Today I am travelling to Walthamstow to give a talk to the Chelmsford Chapter of the Society of the Holy Cross. The Society was formed in 1855 with the intention of building up a strong interior life by an Anglo-Catholic hero of the faith, Fr. Charles Lowder, and five other priests who wished to bear witness to the cross of Christ in their ministry. Its principle objectives were to strengthen and consolidate the spiritual life of its members according to the teaching of Catholic doctrine, to defend truth against error and to unite its members in a special bond of mutual love and support.

Since 1855 the society has brought together like minded priests and helped them to support one another as they live together under a common rule of life. Members meet regularly through local chapters- here in Rochester Diocese we do so once a month- to share lunch and spend some time in theological reflection.

One of the main aims of the Society throughout history has been to pray earnestly for the reunion of Catholic Anglicans with the Holy See. It is for this reason that this is a very exciting and uncertain time for the life of the movement. How exciting that over 150 years of faithful prayer has finally born fruit! How amazing that our prayer for communion with Rome, once a distant dream, can now become a firm reality!

It will give me particular pleasure to speak with the Chelmsford chapter this day for this was the first Chapter I ever joined when serving my title at Saint Thomas of Canterbury Church in Brentwood. I look forward to seeing lots of familiar faces and catching up with old friends. And what is the subject of my talk today…..

….my thoughts and reflections on running an Anglo-Catholic blog!

What a sensationalist and shallow media we have developed in this country. I make this point due to the unhelpful manner in which journalists are dealing with John Venables, who as a boy lured a toddler onto a railway track with an accomplice before torturing and killing him and who has now been arrested as a grown man on alleged child pornography offences.

That the crimes of this deeply disturbed individual are truly monstrous none can deny. I am sickened to the core by every facet of this story and can only conclude, if allegations are true, that this man needs locking up indefinitely to protect both society and himself from his sick and destructive behaviour. So let us agree that he represents the very worst of all that is twisted in human nature by demonstrating a love of violence, deep perversion, selfishness and total lack of compassion for others.

That this man is evil I do not question. But it is deeply unhelpful when the media merely label him a monster and lay the entire sorry episode at his feet. Why do they not look deeper and hold up his life up as a mirror to our broken society? For if they did it might help move us away from being delighted rubber-neckers peering in fascination at the monstrous freak and allow us to turn that gaze inwards that we might start to comprehend our own contribution to all that is wrong with this world.

John Venables does not exist in a vacuum. He was born into this world and nurtured by his family and society. And it is here that we need to begin to ask questions. It can be guaranteed, I think, that his home life was chaotic, abusive and troubled. Quite honestly if a child is given love, values and support then they do not grow into monsters. That is not to say that all children from dysfunctional homes become monstrous, many heroically succeed against the odds, but it is nevertheless true that damage in the early years
has a profound impact in later life.

The really worrying part of this realisation is that John Venables is far from alone. Throughout Britain there are now countless homes in which children are
emotionally, physically and especially spiritually deprived. So many parents no longer have much time for their children. Many more than we like to think abuse sexually, physically or emotionally. And almost none in modern Britain take the time to help their children develop spiritually, teaching them to love God and really understand the difference between what is right and what is wrong. The result is all too predictable- pampered, spoilt and selfish children are becoming the norm in areas of privilege. Deeply needy and emotionally stunted children are all too common in areas of social deprivation.

Once upon a Britain we valued our Christian heritage. Across the social divide children were given a Christian upbringing and taken to church on a Sunday. Whilst there was just as much social deprivation and injustice, which is lamentable, there was far, far less brawling on Friday nights, sexual crime and incidents of children committing the most wicked of sins including murder, torture and rape. When are we going to accept the fact that secularism is failing? When will we begin to address the deep spiritual and moral vacuum that is hampering our societal development and ensuring the Western empire is waning?

One final niggle to share. Why does the mother of the murdered toddler have a right to information on the new case as the media is demanding? My heart goes out to her and she must need more healing than I can imagine. But no amount of exposure to John Venables life today or knowledge of his present crimes is going to bring reconciliation to her past. He needs dealing with by the justice system and it is likely that his soul is so deeply disfigured that, barring a miracle of grace, he will need locking away for a lifetime. But that is not the business of the media or anyone else as far as I can see.

And, no matter what he has done, we must ensure as a society that our prisons are places of dignity. For God still loves John Venables and will never completely abandon him. That is the message of hope that lies at the heart of our Gospel. And so my prayer is for a deep and genuine conversion in his life. Not one that brings about release (I think his earlier crimes warrant a lifetime in jail) but one which turns his heart sincerely to Christ.

