THE P RTAL


May 2012


Portal News The Thoughts


of Will Burton CONGRATULATIONS TO Fr James Bradley and Fr Daniel Lloyd, our colleagues in the Communications department of the Ordinariate. You will have seen the pictures and read the account of their Ordination to the priesthood. As Monsignor Newton points out elsewhere in this edition of THE PORTAL, the Ordinariate goes from strength to strength.


Tick Fen For those not good with hills, yet


fond of walking, there is a wonderful place for walking on the flat. It is in the Fens of Cambridgeshire and has


the evocative name of Tick


Fen. Nestling between the towns of Somersham and Chatteris, Tick Fen is as flat as can be. Skylarks and plovers with the odd heron delight the eye, and the rich black soil and the wind all combine to make it a great place to walk.


Anglican Patrimony On my April walks, dodging the


Fathers James and Daniel give their first blessings to Mgr Andrew Burnham and Mgr Keith Newton


showers and the occasional downpour, I have been thinking about Anglican Patrimony. It is a popular subject: Why, there is even a magazine that has it as a regular feature. But what is it: this Anglican Patrimony? Is it Choral Evensong, a certain style of worship, Tudor language? Perhaps it is our history, who we are as a people rather than as individuals. Of course it could be that it is the wrong question.


Ecumenism Could it be that we ought to be asking


about what the Ordinariate is for, rather than about its Patrimony? As the Ordinariate is the product of a positive Ecumenism, surely Christian Unity ought to be at the heart of the Ordinariate and what it is for? Te Holy Father has not just talked about Ecumenism, he has taken action. Te Ordinariate is a manifestation of real Ecumenism; therefore we must be about Ecumenism ourselves. Tis is not a mere optional extra; it has to be at the heart of who we are as a people.


New Evangelisation Alongside Ecumenism is the New Evangelisation, so


close to the Holy Father’s heart. Tis too, has to be at the centre of the Ordinariate. On this subject there is an interesting booklet produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is called Disciples Called to Witness and may be downloaded – free of charge – from their Web Site at www.usccb. org or this direct link to the Disciples Called to Witness page - www.tiny. cc/called-to-witness. Of course the spelling is American, but don’t let that bother you too much.


Te booklet makes the point


that before one can evangelise others, one needs to be evangelised oneself. It deals with how local churches may develop a culture of witness rather than of maintenance. We learn some key components of an Outreach Programme: and there is a list of additional resources.


Although some of the points made are


more applicable to the USA than to the UK, the general thrust of the argument is relevant on this side of the Atlantic. Our Groups could learn a great deal for this little booklet.


Te booklet makes it clear that the New Evangelisation


is not an isolated subject. It needs to be approached in a holistic way. Personal commitment goes alongside parish life and liturgy, the family with catechetics, and hospitality and trust with prayer and the Sunday Mass.


Tis little booklet is a valuable resource for our


Groups, and it makes the important point that the New Evangelisation is for every Catholic, not just the clergy.


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