Decree From The Holy Father

A visitor yesterday gave me the heads-up that this was on the way, but several people have forwarded this to me since:

Dear Friends,

Bishop Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter has asked that we have a general parish meeting tomorrow evening (Tuesday, March 21) at 7:30 p.m. We will be meeting in the St. Anthony Hall. You may enter through the main doors of the church and go down the hallway past the courtyard, or you may enter the exterior door where the portable classrooms are. Bishop Lopes has receive [sic] the Decrees from the Holy Father which were issued in reponse [sic] to our petition, asking that the parish be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ordinariate. Bishop Lopes will be here to explain what it means for us, and he will also answer any questions you might have.

If you would, please spread the word about the parish meeting. There are parishioners who are not on the email list I am using, and I want to be sure everyone possible knows about it.

It appears that our difficult situation has been resolved, and I look forward to us being together as one parish family.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Christopher G. Phillips

My view all along has been that this was a foregone conclusion, with some media accounts making the point that Bp Lopes is well-connected with the CDF. However, I've also said that if this goes through, it makes no real difference. I've heard widely varying versions of OLA's membership. Coupled with widely varying versions of the OCSP's membership, at best, OLA's admission will double the size of the OCSP, which means the entire OCSP will still not be larger than a single medium-large diocesan parish.

Except that the diocesan parish might have three priests. The OCSP has a bishop, a vicar general, several other paid staff, and 60-odd priests, for most of whom it can find no assignment, and nearly all of whom it can't support. This goes to my view that the OCSP is actually a clone of several "continuing Anglican" denominations, and given the attitude and formation one sees among some OCSP clergy, it may be a risky business for communicants to rely on cathechesis from them or on counsel they receive, in the confessional or elsewhere. I would avoid Fr Phillips as I'm sure he would avoid me.

I would also say that from what I've heard, the Archdiocese of San Antonio still has several parishes that offer good music and a reverent OF mass. My wife and I went through a period of trying to find a parish that offered a middle-of-the-road atmosphere of reverence, and we found one without too much difficulty that didn't involve much driving. It appears to me that some families have already been chased away from OLA, while others may find themselves having to make a new choice.

All I can say is pray and take heart. My correspondents are in my prayers.