
Prayer is a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. It takes many forms, but, through the “raising of the mind and the heart” to our Creator, we remain in communion with him. God unceasingly calls us to this encounter with him, and the prayer of mankind has risen to heaven throughout the history of salvation. Abraham prayed, Jacob “wrestled with God”, Moses implored on behalf of the people, King David prayed, lamenting his sins and in praise of the Lord. The prophets prayed, “zealously seeking the face of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2595), the people of God prayed. In the Old Testament, the Psalms are the masterpiece of all. They are suitable for people of all times and places. In the New Testament, the prayer of Christ is the model of all prayer. In a loving adherence to his Father’s will, Christ teaches us how to have an attitude of great trust in how we pray. He also answers all prayers addressed to himself. The prayers of the Virgin Mary are characterised by her loving obedience in the Fiat and the offering of her whole being in faith in the great hymn of the Magnificat. The Church comes together collectively to pray and worship God. This is very often in the context of liturgy, or public prayer of the people. But we must also learn to pray as individuals, so as to nurture the life-giving relationship that God wishes to extend to us.
Read More
Faith and Spirituality
I believe in one God The Catholic faith is the body of belief held by Catholics. It has been revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who leaves it for us as our means of salvation. Speaking to his Father in the power of the Holy Spirit just before he died on the Cross, Christ exclaimed, “Father, … this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17,3). Such knowledge is the purpose of every Catholic’s existence. It is left to the Church as the deposit of faith, consisting of everything taught to the apostles by Our Lord and passed on by the same apostles. Built on the foundation stones of Saint Peter and the apostles, with Christ as the cornerstone, and commanded by Our Lord to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28,19), the Church has a divine mandate to pass the faith on, to catechise, in a way that is faithful to the Tradition established by Christ and guaranteed by the Magisterium of the Church to be true. The knowledge that the Catholic faith gives is not, however, a merely intellectual knowledge. More importantly, it gives us a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Through soaking ourselves in the faith of the Church, we become holy, and inspired to live not just for ourselves but for God and for our neighbour. This is the purpose of our existence. We also know, through the gift of faith, that this earthly life is a preparation ground for the bliss of heaven. So knowing God by faith can inspire us to live for him at every moment, despite the problems we all face, because we know that he is waiting for us in heaven. And the good news is that all men and women are destined for heaven, where, as Saint Augustine of Hippo said, “There will be no more sorrow or trials”, and where we will see God face-to-face. Faith offers us the exciting prospect of conversing with God, in learning and understanding his ways. When we start on this journey God reveals himself little by little, teaching us that he is close. In fact, our faith tells us, God is so close that he actually lives within us. In this section, many topics are introduced. The aim is not to give an exhaustive account, but rather to offer an introduction to the main teachings of the Church. Links are also provided to external sites where you can find out more. Indeed it is worth bearing in mind the reason why it is a good idea to think about what we believe: we need to understand our tradition in order to dialogue with today’s culture. Photo from English Martyrs’ Church, Wallasey, courtesy of Alex Ramsay.
Read More
Liturgy
The word Liturgy literally means work of the people, within the Catholic Church it is used to describe all the public acts of worship that take place, as it draws the people into the work of God. Liturgy is in many ways the public face or shop front of the Church, it is through the liturgy that people engage with the faith and deepen their relationship with God. ‘Liturgy is not an event that depends on good ideas and great songs. No one makes up or invents a liturgy. It is something that grew over millennia of faith.’ YOUCAT (paragraph 167) Liturgy is the divine worship of the Church and includes the celebration of Mass, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the Divine Office or Daily Prayer of the Church. The celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and so all other liturgies flow from and to the celebration of Mass. Liturgy is not just the words that are said, it is much much more than that. Through the liturgy we encounter God, and our united with our brothers and sisters across the world as the Universal Church. Over these pages each of the major liturgies of the Church will be explored. (Photo: St Gabriel News and Media)
Read MoreWho is God?