As you can see Benedict Peter is doing really well in life as he celebrates four months outside the womb today! Hopefully his rapid growth and enormous appetite will abate soon allowing us all a little more time for sleep.

Along with three year old sister Jemima he is the apple of my eye! What a blessing children are to us and how important it is to include them in our decisions for the future. Where can we secure for them a place of santuary and assurance to help them grow in the Christian faith that they may flourish as God intended?

Today heralded my return to the rugby pitch for the first time since slipping a disc in December. I was understandably a little nervous prior to kick off, fearful as to what might happen in the first scrum…..but after that went smoothly it was back to business as usual! The back held up perfectly and it felt absolutely fantastic to be back.

That said the fitness levels were not quite where I would have liked and I felt completely drained at the final whistle (depsite being slow throughout!) The final result of Tunbridge Wells Veterans 55 – 5 Lordford meant it was a rousing victory as well. Two pints of Sussex best later and a very gentle evening on the sofa lies ahead….bliss!

It is a very unsettling and nervous time for Anglo-Catholics as we look to an uncertain future with trepidation, excitement and fear. Clearly the landscape we occupy is changing and we need to discern, above all else, the voice of God. Today that voice came to me through a comment left on the blog which is spoken with love and by one who, it seems to me, has the eyes to see what is really going on for us. I print it in full and thank its author from the bottom of my heart- brother your words arrive as manna in the desert, feeding us at the most difficult of times:

How absolutely silly some of this is, so many commenting upon an internal matter of St. Barnabas parish. I need to apologize immediately as I’m not part of St. Barnabas parish either, but I would add my two cents as well.

There is a definite “Romo-phobia” in many of the comments of outsiders that I think largely motivates such ignorant and petulant comments. I am not a Roman Catholic priest, but an Orthodox one so I understand that I have different concerns related to the papacy (although I would be disingenuous if I said that of late I’m also considering the Tiber).

I grew up an Anglo-Catholic in a very traditional parish in the U.S., and like most US Anglo-Catholics, I was deeply committed to the English Missal variety of worship. I still am for that matter. But I could no longer remain in TEC (ECUSA at that time actually) and had to leave. I believed I had a vocation to the priesthood so Rome was not an option at that time. England is now experiencing much of the continuing disintegration that we experienced in American Anglicanism (that looks rather odd doesn’t it?). And Father is right in one. There is no longer a way to remain a Catholic within Anglicanism if the Synod measure passes for women in the episcopate. That is axiomatic.

But Father is a parish priest and pastor of a parish, and he wisely is trying to prepare his people for possible futures. Options are never equal and so Father does not need to try and put forward the option A more “fairly”. Frankly, that’s a dreadful option and one that will lead to a couple of heretical disorders. One of them is certainly a sort of parochial Nestorianism that separates a local parish’s beliefs and worship from its diocese. (May I say that this is another reason that I felt obliged to leave Anglicanism these years ago? It seems to me to have become institutionalized compromise and congregationalism. If that is unfair, please remember my experience was in the US, perhaps English experience is different.)

I applaud Father Edward’s courage and foresight to speak openly to his parishioners about these concerns. He is also trying to point out where he is personally going–that is a matter of honesty. If he has the convictions that this is the best direction to travel, then why would he not also say that to those to whom he ministers? To not do so would be scandalous. To not do so would reveal the heart of a hired servant rather than that of a shepherd of souls. He truly has the heart of a priest. I also take well (in another one of his entries) the critical distinction between being a “minister” and a “priest” as regards a future Evangelical Anglicanism.

I have thought that the Catholic movement within Anglicanism was gone. As my rector said to me years ago, “The dream was beautiful, but it has died in the morass of the reality of Anglicanism.” I am only surprised that more of the clergy are not also trying to press the faithful on the the fulfillment of what we always believed our ultimate dream was. Will it necessarily differ from what was experienced within Anglican sphere? Yes indeed. I am thankful that I have not had to endure the obstinacy and politically correct directions of diocesans as I tried to lead the faithful to salvation. There will also be some deep challenges, and I believe that Father Tomlinson has those in mind.

But I shall end (and end my intrusion in a private arena) by saying that we should support Fr. Tomlinson and St. Barnabas parish in their discernment. We should allow them the quiet and prayers needed and not add extra comments in the discussion. They will have their own concerns and I’m certain they will be discussed and considered within the parish. We all ought to recognize that this cannot really be a democratically voted discernment. Each parishioner will have to take a stand personally. This is about finding home when the one that one has known heretofore has been burnt down, set ablaze by modern Thomas Cromwell’s.

God bless you Father. You and your parishioners have the prayers of this Orthodox priest as you seek God’s will and His home.

