Australian Ordinariate Head Wants Group to Grow, Evangelise
June 27, 2012 45 Comments
Fr Harry Entwistle says his conversion from Anglican to the Catholic faith can’t be explained by anything other than the Holy Spirit’s “wicked sense of humour”.
As the inaugural head of the personal ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, a jurisdiction for former Anglicans in Australia, he said it’s “an awesome responsibility because it means that I have to lay the foundations of the Ordinariate to enable it to grow and flourish and be an evangelistic tool for the Church”.
“Apart from the legalities of erecting the Ordinariate, we’re getting enormous help from the Catholic Bishops Conference to set that up, it does mean with a shortage of few clergy we will have initially we have got to get the message out to others that we exist,” he said.
“Although we exist as an erected body that doesn’t mean that everybody knows about us. We will be hoping to encourage the Catholic bishops to spread the word. It will be a slow growth because groups will need to form. There is a group already forming in Melbourne, and hopefully soon in South Australia, and a group exists in Sydney. So it’s a question of now that the Ordinariate exists then other people may come and enquire about what it means, and whether they can be part of it.”
Ordained an Anglican priest in England in 1964, he immigrated to Australia in 1988 before joining the Traditional Anglican Communion in 2006.
A father of two, the 72-year-old’s “amazing journey” came full circle when he was ordained as a Catholic priest by the Archbishop of Perth, Bishop Tim Costelloe, at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth, on 15 June.
Fr Harry described his ordination as an “amazing experience” and “something I never thought would happen”.
“I was brought up as a young man in Lancashire, England, in quite a sectarian district, where there was the great divide between Catholics and non-Catholics,” he said.
“Non-Catholics just covered everybody who wasn’t a Catholic. And while relationships would be described as sort of pleasant, they were rather like the Cold War. I wasn’t in an area where there was actually out and out fighting, but there was no doubt about which side of the divide you were on.
“Preston (Lancashire) was a very strong Jesuit area. There were a lot of manor houses around that area and so there was this very strong Catholic element. The population was almost 50 per cent divided, but there was no real ecumenical endeavour of any sort. And that was my upbringing. And so to find myself in a Catholic cathedral, being a Catholic priest can’t be explained by anything other than the Holy Spirit’s wicked sense of humour. The ordination was a wonderful experience.”
When asked about the differences between the faiths, Fr Harry says in the Catholic culture there’s a “greater sense of community”.
“Each parish belongs to a community and there’s less of the individualism that there is to a great degree in Anglicanism,” he said.
“Also I have never had such support and welcome from a hierarchy. They have been amazing in facilitating the process towards the Ordinariate.”
Words. Words are important. And saying (or suggesting) that the Holy Spirit has a ‘wicked sense of humour’, is not a good choice at all. Theologically, it’s in point of fact, a disastrous choice. Why? He cannot be wicked. That’s impossible. God and wicked are two impossible opposites. Nor would the occassion (or following His leading) give causes for amusement. But hey, that’s just my humble opinion.
About Fr Stephen Smuts
Fr. Stephen: Absolutely agree, very poor choice of words here by Fr. Entwistle! But we will forgive him, this time. But, hopefully he will get with it “theologically”!
But seriously, “theology” for the Ordinariates is foremost! I hope it can show that Anglicans are with it here, biblically, historically and theologically! But this must come from the clergy first!
Btw, I hope the Ordinariates will acknowledge somewhat the 350 years of the BCP?
I am glad btw, to hear of this desire to “Evangelize” within the Ordinariate’s! The general RCC really needs this gift and desire! And historically Anglicanism has been fired here. In fact, here is that real “Evangelical” place that Anglicans can bring as Ordinariate Roman Catholics! I pray they keep this spirit and desire.
If any of you know anything about about English as spoken in both Australia and New Zealand, the word, noun or adjective, “wicked” means great, terrific, right on etc. The word has to be taken in the context of the English it is used in. Fr. Entwistle in this case used the correct word. English is a living and changing language, not bound by archaic rules.
Australia, and certainly today therein, the King’s (Queen’s) English is far from England! Again, note the BCP… 350 years now!
Dear Fr Smuts
There is also Small group forming in Follows, Victoria. There is nine of us, though more are welcome. We meet twice a month.
In ChrisT
Ken
Gippsland, not Followes
Been to Gippsland, lovely place!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gippsland
Port Albert for fishing!
What sort of group Ken?
Father Ed Bakker OPR
Bendigo
Don’t know about ‘Down Under’ but here in USA and probably Canada like so many words dropping into slang usage ‘wicked’ means ‘good’ and being American that’s how I took it. Like ‘you are so ‘bad’ meaning you are so ‘good’. Guess it never reached South Africa.