Is God an old man with a beard sitting in the clouds surrounded by choirs of harp-playing angels? Or is he a stern figure looking down from on high, waiting angrily for us to slip up? Many people think that he is like that, or something similar. It is hardly surprising then, that there’s a lot of confusion out there about God’s identity. It is easy to form our own ideas about him without basing those thoughts on what is actually reasonable. We can get a little bit suspicious, especially if we have come from a Catholic background where, for example, we feel that we were forced to go to Mass as a child. The chances are that our idea of God will be through the lens of a childhood duty to please our parents, or to do as we are told. We may well look a little bit suspiciously at God and everything to do with him. So just what, or who, is God? To start with, God is not just ‘there’, as a kind of impassive mover, like a watchmaker winding everything up and letting it run. Above all, God is a person. And people relate to one another. Therefore, God relates to me. It is perhaps this fact about God that causes so much difficulty today: we cannot see him, so how can anyone relate to him, especially if he is so stern? God is love Christians believe that God is love. That means that he has an interest beyond himself. We see that above all in the doctrine (teaching) about the Trinity. The Trinity is the central Christian doctrine. It teaches us that God, as love, is Father, Son and Holy Spirit: three Divine Persons, distinct from one another, yet one God. God, since he made us, knows what it is like to be human. And he loves us. And he loves us so much that he has decided to “get involved”, as it were, to get us all back to live with him forever. He does that by coming as Man. And so the Son comes as one of us, a divine person with a human nature – fully God, fully man – as Jesus Christ. So when we are talking about Christ, we are talking about God. His task was to free us from our sins and give us the possibility of inheriting everlasting life. He did that by dying on the Cross and rising again. Building a relationship with God We get to know Christ in many ways: in the sacraments, in the Bible, in each other. The more we make use of the sacraments, familiarise ourselves with the Bible, and work for the good of other people, the more we know and love Christ. Much of the above takes faith and hard work. We are dealing with a mystery, but not irrationality. We begin our journeys back to God by becoming his children through baptism into the Church, his body on earth. In the Church we are given the best possible chance of getting to know and deepening our love for him who so wants us with him. So our faith tells us that God was made visible in the Person of Christ Jesus. That is to say, God is most definitely not an old man in the clouds, but someone who bridges the gap between eternity and time and becoming one with us, one of us. Is God an old man with a beard sitting in the clouds surrounded by choirs of harp-playing angels? Or is he a stern figure looking down from on high, waiting angrily for us to slip up? Many people think that he is like that, or something similar. It is hardly surprising then, that there’s a lot of confusion out there about God’s identity. It is easy to form our own ideas about him without basing those thoughts on what is actually reasonable. We can get a little bit suspicious, especially if we have come from a Catholic background where, for example, we feel that we were forced to go to Mass as a child. The chances are that our idea of God will be through the lens of a childhood duty to please our parents, or to do as we are told. We may well look a little bit suspiciously at God and everything to do with him. So just what, or who, is God? To start with, God is not just ‘there’, as a kind of impassive mover, like a watchmaker winding everything up and letting it run. Above all, God is a person. And people relate to one another. Therefore, God relates to me. It is perhaps this fact about God that causes so much difficulty today: we cannot see him, so how can anyone relate to him, especially if he is so stern? God is love Christians believe that God is love. That means that he has an interest beyond himself. We see that above all in the doctrine (teaching) about the Trinity. The Trinity is the central Christian doctrine. It teaches us that God, as love, is Father, Son and Holy Spirit: three Divine Persons, distinct from one another, yet one God. God, since he made us, knows what it is like to be human. And he loves us. And he loves us so much that he has decided to “get involved”, as it were, to get us all back to live with him forever. He does that by coming as Man. And so, the Son comes as one of us, a divine person with a human nature – fully God, fully man – as Jesus Christ. So, when we are talking about Christ, we are talking about God. His task was to free us from our sins and give us the possibility of inheriting everlasting life. He did that by dying on the Cross and rising again. Building a relationship with God We get to know Christ in many ways: in the sacraments, in the Bible, in each other. The more we make use of the sacraments, familiarise ourselves with the Bible, and work for the good of other people, the more we know and love Christ. Much of the above takes faith and hard work. We are dealing with a mystery, but not irrationality. We begin our journeys back to God by becoming his children through baptism into the