Characteristics of the Anglican Heritage as Lived in the Ordinariates

This past week the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document acknowledging the vital contribution of communities of the Personal Ordinariate to the spiritual health of the Church.

The document highlights important aspects of the Ordinariate charism and the character of communities that have developed since Pope Benedict issued the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus on November 4, 2009, the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo.

What are some defining features of the Ordinariate within the life of the Church?

1. A Distinctive “Ecclesial Ethos”.  The Bishops first spoke of a distinctive “ecclesial ethos,” marked by the broad participation of both clergy and laity in the life and governance of the Church. This culture, grounded in relationships that shape the ecclesial life of each Ordinariate, is inherently consultative and collaborative. It is also characterized by a capacity to welcome converts into Catholic communion while preserving the uniqueness of their spiritual history. Moreover, it is centered on a living sense of tradition that seeks to remain faithful to what has been received while also recognizing the place of organic development.
2. Evangelization Through Beauty. A theme that emerged several times in the discussion was the importance of beauty—yet not as an end in itself, but insofar as it has the power to lead us to God; it thus has an inherent evangelizing power. Therefore, divine worship, sacred music, and sacred art are understood both as means of bringing us into communion with God and as instruments of mission. The beauty they convey is meant to draw individuals and communities into full participation, body and soul, in the work of the Savior, who is the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15) and the “refulgence of [the Father’s] glory” (Heb. 1:3).
3. Direct Outreach to the Poor. The Bishops identified direct outreach to the poor as a defining element of the patrimony. In the Ordinariates, beauty in worship and holiness of life are brought to bear in the concrete realities of the neighborhood. This reflects a deeply incarnational theology: to go out from divine worship to seek Jesus among the poor and those in want (cf. Mt. 25:40). As a practical example, the crowds that gathered in the streets of Birmingham at Saint John Henry Newman’s funeral were there not only on account of his scholarship, but also because he was the priest who served them in their need.
4. Pastoral Culture. The Ordinariates promote a pastoral culture in which divine worship and daily life are profoundly interconnected. While this could be said of many parish communities, what is distinctive in this context is a liturgical, almost monastic rhythm drawn from the English spiritual tradition. Essential to this is the communal praying of the Divine Office, which is understood as the prayer of the whole People of God (cf. Ps. 119:164; Eph. 5:19). This shared life of prayer also shapes a distinctive approach to forming and sustaining parish communities.
5. The Family and the Domestic Church. Another strong emphasis the Bishops articulated centers on the importance of the family and its role as “the domestic church.” They noted that the Shrine of Walsingham is often called “England’s Nazareth.” Just as Nazareth, in the words of Pope Saint Paul VI, is “the school of the Gospel, where we learn to observe, listen, meditate, and grasp the mystery of the Son of God within the Holy Family, so also the home is understood as the first place where the faith is learned and lived. Central to this is the appreciation of the Sacrament of Matrimony and the role of parents as the primary educators of their children in the faith. Parish life in the Ordinariates, therefore, seeks to support parents in this sacred responsibility of handing on the faith to their children (cf. Dt. 6:6-7; Joel 1:3) and to accompany families as they grow together in Christ. This vision leads to an organic approach to formation that is centered in the parish and the family, and that prioritizes lifelong intellectual formation for all the members of Christ’s Body.
6. Scripture and Preaching. The Bishops further noted that the patrimony includes a strong tradition of preaching grounded in Scripture, recognizing that nourishing people intellectually is an integral part of nourishing their souls (cf. Mt. 4:4). Here the theme of beauty reappears: encountering Christ in the splendor of the liturgy and in the proclamation of the Word are not understood as separate realities, but as two dimensions of the same encounter. In the Ordinariate communities, this is lived out with a strong foundation in the Tradition (especially the Fathers of the Church) and with an appreciation for the role of reason in harmony with and in service of faith.
7. Spiritual Direction and the Sacrament of Penance. Finally, the Bishops emphasized the importance of spiritual direction and the Sacrament of Penance. They explained that they have inherited an approach to these elements of the care of souls that prioritizes giving each person time and accompanying them as they encounter Christ the Good Shepherd (cf. Jn. 10:11-16; Lk. 15:4-7).

Discipleship, the ongoing formation of the whole person in Christ, is necessary to develop intentionality, a mature faith born of an habitual orientation to grace for the salvation of souls, by worshipping God in the beauty of holiness (Ps 96:9), or as the DDF puts it, "(D)ivine worship, sacred music, and sacred art are understood both as means of bringing us into communion with God and as instruments of mission. The beauty they convey is meant to draw individuals and communities into full participation, body and soul, in the work of the Savior, who is the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15) and the “refulgence of [the Father’s] glory (Heb. 1:3)."

That Ordinariate communities are attracting diocesan Catholics, for lack of a better term, attests to a need or to needs among the faithful for that which the Ordinariate offers, or rather that which God offers His children through the Personal Ordinariates.