Would get all bent out of shape about it. Take it light (that means easy).
Ne? Slang used in proportion to God… Yes, that sounds pretty American to me. Guess that kinda doesn’t work for us here in Africa. It was once like that over there too. Who knows, maybe it’ll come back to you.
Again, I am with you Fr. Stephen, but eh, were Brit’s! And as you say, words mean something, especially in theology! No ‘Cotton Patch Bible’ for us British!
Btw, we must plug the KJV here, as the BCP, the Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23, etc. Since I do my share of funerals, no one wants to hear the Lord’s Prayer or Psalm 23 in a paraphrase, but the KJV. But the ESV runs a close second!
If Hepworth is to be believed (which is occasionally the case), Ordinary Harry will be at Hepworth’s purported Synod of the ACCA next week to speak to the financial statements (I say purported because he’s suspended from the College of Bishops and therefore has no authority to call a synod). I’d like to be a fly on the wall as Ordinary Harry explains some of the auditor’s qualifications, such as ‘insufficient income to continue as a going concern’ and some of the items in the accounts, such as a $350K ‘loan’ to ‘Traditional Anglican Communion body’, which is merely the amount taken (without so much as a by your leave) from the ACCA to run the primatial office and travel budget from an unincorporated body with no legal personality and (to the best of my knowledge, but it’s impossible to know when there’s no transparency) no loan agreement. But if he does attend, the very fact of his attendance puts a lie to the Romans’ ‘taking no sides’ in the current ACCA standoff against Hepworth. Well, if that’s the way the Romans deal with us, or with anyone, they know where they can shove their Ordinariate.
Sandra, in my forays into the world of Anglo-Catholicism on the Net, I have been stunned by some of the unpleasantness – but you take the biscuit. There is little that you write that isn’t sneering or rude and I am sure there must be a reason for that which runs deep.
Calling Romans Catholics ‘Romans’ is an old-fashioned piece of bigotry to suggest a foreign-ness of people who are often more English (or Australian or whatever) than those expressing the bigotry. Well, for what it is worth, I still wish you the best and hope you find some peace of mind.
As for ‘Wicked’, it is a contraction of ‘wickedly’ in the sense of ‘wickedly clever’ and is a very common phrase in English which is not a reference to evil.
CatholicLeftwinger
Thank you for saying whatneeded to be said!
Yes, and she is always rude and snarky to our blog host, Fr Stephens. But he never responds in kind.
Actually, Fr Stephen and I get on well. Sorry if I come off as rude. Perhaps there are just some things that have gone on that I know about and am deeply hurt by. And I use ‘Romans’ as a term of endearment.
And I trust that the reference to ‘wicked’ is not aimed at me but just included for convenience. I made no comment about it.
Actually, we need people like Sandra, who are not afraid to speak both their conscience and see through the smoke. We must be critical, but certainly in the spirit of Christ! Btw, I don’t see Sandra as rude, but again truthful, as to her heart and mind. I believe btw, she would be an Anglo-Catholic, also, and I think as she has said she was waiting for the best Roman effort.
Btw, “wicked” by definition means evil, and is a poor metaphor for any aspect of God, save perhaps that God will smoke the evil ones! Now “smoke”, there is a good metaphor! And Satan, now he is “wickedly clever”… “Has God said”?
The Acting Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, according to his most recent Ad Clerum, mentioned a Tribunal to investigate the serious allegations against John Hepworth and/or Cheryl Woodman of financial mismanagement/ irregularities/fraud/theft within the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia. Who are the members of this Tribunal, and what are its findings? Is Peter Slipper involved/implicated – as Chancellor? What is the current status/title/role of these three people in ACCA/TAC?
Authority/responsibility for the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia was given by the Acting Primate to David Robarts and Owen Buckton. What part (if any!) will these men have in the ‘purported’ Synod next week? Where is to be held?
As I understand it, all appointments to office by the bishop ordinary cease when he ceases to hold office. Accordingly, the offices held by Woodman and Slipper are vacated.
If Bp Robarts or Fr Buckton goes to Hepworth’s ‘synod’ I shall eat my hat and go join the Calathumpians.
Over on the Anglo Catholic there is the most terrific comment:
“Sometimes the Holy Spirit gets it wrong”.
And sometimes he would appear to have been excluded from the decision-making process.
