Ordinariate Priest Appointed to South London Parish [Anglican Ordinariate Gets Own Parish]

Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham ^ | 12/24/12

[marshmallow]

An announcement was made yesterday (Sunday) that the Parish of the Most Precious Blood, Borough, is to be cared for by the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

By the kind invitation of the Archbishop of Southwark, the Most Reverend Peter Smith, the diocesan parish of the Precious Blood near London Bridge station will be cared for by Fr Christopher Pearson - a priest of the Personal Ordinariate - with the permission of the Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate, Mgr Keith Newton.

Replacing the Religious Community of the Society of the Divine Saviour (Salvatorians), who currently care for the parish, Fr Pearson will undertake the pastoral care of the diocesan faithful alongside the London (South) Ordinariate Group, who have worshipped in the parish in recent months. Fr Pearson's appointment begins in January 2013.

[marshmallow]

To clarify, Bishop Smith is a Catholic bishop and he has given the Ordinariate the use and pastoral care of this Catholic parish. This is a first. Until now, the Ordinariate has been sharing facilities but it will now be responsible in toto for the pastoral care of this Catholic parish.

[Paperpusher]

Is it unusual for a Catholic bishop to be given the use and pastoral care of a Catholic parish?

[marshmallow]

The pastoral care of a Catholic parish has been entrusted to the Anglican Ordinariate, which is a relatively new structure designed to receive Anglican converts to Catholicism. The Ordinariate draws heavily on Anglican liturgical traditions and prayers.

[iowamark]

The ‘Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham’ is an English Catholic group established last year for members of the Church of England joining the Catholic Church. Their leader, or ‘Ordinary’, is Monsignor Keith Newton, a former Anglican bishop. They retain some Anglican usage in their liturgy.

They now have their own parish church in London.