We will meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month except in June and August. The venue is St. Augustine’s Church, Birbeck Road, Rush Green, Romford.
MASS at 7.30 p.m. followed by meeting.
18th January
15th February
21st March
18th April
16th May
18th July
19th September
17th October
21st November
19th December
Amongst all that is going on at Christmas tide, we know we should never lose sight of the truth of the Incarnation: that God has entered his creation. It is into the mess and mayhem of our world and our lives that Jesus comes. Those who have entered the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate this year have had to adapt to new and changed situations. Many of the clergy have not only had to leave church buildings but their homes as well. This can be very unsettling but no less unsettling for those many lay people who have left churches and worshipping communities that they have known and loved for many years: place is important. This year that which might seem unsettling opens for us the possibility of hearing and receiving afresh the news of the Shepherds; the song of the Angels; and the call of the Magi. It’s into the untidiness and difficulties of our lives that God, in his Son, wants to come.
At this Christmas time, I want to both recognise and thank all those who have been courageous enough to respond to our Holy Father’s invitation to be one with Peter, the Rock on which this child, born for us, built his Church. My prayer for those clergy, their families and the many lay people who have given generously of their time and resources, and who have let go of familiar things which offered security, is that the joy of the birth of Our Saviour may have a new and deeper meaning as we celebrate the Word made flesh who lives among us.
A blessed and holy Christmas to you all.
Keith+
©2011KeithNewton
Yesterday evening 14 were present for the Redbridge and Havering Ordinariate Exploratory Group Mass and meeting. This was celebrated by the Father Mervyn and concelebrated by Father Martin and there were 14 present for Mass and 10 stayed for the meeting afterwards.. During Mass we prayed for Christian Unity, for the Holy Father and for Monsignor Keith the Ordinary, as well as Bishop Stephen and Bishop Norman. After Mass we had the opportunity to do some forward planning for 2012. Future dates were discussed and these will be notified and published as soon as possible.
After the Summer break this was the first get together we have been able to arrange. Members are really keen that the Group should continue. and during 2012 we hope that it may expand.
It was suggested that we hold a Passover Meal around Holy Week for those interested and that we held another trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. We talked about the visit Fathers Martin and Mervyn will be making to the Holy Land next June with the possibility of a pilgrimage during 2013.
THE NEXT MEETING OF THE REDBRIDGE & HAVERING ORDINARIATE EXPLORATORY GROUP WILL BE ON MONDAY 17th DECEMBER AT ST. AUGUSTINE’S CHURCH, RUSH GREEN.
MASS 7.30 P.M. FOLLOWEDS BY SEASONAL REFRESHMENTS.
IT IS HOPED THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE DATES FOR MEETINGS IN 2012 BY THE 17th DECEMBER
From the Catholic Herald:
A new ordinariate will be created on January 1 to bring Anglicans into the US Catholic Church, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington has announced at an annual meeting of the country’s bishops’ conference.
Cardinal Wuerl also said 67 Anglican priests had submitted their dossiers seeking ordination in the Catholic Church, and 35 of those had received initial approval from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
They can now move to the second stage of approval, which includes a criminal background check, psychological evaluation and recommendations from the Catholic bishop where he lives and from his Anglican ecclesiastical authority, he said.
The actions followed the November 2009 issuance by Pope Benedict XVI of an apostolic constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus, authorising the creation of an ordinariate to bring in Anglicans, or Episcopalians as they are known in the United States, who seek to leave their tradition and join the Catholic Church but retain certain elements of the Anglican faith.
The announcement in the final hour of the public portion of the annual meeting in Baltimore brought immediate logistical questions, such as the relationship between the ordinariate – which will cover the entire US – and the dioceses in which the former Anglican priests will live. The physical location of its offices has not been announced
The Redbridge and Havering Ordinariate Exploratory Group will not meet during the summer but will recommence in the autumn on a date to be announced.
Please keep the Ordinary Monsignor Keith Newton and the Ordinariate in your prayers.
Yesterday, 12 members of the Redbridge and Havering Ordinariate Group went to Walsingham to join the Pilgrimage of Reparation and Consecration organised by the Ordinariate and led by Monsignor Keith Newton. It rained and rained and raine and and when we arrived at Walsingham it was just pouring. We made our way to the Anglican Shrine Café for Coffee and some of us indulged in the wonderful Norfolk Shortbread they sell.
We had arranged to hold Mass at the Barn Chapel as, of course, we were not allowed to receive at the Mass at the RC National Shrine. It had been our intention to eat lunch, after Mass, in the Shrine Grounds and then to walk towards the Slipper Chapel to join the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament.We enjoyed our lunch in the Barn Chapel but then concluded that the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament would be cancelled although we were unable to actually find out any details,We decided to visit the Flower Festival taking place in the village this week-end
The flowers in the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church and the Church of St. Mary were absolutely stunning. We returned to the Abbey Grounds but again were unable to get much information except, as we thought, Benediction had been cancelled. We decided to go to the Shrine Grounds and wait and see what would happen. Eventually the Procession arrived carrying a Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham and then there was a service of Sprinkling in the Shrine Church which we attended.
Although our plans for the day had to be changed with the weather ruining our plans and soaking us all, we had a really enjoyable day..