Church, his body on earth. In the Church we are given the best possible chance of getting to know and deepening our love for him who so wants us with him. So our faith tells us that God was made visible in the Person of Christ Jesus. That is to say, God is most definitely not an old man in the clouds, but someone who bridges the gap between eternity and time and becoming one with us, one of us. Is God an old man with a beard sitting in the clouds surrounded by choirs of harp-playing angels? Or is he a stern figure looking down from on high, waiting angrily for us to slip up? Many people think that he is like that, or something similar. It is hardly surprising then, that there’s a lot of confusion out there about God’s identity. It is easy to form our own ideas about him without basing those thoughts on what is actually reasonable. We can get a little bit suspicious, especially if we have come from a Catholic background where, for example, we feel that we were forced to go to Mass as a child. The chances are that our idea of God will be through the lens of a childhood duty to please our parents, or to do as we are told. We may well look a little bit suspiciously at God and everything to do with him. So just what, or who, is God? To start with, God is not just ‘there’, as a kind of impassive mover, like a watchmaker winding everything up and letting it run. Above all, God is a person. And people relate to one another. Therefore, God relates to me. It is perhaps this fact about God that causes so much difficulty today: we cannot see him, so how can anyone relate to him, especially if he is so stern? God is love Christians believe that God is love. That means that he has an interest beyond himself. We see that above all in the doctrine (teaching) about the Trinity. The Trinity is the central Christian doctrine. It teaches us that God, as love, is Father, Son and Holy Spirit: three Divine Persons, distinct from one another, yet one God. God, since he made us, knows what it is like to be human. And he loves us. And he loves us so much that he has decided to “get involved”, as it were, to get us all back to live with him forever. He does that by coming as Man. And so, the Son comes as one of us, a divine person with a human nature – fully God, fully man – as Jesus Christ. So, when we are talking about Christ, we are talking about God. His task was to free us from our sins and give us the possibility of inheriting everlasting life. He did that by dying on the Cross and rising again. Building a relationship with God We get to know Christ in many ways: in the sacraments, in the Bible, in each other. The more we make use of the sacraments, familiarise ourselves with the Bible, and work for the good of other people, the more we know and love Christ. Much of the above takes faith and hard work. We are dealing with a mystery, but not irrationality. We begin our journeys back to God by becoming his children through baptism into the Church, his body on earth. In the Church we are given the best possible chance of getting to know and deepening our love for him who so wants us with him. So, our faith tells us that God was made visible in the Person of Christ Jesus. That is to say, God is most definitely not an old man in the clouds, but someone who bridges the gap between eternity and time and becoming one with us, one of us.
what is mass/eucharist
What is the Mass/Eucharist
What is the Mass?The Mass (the Eucharist) is “the source and summit of the Church’s life”. In it, Christ is really, truly and substantially present under the appearances of bread and wine. Catholics listen to the Word of God and receive Christ’s Body and Blood, miraculously transformed from bread and wine, at Holy Communion. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council describe the Mass in the following way: At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us (Sacrosanctum Concilium 47). At Mass, the sacrifice of the Cross is renewed in an “unbloody manner”, as the memorial of Christ’s death. The liturgy of the Mass is itself divided into two parts. The first part is the liturgy of the Word, in which we listen to Christ speaking in the Scriptures. The second part is the liturgy of the Eucharist, where the sacrifice of Calvary is renewed. Strictly speaking, however, the entire Mass is one sacrifice. That is why it is sometimes called the “Sacrifice of the Mass”. (Photo: Mazur/CatholicChurch.org.uk)
Read More
The Mother of All Vigils
The Rev. Father Christopher Matthews, the Diocesan Master of Liturgical Ceremonies, reflects on the symbolism of the Easter Triduum ‘May the light of Christ rising in glory dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.’ These are the words of the priest on Holy Saturday as the paschal candle is lit at the great Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil has often been described as The Mother of all vigils; it is in so many ways the highlight of the Church’s year. The Easter Vigil is the culmination of the week that tells the story of Christian salvation. That week begins with Palm Sunday, the blessing of palm branches and a procession into church. Here at The Cathedral, that procession is lead by a donkey, a reminder of the way Christ entered the City of Jerusalem in great triumph, the people waving palm branches in celebration. We continue to wave branches as we enter the church building that day in great joy, a joy that soon turns sombre as we hear the reading of the Passion narrative. We leave the church that day knowing what the week ahead holds, we’ve already heard a synopsis of what is to come. In our diocese, we gather together with our Bishop on the Wednesday of Holy Week to celebrate the Chrism Mass. It is an occasion of great joy, as the whole diocese, people, priests, deacons and religious gather together as the Sacred Oils, to be used through out the diocese in the coming year, are consecrated. The occasion is also the time for the priests to renew their dedication to serve the people of our diocese. They resolve to continue to be faithful ministers of God’s Word, to celebrate the Eucharist and to imitate Jesus Christ the Head and Shepherd of the Church. This Mass is in many ways the model celebration of the Eucharist; the Bishop surrounded by the presbyterate, the deacons and people of the Diocese, the local Church gathered around the table of God’s Word and the table of the Eucharist to be nourished. The following day brings us to the great Triduum, which begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. This is the first part of a three part drama that runs until the end of the Easter Vigil. The atmosphere for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, although joyful, is some what muted. There is a dignity about the celebration as the Washing of the Feet unfolds, recalling us to Saint John’s Gospel and Christ’s message to his disciples, and to us, ‘I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’ (John 13:15) A reminder to us all, that our faith is one of service to others, we are each called to put our faith into action, to bring the Lord’s love to bear on the world in which we live. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper draws to a close as the Blessed Sacrament is carried in solemn procession from the altar to a place of repose. There the Lord rests as we watch, waiting, praying. Part two of the drama takes place on Good Friday. As we arrive in church to celebrate the Lord’s Passion we are struck by the stark bareness, the building stripped of all its adornment, the flowers are gone, banners taken down, the altar bare. As the Roman Missal reminds us ‘On this and the following day, by a most ancient tradition, the Church does not celebrate the Sacraments at all, except for Penance and the Anointing of the Sick.’ (page 346). The day is one of fasting and abstinence. All the outside distractions are removed to allow us to reflect, and focus, on the great act of love that Jesus carries out for each and everyone one of us, it was His love for us that held him to that tree. Today’s liturgy is particularly solemn; as we drift back out into the sunlight, we do so quietly, subdued by the experience of venerating that cross that becomes the tree of life. The final act of this three part drama takes place after dark on Holy Saturday. As the paschal candle is carried into a darkened church, the light beginning to spread and cast away the shadows, we hear the ancient hymn of rejoicing, the Exsultet, and so the scene is set for this Mother of all Vigils to take us on a journey through salvation history. A story we only understand in the light of the Risen Christ, and that is symbolized by the paschal candle taking its place right next to the ambo, its light illuminating the scriptures for us. This is the night we celebrate that the Lord has truly risen, risen to bring us new life. Many books, articles, tweets, and blogs have been written about Holy Week and the great symbolism of the liturgies that mark the week. None of these words can ever fully express the atmosphere, sights and sounds of this great week, they have to be experienced. I hope you seize the opportunity to do so. This article first appeared in the Lent/Easter 2012 edition of the Shrewsbury Catholic Voice
Read MoreOrdinary Time
Today we resume regular time. Indeed, this weather has two sides. The first begins the Monday following the Feast of the Lord's Baptism and runs until the day leading up to Ash Wednesday. The second begins today, the Monday after the solemnity of Pentecost, and will run until the Saturday leading up to the 1st Sunday of Advent. Ordinary Time consists of 33 or 34 weeks, depending on the year. The way to count the weeks is: 1. - The week in which the Lord's Baptism is celebrated is the first week. The following weeks are counted in progressive order until the start of Lent. 2. - After Pentecost, there are two options: a) If the weeks in Ordinary Time are 34, take the series again from the week following the one that was interrupted with the start of Lent. For example, if in the V week in Ordinary Time falls on Ash Wednesday, the Monday following Pentecost will be Monday of the VI week in Ordinary time. b) If the weeks in ordinary time are 33 omit the week after which it was interrupted with the beginning of Lent, and resume the series in which follows the omission. For example, if in the V week in Ordinary Time falls on Ash Wednesday, the Monday following Pentecost will be Monday of the VII week in Ordinary time. This second is what happens in this 2022, because we were in week VIII of ordinary time when Lent began, and being 33 weeks, we omitted IX, and resumed in X.
Read MoreWhy do bad things happen?
A young child with leukemia… a mother struggling to make ends meet with no-one to help her… people caught in earthquakes, tornadoes… the innocent victims of injustice, at school, at home. These are just some examples which might suggest that God lets people suffer pointlessly. We could think of many more similar instances.
