Cardinal Wuerl: The US Ordinariate


UPDATE: The Full text of his speech has been posted on The Anglo-Catholic.
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I'm writing this as it's being announced, so forgive the spottiness.

Cardinal Wuerl gave the background about the implentation of Anglicanorum coetibus here in the United States, and then described what the Ordinariate is and the immense interest, as well as that all profiles interested in joining were submitted to Rome (CDF). They said that a reasonable number of people and parishes assessed justified the establishment of an Ordinariate in the United States.

The local Roman Catholic bishops gave a report of the Anglican groups within their jurisdictions of what they knew about these groups.

The petitioning Anglican clergy are to be placed in one of three categories 1) Those who are elligible for "intense formation period" (relatively quickly - 9 month period - concentrating on areas of historic divergence - like in UK), 2) Those who require "sustained period of formation", 3) Those whose histories did not fit in either category. There already is a program of formation approved by the Holy See.

The leadership of St Mary's seminary in Galveston-Houston will assist in this formation. Fr Jeffrey Steenson helped designed this special program. It will provide either on-site or distance learning.

The clergy dossiers will be sent soon to get approved by the CDF, then if approved, clergy will be evaluated psychologically, have background checks, and then have to resign from their Anglican jurisdictions in preparation for entering into the Catholic Church.

The parish catechesis will be performed by the Anglican pastors in conjunction with Catholic clergy to assist.

The Ordinary is not yet named.

Diaconal ordinations will occur once the candidate is approved and resigned from his Anglican jurisdiction, and will be ordained a priest when the parish/group will be received.

He encouraged the Bishops to help as much as possible to facilitate a speedy and generous welcome.

The Pastoral Provision and the Ordinariate are two distinct processes.

The Holy See wants to establish the Ordinariate by this fall.

There will be a written statement of intention and a profession of faith for all those who will enter the Ordinariate.

The second generation of priests will be expected to be normatively celibate, though on an ad hoc basis there will be exceptions.

 

UK Ordinariate Updates


US and AUS Ordinariate Updates