Today Cardinal Wuerl is speaking on the long-awaited Personal Ordinariate for the United States of America! Like last time he spoke, I will be live-blogging the highlights as he speaks, so again, please forgive any typos :)
His Eminence, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington D.C. and the man in charge of implementing the Anglican Ordinariate here in the United States, is speaking to the Conference of Catholic Bishops at their Fall General Assembly right now about the forthcoming Ordinariate in this country.
He says that he's received 67 clergy submitted and 35 have received nulla ostas from the CDF in Rome and are free to move on with the ordination process.
He says that the bishops have been facilliting and underwriting costs for background checks and pyschological evaluations.
2 Anglican communities have entered the Catholic Church in anticipation of the Ordinariate (Ft. Worth and Bladensburg, MD)
The Holy Father approved the establishement of an Ordinariate in this country!
The canonical erection will be on January 1, 2012 where an ordinary will be named! (In SIX WEEKS TIME!!!)
Steps: 1) Those Anglican congregations will need to be catechized (if they haven't already) by a program approved by the Holy See and administered by the new Ordinariate. The local diocese should help.
2) The program of priestly at St Mary's seminary in Houston for clergy will be available by either distance learning or on-site training.
3) At this point, Fr Hurd will continue to help clergy/parishes continue on to the second stage (making sure the votum - of the local Latin Rite ordinary for the clergy - the background checks for the clergy, the psychological evaluation for the clergy, and the catechesis for the parishes takes place)
If the ordinary of the new ordinariate is married he can be a priest but not a bishop and the the ordination of priests must be done by the local Latin Rite bishop. There is no adaptation or change in the ordination rite.
Those Anglican clergy who serve as chaplains will be available to serve in the Military Ordinariate.
The liturgical side has been working behind the scenes under the direction of an international dicastery. An Ordinariate will be able to use upon its erection either the Roman Rite or the BDW until the new liturgy is available and approved.
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Bishop Kevin Vann is speaking:
He is now the head of the Pastoral Provision.
The purpose is somewhat similar but different than the Ordinariate, as priests are incardinated into their local Latin Rite dioceses.
He envisions it being complimentary to the work of the Ordinariate.
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Q&A:
Card. Wuerl says the Ordinariate will be run by the ordinary who will take over. The delagate (himself) will work for a limited time then fade out. Bp Vann will continue to run the Pastoral Provision separately from the Ordinariate. The Ordinary will be a member of the Conference of Bishops as a brother.
Anglican Use parishes currently in Latin Rite dioceses will have to seek permission of the current ordinary to transfer into the Ordinariate. (Our Lady of Walsingham parish in Houston will be transferred into the Ordinariate because the parish wants it and Card. DiNardo wants it)
Health insurance, etc. for Ordinariate clergy can be taken care of by the local dioceses.
The extra priests (more priests than Ordinariate communities exist currently) can serve also in local Latin Rite parishes or in the miltary archdiocese also until the Ordinariate itself begins to grow and need them all.
Bishop Earl Boyea (Lansing) asks about Ordinariate priestly ordination formation being shorter than the Pastoral Provision priests. Bp Vann says the differnce is the structure of the Ordinariate being needed to be erected. Pastoral Provision priests cannot be pastors but it seems Ordinariate priests can be (unclear).
Card. O'Malley wants a priest with long-time experience with the Pastoral/Provision (Anglican Use) to be ordinary.
The Pastoral Provision won't change because there will probably always be Anglican clergy who come individually (without a community) and want to serve in the diocese and not the Ordinariate.
The Bishop of Honolulu asks if Latin Rite priests can say Ordinariate liturgies, and Card. Wuerl seems to think that they could, and that Latin Rite Catholics could attend Ordinariate congregations and vice versa.
Bishop Gaydos (Jefferson City) asks if he is asked to ordain an Ordinariate priests, who would give him authority? Card. Wuerl says the ordinary.
The priestly formation program will last for 6-9 months. The local bishop may be involved in the formation of priests at a later time in further pastoral training if the ordinary wishes.
