I guess Bp Lopes is in a bit of a cleft stick. The fact that he would claim that two parishes had entered the OCSP this year, when that could only refer to OLA and St Athanasius, Chestnut Hill, now known as St Gregory the Great, despite the fact that this was in both instances simply a change of jurisdiction that added not one single member to the Catholic church, indicates that he is desperate to show that the OCSP is growing, although it clearly is not. Better a group of a dozen or two than nothing, apparently The fact that these groups are doomed to fold when their administrator retires or moves and cannot be replaced is a can to be kicked down the road.The problem is that several of the men who've moved do appear to have supplementary income. I assume OLA can afford to pay a priest a full salary. but Washington and Payson are more dubious, and Fr Veira, as far as I'm aware, is a retired military chaplain. My correspondent continues,Married priests will move, BTW, just as married men do in other professions, if a suitable job opens up. Fr Lewis and Fr Vidal have moved, the latter twice. Fr Reid moved from Ottawa to Victoria, BC. Fr Seraiah has moved many times, and Fr Veira is going to replace Fr Andrews in Payson, AZ. The problem is that the majority of the parishes in the OCSP would not be sustainable if the administrator did not have independent means and unless a pensioned retiree can be found or a local paying job lined up it is not possible to fill the vacancy with anyone, married or celibate.
According to Ordinariate Observer, there are 16 former clergy in some stage of formation for ordination. [Redacted], two men ordained for the "transitional" diaconate this summer, the Bros?, eleven others? As I have often mentioned, about a third of the men ordained under Steenson never ministered in any OCSP community.This goes to confirm my point that Bp Lopes is continuing to recruit and ordain men who cannot be placed in stipendiary positions. If this was clearly the policy under Steenson, it's also plain that it hasn't changed under Lopes. The problem is that, given the choice, Protestant clergy, especially those in main line denominations, will wish to continue in a defined career path with assured pension and benefits if they can. Those who consider the OCSP are looking at unpaid positions ministering to tiny groups in basement chapels, or none at all. The applicant pool is going to be made up of bitter-ender opportunists who've exhausted every possible Protestant option. Just look at the sad case of [redacted], in line for Pasadena.
This, by the way, is going to apply to any Catholic attempt to open the priesthood to married former Protestants, not just Anglicans -- and let's keep in mind that the applicant pool as we've begun to see it is full of highly sketchy Anglican backgrounds even now. My correspondent said later,
I think that Bp Lopes is not interested in ordaining men for a local diocese, or in vanity projects like Msgr Gipson. Fr Bartus has worked hard to pull together a group for [redacted]. St John Fisher, Orlando was likewise created as a future slot for Jason McCrimmon. Mr Schaetzel has a map with two "groups in formation" on it, plus the one in Tampa which was in fact shut down months ago. There is a FB page for an exploratory group in Portland, OR. Fr Hodgins wishes to retire from STM, Toronto. But as you point out, filling non-stipendiary positions is challenging unless there is a local candidate with a (week)day job, or someone who can find one.All of these enterprises are in effect Potemkin villages. But consider the alternative for the CDF: let's say that at some point in the middle distance, they decide to shut the OCSP down and send the half dozen or so viable communities back to dioceses. Surely they can find a new job for Bp Lopes and presumably Fr Perkins and others.
Why the need to continue what is clearly a charade with these forlorn little chapel groups and the highly marginal men they're recruiting for them? I still think there's got to be more of an agenda behind this.
UPDATE: A visitor notes:
Your regular correspondent is mistaken in stating, "The fact that he would claim that two parishes had entered the OCSP this year, when that could only refer to OLA and St Athanasius, Chestnut Hill, now known as St Gregory the Great. . .”.However you slice it, this either means that only one, not two, groups came into the OCSP in 2017, or the total is still just two.Per the website of The Congregation of St. Athanasius, "The Congregation of Saint Athanasius is a chaplaincy of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston dedicated to the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite, which preserves elements of the Anglican liturgical tradition within the Catholic Church. We also serve the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.”
St. Athanasius is NOT known as St. Gregory the Great. St. Gregory the Great maintains a website and FaceBook page, but with the retirement of Fr. Liias, its members either worship with the The Congregation of St. Athanasius or at churches closer to their homes.
