Forward in Faith Australia, part of the Anglo-Catholic group that also has members in Britain and America, is setting up a working party guided by a Catholic bishop to work out how its followers can cross over to Rome.
It is believed to be the first group within the Anglican church to accept Pope Benedict XVI’s unprecedented offer for disaffected members of the Communion to convert en masse while retaining parts of their spiritual heritage.
So far only the Traditional Anglican Communion, which has already broken away from the 70 million-strong Anglican Communion, has declared that its members will become Catholics under the Apostolic Constitution.
A very strange article:
“Forward in Faith Australia, which is based in Melbourne, has up to 200 members, but not all are expected to convert.”
Does FiF Aust really only have 200 members?
I note their web-site only lists 16 parishes across Australia, but says that this may not be all of them.
Also, the article says there has been a vote, but never says who voted about what. The article refers at time to FiF and other times to TAC, almost interchangeably.
yes it is small in Oz which is a very low church land…..but good for them. The ordinariate is not about numbers but the provision of a home for those being persecuted for maintaining the faith of the ages…..much rejoicing in heaven over one lost sheep springs to mind
With regards to the 200 figure, surely that refers to the number of clergy in FiFA, rather than a complete total of all associated Anglo-Catholics?
Oz is low church only in parts (the biggest ones, like Sydney and Melbourne). The other bits are quite high, and some were very Catholic indeed once upon a time.
#2, Austin is correct. Sydney archdiocese is almost but not entirely low church. Parts of Melbourne archdiocese are also, and one or two of the smaller dioceses. The rest of Anglican Church of Australia is pretty much high church, anglo-catholic or both.
Its often the most “high” churches that are the most liberal, and I am aware of some churches noted for their liberal leanings that also proudly claim the mantle of being “anglo-catholic”.
Hence my curiousity. I am aware of a number of very anglo-catholic churches that are not listed on the FiF website