Society of Catholic Priests

On Holy Cross Day, fourteen clergy and religious from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut gathered to inaugurate the New England Chapter of the Society of Catholic Priests. National Convenor Fr. David Cobb,(right in the middle of the photo),a chapter member as well since he is Rector of Christ Church, New Haven, CT, was with us as Presider for the Mass. New members were admitted, continuing members renewed their promises, and the chapter was formed. The Society of Catholic Priests exists to provide a place for catholic minded clergy and religious to meet in mutual support, to encourage a deepening spiritual life and growing ministry, and to celebrate the Church's openness to all who may be called by God to ordained ministry.

If you are interested in the SCP, click here. Potential New England members can contact our chapter convenor, the Rev'd Jo-Ann Drake, at jjdrake_redeemer@cox.net.

An embracing, expansive catholicism

I have a confession to make - I check in regularly on EWTN, the very conservative Roman Catholic television network created by Mother Angelica. My most recent use of the remote caught a report that now an eleventh diocesan bishop has decided to withhold funds from the Campaign for Human Development. This is the arm of the US Roman Catholic Church that does so much good in combating poverty and injustice. Apparently they are involved in efforts that offend the conservative purists. For better or worse, I think immediately of the recent news that the Archbishops of Canterbury & York will be proposing a "scheme" (a wonderful British term) regarding the movement towards having bishops who are women in the Church of England. Their plan is described by one commentator as: "The Church of England definitely believes that women may be priests – and that they may not be. Hilarity ensues." read it here

As the Anglican communion seems to be in retreat from its historic comprehensiveness, as our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters seem to be sliding farther and farther from the hope of Vatican II, I give thanks for such groups as the Society of Catholic Priests (just about to form a New England chapter) and Affirming Catholicism, which recognize both the power and value of the deep tradition of our catholic faith as Anglicans - and the possibility of movement, change and renewal, precisely because of the fullness and breadth of that catholic faith.

God save our meetings

An admittedly quick reaction to Canon Kearon's (of the Anglican Communion Office) responses to questions from The Episcopal Church's Executive Council. One of his answers to the questions of how is it that The Episcopal Church has been removed or demoted from positions on a couple of Anglican Communion bodies included this: “The viability of our meetings are at stake".

The viability of our meetings are at stake.

As a priest of the Church, I am certainly familiar with meetings. Meetings are real, and (sometimes) important, and even places where the Gospel of Christ can be proclaimed, lived out and shared. And yet I cannot help but see this choice presented by Canon Kearon: the ongoing, institutionalized nicety of pleasant meetings - intra-Anglican and ecumenical - versus a faithful, prayerful desire to proclaim the amazing, challenging, even uncomfortable inclusiveness of the Good News of God in Christ. Our Patron Saint Paul writes to us this Sunday that in Christ, "there is no longer Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave nor free, there is no longer male and female".... (Galatians 3:28). The Episcopal Church has been faithfully exploring the consequences of Paul's first century proclamation for decades, now coming to an understanding that God's call to faithful Christian life - and ordained ministry - includes those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered.

The siren call of how it has always been, of how we have consistently understood things - of the viability of our important meetings - can be strong. May we be open instead to that Spirit that is even now leading us to St. Paul's magnificent vision.

For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels

Here is our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, vested as the bishop she is. News has come from England that when she preached at Southwark Cathedral, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams decreed that she could not wear her mitre or carry a crozier. Words such as "petty", "belittling", "insulting" come to mind. On the way to posting something in response, I read this from Fr. Tobias Haller, BSG, who always has good things to say. You can read it for yourself, but key words surely include, "shivering collection of generally pasty male Brits". Read it all here.

Join us for Taize Prayer

Taize Prayer services offer a wonderful opportunity for gentle chant, silence and prayer, all in a setting of darkness, candles and icons. Join us for our next service of Taize prayer on Sunday, June 20, at 7:00 pm. A simple reception will follow.

Matthew 5:9

I posted this video on Veteran's Day. A song about "the war to end all wars" seems equally appropriate as we approach Memorial Day.



song by Eric Bogle; sung by The Dropkick Murphys; video by Megan Milne.

The Feast of The Visitation

One of the most joyful feast days in our Kalendar, it seems to me, is The Visitation. Our Lady, hearing from Gabriel that she will bear the Son of God, goes to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth. Gabriel has told Mary that a sign of God's power to do all this is that Elizabeth, long past the age of bearing children, is in fact six months along (with John the Baptist!) Their joyful encounter produces language for the Rosary (Blessed are you amongst women) and the extraordinary song of the Magnificat.

Join us at St. Paul's as we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation on Monday the 31st, 7:00 pm, in the Lady Chapel.