[T]he Evangelium course is being offered at [the Blessed John Henry Newman group in] Irvine starting this Sunday. According to the Facebook page set up for this event 17 [now 16] people are going (of the 1671 invited), which is a reasonable turnout, but after looking at the Facebook pages of the 17 [now 16] I can say confidently that all but one or two are currently practising Catholics. The others may also be, judging by their ethnic background. Of course Evangelium is also valuable for those who wish to explore their faith in greater depth and these people may already attend BlJHN, but the scope of the invitation list suggests that this event was "shared" with every Catholic in Orange County for whom a Facebook link could be found. It is difficult to see how this advances the mission of either the OCSP or the Church in general.One thing I've noticed is that in publicity over all the Newman-related activities -- the group itself on its website, as well as in separate announcements covering the Silverado chapel and the Pasadena formation meeting -- Fr Bartus is unspecific as to what sort of "Catholic" is involved here. He often just refers to a "Catholic church", giving an impression that this is a diocesan parish, but now and then he makes a soft-pedaled reference to the OCSP, sorta-kinda implying that he reports to Bp Lopes. But he also refers to "Anglican Use", suggesting Bp Vann is involved, either as Bishop of Orange or the delegate for Anglican Use.
Does this bother anyone? Catholicism stresses authority and obedience, but these public statements tend to blur important distinctions. This may apply as well to whatever numbers he's sending to Houston -- diocesan Catholics who've completed the sacraments of initiation are welcome to go to mass at any Catholic parish, but those without a vague Anglican tie aren't "members" at BJHN. On the other hand, parish registration is an elusive concept as well, so maybe none of this means a whole lot.
