Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Apparently Marginal Ordinariate Groups -- III

My regular correspondent reports:
Another group about which, like St James, St Augustine FL, all that can be known for sure is that it exists is Our Lady of Hope, Kansas City. The early history of this group is quite well-documented; it was a Pastoral Provision community led by Fr Ernie Davis, a former Episcopal priest who was also pastor of St Therese Little Flower Parish, where the group worshipped. After the Ordinariate was erected Fr Davis and twenty of his "Anglican Use" parishioners became members; the group moved to Our Lady of Sorrows and Fr Davis went into full-time hospital chaplaincy while continuing to say Sunday mass for the OLP group. When he still maintained his blog, in 2014, he mentioned that "on a good Sunday" the congregation numbered between 30 and 35.

On the OCSP website and in the bulletin of St Therese North, Kansas City, where he is the Associate Pastor, Fr Randy Sly is described as the "Administrator" of OLH. The OLH website shows Fr Ernie Davis as the "Pastor." My guess is that Fr Davis generally celebrates Sunday Mass, while Fr Sly handles administrative duties, perhaps with permission to use the resources of St Therese North, as the host parish of the OCSP group, Our Lady of Sorrows, seems to be a bare-bones operation. Perhaps Fr Davis has returned to the diocesan roster.

Fr Sly's duties would not seem to include maintaining the website, which has not had much done to it since its original set-up. The time of the Easter Vigil is still up on the "Welcome" page, and that is a comparatively recent entry. There are no photos, no bulletins, no events. The Facebook page (maintained by Fr Davis) got off to a much better start, but bogged down at Easter. And never included any posts about parish life beyond liturgical announcements. Except the tour to the UK which Fr Davis will be leading in the fall, which he has been promoting since last year. Now Easter was only six weeks ago, and there may be much going on at OLH which doesn't make it onto the web, but I am mystified by these apparently publicity-shy communities which seem to feel that new members will magically materialise, and current members will communicate telepathically.

It's worth pointing out that Fr Sly's former group, the Potomac Falls, VA group, St John Fisher, was allowed to fold when Fr Sly moved to Kansas City, MO for family reasons. The upshot of this move appears to be that one group has ceased entirely, while another appears to be moribund.