And it’s a good point … surely a good and powerful God would not let all the bad things happen? If God is who he is supposed to be (all-powerful, all-loving), then why is it that life is so hard and even unjust at times? It makes no sense!
The honest truth here is that ‘the problem of evil’, as it is called, remains a mystery.
That’s not a cop-out though. A mystery is not something that is incomprehensible; rather, it is something that cannot be explained on purely rational grounds. “Life is a mystery”, Madonna (as in the singer) once sung. She’s right. But that doesn’t mean that life is not worth trying to understand. Including the seemingly-irrational ‘problem of evil’.
We have the choice
Now, natural evil (earthquakes, sickness etc) and moral evil (sin) both exist in our experience, but were not there at creation.
Adam and Eve’s taking of the fruit really messed things up. And God allowed it to happen! That is both the cause and the solution of our problem. God’s gift of free will to us is so great because it makes us great. You can read elsewhere about what it really means to be free. Through our freely-chosen responses, we can mature and actually come closer to each other and to God.
And so: we don’t know why natural evils occur when they do, upsetting lives as they can do. Indeed one must never underestimate the great suffering that many people go through on a daily basis – unanswered prayers, untimely deaths through car accidents or illnesses, broken relationships, hardships at work or at home. In faith, we are able to grasp that this life is a kind of pilgrimage back to our heavenly home. Through the sufferings that we encounter, we can become purified in preparation for the life that really matters (heaven). Sufferings can produce opportunities for the greatest expressions of love. .
Take the world pandemic (COVID) literally the world came to a standstill. People were not able to leave their homes go to work to see family members and friends. They wern't even able to see their loved ones before they died. They could only see them either through a window or by live streaming. Doctors, nurses, paramedics and key workers held their hand when they died. People when they able help each other with food and drink. People weren’t allowed to attend their places of work, Socialise and even attend their church Services.
We have also have the war happing in Ukraine. People’s homes have been destroyed, and they have had to try escape their country to safety. They must shelter in basement's when bombs are been dropped. They pray and when they can celebrate their Eucharist together in these basement's. Once again people have been struggling to escape the war to other countries. Humanitarian aid are trying to help them escape this is humanitarian crisis.
And they came together, in all the various ways, to bring help, support, love to this crushed people.
How Christ helps
Without going into too much philosophy, we can say that the apparent failure of God to do anything about evil is actually overcome by the death and resurrection of Christ on the Cross. So if we try and stay close to Christ, by getting to know him and imitating him, he will show us the way through all our problems. That is because there is nothing that we suffer which Christ has not suffered first. We are not alone because Christ carries our sufferings even now, on the Cross!
God does not want bad things to happen as such. He simply allows them to take place; we have the opportunity, if we freely choose to do so, of ‘offering up’ our sufferings – whatever they are – to Christ. In turn, he uses them for his own good purposes.
Don’t forget – Christ is just as much God as is the Father, since he is a divine person with a human nature. Somehow, through his own loving acceptance of his Father’s will, in the power of the Holy Spirit (who is also fully God) He overcame all the sin in the world, and as a result brings us with him to salvation, if only we will accept him.
To find out how to accept Christ more personally, it would be worth reading about the power of prayer.
And sin too: even sin can be used to good purpose! This is not a reason to go out and bash your best friend or worst enemy over the head. But the point is, we can learn from our mistakes. Learn what? When we recognise how we have sinned, we experience remorse. But we can in fact use this painful experience to make a decision to do better next time. Gradually, we realise that a much better way is to choose to follow Christ, who heals the deepest divisions of all – those within our very selves.
We Participate
- Your participation in ministry represents your appreciation of all the ways that God has shown you love, mercy, peace and in incorporation into the body of Christ.
Think of the Body of Christ as a building. In order for a building to become a home for someone to live in, many different things have to take place. The foundation has to be poured. Walls need to be erected. A roof has to be put on. Plumbing and electricity have to be installed. Storage and furniture have to be placed inside. All that is necessary for a building to become a home, as we know it.
None of that takes place on its own, nor does one person do it. A lot of work goes into building a home, work that is done by many different people who are all gifted in different ways. Concrete workers, framers, and roofers, electricians, plumbers, cabinet and furniture makers, as well as painters, people to lay the floor, and those who design the interior – all these people and more must contribute in order for a building to become a home.