Fr. John

I have added a new page which contains the seminar I offered to the congregation this week. You can either access on the right hand tabs or else by clicking here. The picture has no real link other than being of Saint Barnabas’ church whose future is being considered!

This week a new threat to traditional Christianity emerged via a landmark vote by peers. They were voting to remove restrictions on where civil partnership ceremonies (the greatest act of social engineering in my lifetime) may be conducted. Until now they could only be performed in secular venues such as registry office and hotel but now the law will allow them to be held in religious buildings.

So why is this problematic to the Christian? Understand that it is not a problem arising from homophobia for most every true Christian I know would want to offer homosexual people dignity, respect and equality. No the problem arises due to a radically different understanding concerning sex between historic Christianity on the one hand and modern secular values on the other.
To the modern mind sex exists not primarily for procreative purposes but chiefly for our enjoyment. Hence a thriving sex industry is worth billions and serial monogamy is fast replacing lifelong fidelity amongst the general public. Once we accept this premise, that consensual sex between adults can be harmless fun, then it becomes a purely private matter. It necessarily follows that homosexual sexual activity is place on the same level as heterosexual sexual activity. Hence the desire for ‘gay marriage’ a public recognition that the granting of sexual licence is not for heterosexuals alone.

But the bible puts forward a radically different understanding of sex. Here it is seen as the sacred union between man and wife with the ultimate aim of procreation. The sexual act is not ‘a harmless bit of fun’ to be widely shared by everyone but a deeply sacred thing that if abused can lead to shame, pain and confusion. It is for this reason that the enjoyment of sex can never be entirely separated from its procreative function. And because this function necessarily leads to the creation of life, its intended purpose, it is reserved for marriage alone. And who can doubt that children are best cared for within the safe, stable confines of a loving marriage? Which is not to deny the fact that many people heroically raise wonderful children alone but rather to suggest that, ideally, they would receive the help of a loving spouse. See then that this recent development presents difficulties for it blurs the distinction between marriage and other sexual relationships- threatening to place the sacrament of marriage on a weaker footing.

The problem for the Christian is that homosexual sex is, by definition, an act separated from its desired procreative function. How then can it be blessed in the same way that a marriage might be? And this is doubly difficult because the priest does not ever offer people his own blessing but that of God. That being the case how can we give God’s blessing on a homosexual coupling, however much we might want to, without the authority of scripture and tradition? Especially when scripture makes clear that such couplings fall under the category of sin? Understand the subtle point here- gay friendships are in no way sinful but the Christian faith requires them to be chaste as it requires single people of all orientations and indeed husbands and wives to be chaste as well. (Anyone married for a long time will tell you that this is not always easy.) Nevertheless this demand for chastity will be viewed as a terrible affront by many a modern secularist and liberal Christian alike.

And this is where fear begins to grip. Whereas the Roman Catholic church will be made safe by uniting in saying ‘sorry we can’t’- the Anglican voice will not be as clear leading to myriad problems. Firstly the recent Synod decision to grant full pension rights to gay clergy partners leaves them looking rather dishonest and confused if they now refuse such ceremonies to the general public. Secondly there is the problem of what happens in a pick and mix economy. If some clergy delight in offering such unions then those conscientiously unable to proceed are made to look homophobic and are in danger of being sued in the courts. For the world will rightly deduce that if some Anglican clergy DO officiate then surely ALL could! Once again then the poor C of E, struggling with issues of authority and clarity, finds itself in an almighty mess…one that will further divide her members no doubt. Just one more reason why others are seeking the sanctuary of Rome where a consistent Church will protect us, gay or straight, us by uniting us in the faith of the ages. This is one battle I would like to avoid…

If you have ever been to the Vatican you will doubtless have entered the breathtaking Basilica of Saint Peter. Those entering this incredible building are often awestruck for St. Peter’s Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding a staggering 60,000 people. It is no less than the “Mother church” of the Catholic Church universal and undeniably one of the holiest of Christian sites visited by countless pilgrims each day.

Inside the Basilica you can visit the site of Saint Peter’s tomb, situated directly beneath the main altar where many Popes have been interred since the earliest Christian period. Indeed a church has stood on this site since the 4th Century – the present basilica being built from 1506-1626.

Why do I tell you all of this? Because it has come to my attention (biretta tip to Seminarian Bradley) that the Littlemore sisters in Oxford managed to ensure that Mass was said for all those considering new life in the Ordinariate at the altar in Saint Peter’s tomb on Monday 22nd February- an official day of prayer for this exciting opportunity. How wonderful to know that we Anglo-Catholics are being prayed for! And how wonderful that we were the intention of a Mass in such a significant and profoundly holy place. It sends shivers down my spine…..

