Monday 7 February 2011

A message from Bishop Crispian Hollis



In addition to the articles produced by Colin Parkes linked in the previous post, the latest edition also has a letter to the Catholic faithful of Portsmouth diocese from Bishop Crispian Hollis. Bishop Crispian's parents were themselves received into the Catholic Church from Anglicanism, and his grandfather and uncle were both Anglican bishops. Bishop Crispian was himself ordained bishop as an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Birmingham with special responsibility for the Oxfordshire area in 1987. Soon after in 1989 he was made the diocesan Bishop of Portsmouth where he has served since.

Whilst a number of Catholics may have questions and reservations about those Anglicans wishing to come into full communion with the Church through the Ordinariate, what Colin Parkes writes elsewhere in this issue should set minds and hearts at rest.

There are legitimate questions as to how it will work out, but the sincerity and desire for full communion with the Church of the Anglican clergy and those who wish to come with them in this journey of faith is certainly beyond doubt.

The Ordinariate represents new ground for us all but our new found brothers and sisters deserve to be welcomed and made to feel at one with us all. They feel that they are truly 'coming home’.

There will be an ‘Ordinary’ appointed by the Holy Father who will not necessarily be a bishop but who will have responsibility for the day to day life of the Ordinariate – he will be a member of our Bishop’s Conference. This means that he will be a close colleague of the Catholic bishops and I will be working with him on the business of the Ordinariate in our diocese.

We seem to have three groups, as Colin says in his article. The laity and their priests will be received into full communion at Easter and their priests will be ordained by me later in the summer.

I hope they will very quickly become valued brothers and sisters in the faith and I am sure that our parish communities will give a warm welcome as they come among us.

+Crispian

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