Something similar has to happen in the church. We all must use our gifts to build up the body of Christ. We all need to be actively engaged in the area of ministry with which Jesus has called us. We all have gifts and talents. How can you share yours with Christ the Good Shepherd? - Lector
Prayer and spirituality
Prayer and Spirituality
Prayer is a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. It takes many forms, but, through the “raising of the mind and the heart” to our Creator, we remain in communion with him. God unceasingly calls us to this encounter with him, and the prayer of mankind has risen to heaven throughout the history of salvation. Abraham prayed, Jacob “wrestled with God”, Moses implored on behalf of the people, King David prayed, lamenting his sins and in praise of the Lord. The prophets prayed, “zealously seeking the face of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2595), the people of God prayed. In the Old Testament, the Psalms are the masterpiece of all. They are suitable for people of all times and places. In the New Testament, the prayer of Christ is the model of all prayer. In a loving adherence to his Father’s will, Christ teaches us how to have an attitude of great trust in how we pray. He also answers all prayers addressed to himself. The prayers of the Virgin Mary are characterised by her loving obedience in the Fiat and the offering of her whole being in faith in the great hymn of the Magnificat. The Church comes together collectively to pray and worship God. This is very often in the context of liturgy, or public prayer of the people. But we must also learn to pray as individuals, so as to nurture the life-giving relationship that God wishes to extend to us.
Read MoreFaith and Spirituality
I believe in one God The Catholic faith is the body of belief held by Catholics. It has been revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who leaves it for us as our means of salvation. Speaking to his Father in the power of the Holy Spirit just before he died on the Cross, Christ exclaimed, “Father, … this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17,3). Such knowledge is the purpose of every Catholic’s existence. It is left to the Church as the deposit of faith, consisting of everything taught to the apostles by Our Lord and passed on by the same apostles. Built on the foundation stones of Saint Peter and the apostles, with Christ as the cornerstone, and commanded by Our Lord to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28,19), the Church has a divine mandate to pass the faith on, to catechise, in a way that is faithful to the Tradition established by Christ and guaranteed by the Magisterium of the Church to be true. The knowledge that the Catholic faith gives is not, however, a merely intellectual knowledge. More importantly, it gives us a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Through soaking ourselves in the faith of the Church, we become holy, and inspired to live not just for ourselves but for God and for our neighbour. This is the purpose of our existence. We also know, through the gift of faith, that this earthly life is a preparation ground for the bliss of heaven. So knowing God by faith can inspire us to live for him at every moment, despite the problems we all face, because we know that he is waiting for us in heaven. And the good news is that all men and women are destined for heaven, where, as Saint Augustine of Hippo said, “There will be no more sorrow or trials”, and where we will see God face-to-face. Faith offers us the exciting prospect of conversing with God, in learning and understanding his ways. When we start on this journey God reveals himself little by little, teaching us that he is close. In fact, our faith tells us, God is so close that he actually lives within us. In this section, many topics are introduced. The aim is not to give an exhaustive account, but rather to offer an introduction to the main teachings of the Church. Links are also provided to external sites where you can find out more. Indeed it is worth bearing in mind the reason why it is a good idea to think about what we believe: we need to understand our tradition in order to dialogue with today’s culture. Photo from English Martyrs’ Church, Wallasey, courtesy of Alex Ramsay.
Read MoreLiturgy
The word Liturgy literally means work of the people, within the Catholic Church it is used to describe all the public acts of worship that take place, as it draws the people into the work of God. Liturgy is in many ways the public face or shop front of the Church, it is through the liturgy that people engage with the faith and deepen their relationship with God. ‘Liturgy is not an event that depends on good ideas and great songs. No one makes up or invents a liturgy. It is something that grew over millennia of faith.’ YOUCAT (paragraph 167) Liturgy is the divine worship of the Church and includes the celebration of Mass, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the Divine Office or Daily Prayer of the Church. The celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and so all other liturgies flow from and to the celebration of Mass. Liturgy is not just the words that are said, it is much much more than that. Through the liturgy we encounter God, and our united with our brothers and sisters across the world as the Universal Church. Over these pages each of the major liturgies of the Church will be explored. (Photo: St Gabriel News and Media)
Read More
