“We’d been praying for this daily for two years,” said Bishop David L. Moyer, who leads the Church of the Good Shepherd, a parish in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia that is battling to keep its historic property. “When I heard the news I was speechless, then the joy came and the tears.”
This parish could be one of the first in the United States to convert en masse after the Vatican completes plans for a new structure to allow Anglicans to become Catholic while retaining many of their spiritual traditions, like the Book of Common Prayer and married priests.
The arrangement is tailor-made for an “Anglo-Catholic” parish like this one, which has strenuously opposed the Episcopal Church over decisions like allowing women and gay people to become priests and bishops. Mass here is celebrated in the “high church” style reminiscent of traditional Catholic churches, with incense, elaborate vestments and a choir that may sing in Latin.
“The majority of our members will be on board with this,” the Rev. Aaron R. Bayles, the assistant pastor, said as he finished celebrating a noon Mass devoted to church unity in a small side chapel lighted with blue votive candles.
And so it begins.
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.”
As with all the splits and departures, there will be both joy and pain involved in such movements. I pray for the ones who may come as well as the ones left behind.
I think this little article highlights some of the issues involved quite well. The bishop won’t be an RC bishop as the initial news was reported but he’s expecting to be “grandfathered in.” Well, we’ll see, bishop. In the meantime, I think you’d best think about NOT being accommodated and take this as your first lesson on how things work in the RCC.
Then, we’ve got the property dispute. How does he think that’s going to work out? That TEC will back down when the parish becomes Roman? I doubt they will, and this could get messy.
Thirdly, we’ve got the lay response: The woman who rightly loves her parish, its people, and its reverent worship, and who doesn’t care which brand name is on the door. That is a hugely honest response and I think many people will find themselves in that place. She loves her faith community and will do whatever is necessary not to lose it. But will becoming a Roman Catholic do, once she comes face to face with the fine print and the reality? Is this the kind of RCs Rome wants — folks who will acquiesce because they can’t bear to leave their community behind may be RC in name only.
Then we’ve got the other, former RCs who will NOT return to Rome. The church community will now fracture. It makes one wonder if much of this is lay-driven or clergy-driven? The good bishop is realizing his dreams but can the same be said of the lay members?
Teatime,
I agree in fact with all your points (if not, maybe from your perspective, being already a convert to Rome myself). And I would question really, whether “Bishop” Moyer’s dreams will in fact be realized. It sounds as though he may be carrying some baggage or at least unrealistic expectations. In fairness to him, though perhaps they are just “hopes” and he is not staking too much in them. News articles can give a very skewed and faulty impression
As for the woman who said community was what mattered, I almost laughed out loud. I would certainly hope that one does not float into the Catholic Church unthinking because “everybody I love is doing it”! My prayer is that all who consider entering will receive proper catechesis and enter with eyes open. If they do, I believe they will find, as I have, great joy and satisfaction in having boarded the Barque of Peter. And it will be extra wonderful (IMHO) if the former Catholics come back to the Church.
Yes, CoS, I think that’s one thing that both sides can and should agree on. That whatever decisions are made are done so prayerfully, thoughtfully, and carefully, based on the facts and what is there — not on wishful thinking or as a reaction. In my own life, in whatever decisions and changes I’ve made, I’ve stopped and honestly asked myself, “Am I running from something or going toward and embracing something?” The answer is important.
I refer you to the comments of “unitarian” and “hunter” at http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=11435 which reflect the accurate situation.