The link from the Traditional Anglican Communion website to that of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia has contact details for the following, under Diocesan Officers and Organisations :-
The Very Reverend Fr Owen Buckton Administrator of the Diocese
The Right Reverend David O. Robarts Bishop having Episcopal Authority in the Diocese of Australia
AND
Lay Canon Cheryl Woodman Chair of the Professional Standards Committee
I suppose one shouldn’t believe everything one reads on the internet.
As an Australian friend just wrote to me:
“What I do know, however, is that the allegations of financial impropriety are without foundation. It is also the case that Prakash and Gill are acting as if they have the authority of the Pope, i.e., of immediate jurisdiction over local synods and bishops. They don’t. I am sure the synod of ACCA will make its own decisions without any help from Messrs Prakash and Gill. And I would advise anybody thinking that they can repeat allegations of financial impropriety to think again. They may well find that the auditors of ACCA sue them.”
I’ve read the audited financial reports. I wasn’t entirely clear in my previous post, but I can say that:
1. I have absolutely no quarrel with the auditors. I’ve read their reports and qualifications. Perfectly competent audit, within its openly disclosed limits. I am tired of criticism of financial management of the ACCA being deflected by threats of being sued by the auditors. The auditors have done a good job. Their qualifications are plain. But it wasn’t a ‘forensic audit’ as has been trumpeted about. It was just a normal audit, and the auditors are perfectly clear about what they didn’t do, what they didn’t see and the degree to which the accounts may not represent the actual financial position of ACCA.
2. The financial reports (as the auditors note in their qualifications) were produced to Synod late–the three years ending 30 June 2010 were not produced until December 2011. That does not aid financial transparency. The ‘loan’ to TAC body, showing as an asset in the books, being a debt owed to ACCA, represents money that was spent on the Primate’s expenditure (Hepworth as primate) by the ACCA (of whose relevant synod and asset-holding and account-keeping body Hepworth was chairman), but is in fact entirely an ‘on paper’ asset (no fault of the auditors). A church property was sold up at the behest of the mortgagee (of which Hepworth is chairman) and the considerable surplus all hoovered up by ACCA (despite the Affirmation of St Louis) and things like damages to reputation of officers of the ACCA because of things said on blogs attributed as costs of sale. And yet Hepworth purported to cancel the licence of Bp Robarts because he raised these concerns. The College of Bishops has suspended Bp Hepworth and with no wanting it, Fr Buckton is currently Administrator. Hepworth has called an invalid synod and it would appear to be the official purpose of the RC Church (hope I don’t offend anyone by so referring to the body that likes the exclusive use of the word ‘Catholic’) to prop up the Hepworth regime because the Ordinary is apparently going to be in attendance at it.
3. I am sorry people find me rude. Sometimes I get carried away by mis-aimed gallows humour, sometimes by frustration at glaring inconsistencies and injustices. I shall try to be nicer about this, Apostolicae Curae, and other things that get up my nose in future.
So I’m sorry if I’m a bit intemperate at times. Someone’s got to stick up for brave clergy who nevertheless have good reason to be a little nervous at this time
I note that Fr Stephen, who kindly hosts this blog, is licenced to the man Dr Tighe would call ‘Mr Gill’.
Oh, and Dr Tighe, is your friend called Fr Walloon, or Fr Hollander, or Fr Dutchman, or something of that ilk? It’s just that I’ve seen bush lawyer threats of that sort from someone with a name like that recently.
Yes, I believe that respect does goes a long way. I do try to allow for ‘free speech’ and this blog would be a pretty worthless place if I moderated all those I with whom I disagree. In any event, I always say that most often, what a person writes, says more of him/her, than it does his/her intended target (or point).
And to those who claim that the Acting Primate and the (episcopal) Secretary to the College of Bishops are acting in a quasi-papal manner, I would ask what we are to make of the erection of the Patrimony of the Primate on the patch of another TAC member church or the failure to call a meeting of or arrange any consultation with the College of Bishops since 2007? Sorry if I offend, but if I suggest aright, Dr Tighe is quoting propaganda from a source close to Hepworth and it can’t go unanswered.
The Auditors of ACCA have absolutely no reason to sue anyone. The auditors did not manage the finances of the ACCA and/or the Queensland Synod. Neither did they authorise the payments made by either of those. It also does not appear that they had been asked to offer any advice on the financial management of ACCA/Qld Synod. They merely attepted to make sense of the inadequate (long overdue) information supplied by the former Primate of the TAC and his Chair of Professional Standards/Registrar/Secretary. Keeping the books and records of ACCA clearly were not part of the professional standards upheld in that office. The qualifications to the Financials need to be explained in detail. Actual vouchers for purported expenditure might be nice.