The rich and rather delicious irony is that, in his defence of Anglicanism, he in fact re-enforces the very reason many of us want to find a new home under the pastoral care of the Bishop of Christ. How insulting, ignorant and deluded this rant is! Does he REALLY seek to write off the entire Roman Catholic church as outdated and flawed? Does he REALLY want to suggest that a willingness to embrace the Spirit of this age as opposed to the Spirit of God equates to being forward thinking? Strikes me this man looks all the way ahead to the 1960’s and needs to return to college to learn what the Roman Catholic church ACTUALLY says – as opposed to how it is deliberately misrepresented in the secular press.

Over the last few weeks my mind keeps returning to one of Jesus’ most famous parables- the one about two houses, one built on sand and the other on rock. Am I alone in thinking that so many of the problems now besetting the battered and crumbling Church of England stem from its very foundation? For we are, at root, a Church built on political expediency by Henry VIII in order to gain control over English faith whilst sanctioning an errant marriage. For all that was healthy about what later emerged – and there was much which was healthy- the underlying premise meant we were never fully reformed to create a strong protestant faith nor fully Catholic to grant us the protection of a magisterium and clearly defined set of doctrines.

We were built on a shaky foundation then and this legacy comes back to haunt us in the modern era. Which leads me to picture the dear old C of E as a beautiful mansion built on sand, some rooms still regal and impressive, but with its outer walls crumbling fast. And as the 21st Century unfolds the whole thing is in danger of collapse because it is simply not firm enough to withstand the battering of secularism on the one hand and postmodern thinking on the other.

The Church built on compromise to sanction dodgy re-marriage is now finding it difficult to wrestle with questions of identity and authority. Witness the inability to discipline those who denounce the faith and even claim to be atheist! Witness the inability to defend the sanctity of marriage as lifelong union between husband and wife! Witness the inability to clearly define what holy orders are for and who they are applicable to! Witness the inability to state with certainty what the church itself even stands for! Witness an inability even to state if the communion blessed at our altars is transformed into the real presence or not! The Church of England, built on sand, shifts at whim with cultural thinking but at what cost to the faith? It slides to encompass all and any viewpoint, with genuine love and generosity, but at what cost to a bold proclamation of biblical faith?

It is for this reason that many Anglo-Catholics are enthused by the offer from Rome. An offer which arrives just as we are confronting a very painful truth- that our vision to ‘re-Catholicise’ the Church of England is all but dead and our ultimate aim for reunifying Anglicanism and Rome a dead loss. With the Anglo-Catholic dream lying in ruin then, and with our inner life exhausted by years of struggling for our life, where will we find a long term future other than in the arms of Saint Peter?

For the Roman Catholic Church enters the 21st Century with much more to offer us than the eccentric Anglican Communion. No matter its problems, and there are many, it is built on rock- the rock of Saint Peter- and it can uphold a clearly defined set of doctrines, including clear teaching on the sanctity of marriage, holy orders, belief in the ‘real presence’ and so much more.

Understand why some of us now see little point in waiting on Synod then- even if a generous offer does arrive (which will require a miracle). Why hold out for a tiny corner of a room built on sand when we are offered the key to that house built on rock? How can a Code of Practice match up to the assurance of sacramental validity? How can a bewildering compromise (which is all we can hope for really) square up to joining the largest community of faith where we will be viewed as normative and not bigoted and eccentric?

It is not that we do not love the C of E- we really do and many of us will continue to do so- it is that life in the Ordinariate makes much more sense, especially to those who are dotrinally Catholic to the marrow of our bones. Is this not a work of the Spirit that calls us to where we belong? And once moved we can dedicate ourselves to evangelism and ecumenism, seeking to heal past pains and work alongside the National church of this land.

Is it not a time for a gracious parting of the ways as all reflect that the Catholic experiment is over? My prayer would then be for a genuine Evangelical revival in the Church of England. A time for true reformation that the Church might bind itself to the protestant vision and live out a biblical faith. This would be an ecclesial community strong enough to do business in the modern world, its biblical orthodoxy firming up the foundations. Furthermore being truly protestant it could revert to the language of ministry instead of priesthood- a doing vocation in which the thorny issue of women in holy orders seems entirely compatible.

You may not agree with much of my thinking, I respect that but please understand why many of us Catholics are seriously considering the offer from Rome. If we do decide to go please do not hold us back out of resentment, petty mindedness or for the furtherance of your own agenda. Let us go in love to the place where, we sincerely believe, God is calling us. And let us both pledge to draw a line under our disagreements as we do so and be as generous and loving as is possible.