Vouchers proving expenditure, a petty cash book, valuations of assets, proof of ownership of items shown as assets in the balance sheet, such as the church contents (mostly owned, I understand, by the priests themselves) that wind up in it at insured value because the insurance certificates are copied to head office, management committee minutes approving expenditure over $100, the cost-benefit analysis that demonstrated that the best use of fast depleting funds would be to build a diocesan and primatial office on land owned by a certain Lay Canon. Oh, the things we’d love the auditors to have seen! (If only they existed.) The auditors were perfectly competently open about their absence (well, not the cost-benefit analysis, but I’m not blaming them for that since auditing does not involve re-making all decisions, and perhaps it exists after all).
Now I’m sorry if I offend people by raising these uncomfortable issues, but they are some of the the reasons why I’m a Nigh-on Despairing ACCA Member at the moment.
Here are some others: Hepworth refused to accept the validity of the College of Bishops Meeting whose votes resulted in a procedure that led to his current suspension, and retaliates by calling a Synod while suspended. Things are valid, it seems, only when they go his way. He didn’t like the result of an inquiry into rape allegations in the Archdiocese of Adelaide, so he goes off publicly to the police the next day and then ‘an Adelaide priest, speaking on condition of anonymity’ (whose name wouldn’t be something like Walloon, by any chance?) blames the effect of this on the career of the accused man on the archbishop who commissioned the original inquiry!
Sorry, folks, sorry all you guys who don’t know the inside workings of the ACCA, sorry Hurting ACCA Member, sorry Left-Wing Catholic and Patrick, and a very special sorry to Fr Walloon (you’ve been rumbled, sir), and sorry to all the folks who seem to think that we should just go and play happy Ordinariates with nice happy snaps of Anglican Ministers being turned into Proper Priests and leave Hepworth lording it over the remnant, in circumstances where the RC hierarchy officially doesn’t take sides but actually supports Hepworth. Sorry, so sorry, for getting hot under the collar at all this.
It appears that defending any suggestion of or allusion to financial impropriety is uppermost in the minds of all +Hepworth supporters. Even before the fact!!!!!
Very much like a little child telling mommy: Do not look behind the curtain now mommy!
Just under Four million Anglicans in Australia and less than a 100 in the Ordinariate.
Yes, you’re quite right. They should close it down, the leaders should be summarily shot, and all the benighted members should spend the next 40 years having pins stuck in their eyes as punishment for failure.
That’d show them.
Australia technically is British, and this still follows that culture somewhat, i.e. a cultural Anglicanism. But how close is that Anglican ethos to the Aussies today? This is the great question!
From what I gather, more and more people in Australia are become atheists. And yet the greatest threat is a perceived perfidious papist plot, producing piqued parishioners, priests, and primates. I find it all perplexing, really.
Australia is still a majority in Christian name, but also a very pluralistic society, with no fully established religion, not even Anglican. But there are many more Roman Catholics there now, both of Irish descent, and others. St. Mary MacKillop (1842-1909) Scottish descent, has become Australia’s first Saint (2010). She is known as Mother Mary of the Cross. Yes, I still keep up with Catholicism some!
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mackillop-mary-helen-4112
For what it is worth, I am of the opinion that now is not the right time to call the bluff of the TAC College of Bishops. From the way matters have been unfolding, it is abundantly clear to the most casual observer that they have never acted without having sufficient proof to back up their actions.
They’re not bluffing – but I still find it wondrous strange that Bishop David Robarts and Fr Owen Buckton have been appointed by the Acting Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion (which certainly does not support the Ordinariate) to be in charge of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia and are therefore responsible for providing pastoral care/spiritual succour to those who do not – and in many cases never have – share the views of these two clergy who had previously indicated that they personally (and their congregations?) were Ordinariate-bound..
Not to mention Cheryl Woodman’s apparent continuation “in office”
And whatever happened to Bishop David Chislett ?
“Fox” and “hen-house” come to mind but they all continue to be upheld in prayer – as in God’s will for….
Cognitive dissonance???
Fr Buckton wasn’t appointed by the Acting Primate. He took over pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the ACCA, because he was VG at the time and there was no coadjutor bishop, only assistant bishops–so the VG gets it. This was explained on this blog when he took over. Bishop Chislett isn’t in the ACCA any more–more’s the pity. We don’t have a bishop in the ACCA currently who hasn’t applied for a nulla osta. There are some who are able to take a pastoral view of clergy and people who are headed one way or another.
Very interesting development…..
Lay Canon Cheryl Woodman has now been removed from the link mentioned above (28/6/12)
Did the ‘purported’ synod take place, where was it held, who attended and what transpired?