Blessed Paul VI
For those of us who were nurtured in the Faith as Anglicans the beatification of Pope Paul VI is special. He seemed to have a particular regard and concern for the Anglican Communion. It was expressed by one short sentence in his homily for the canonisation of the Uganda Martyrs, part of which we read each year on their feast day, 3rd June.
Young witnesses to Christ: the Martyrs of Uganda
You will remember, perhaps, that among those young men killed during the years 1885-1887 were both Catholics and Anglicans. After speaking in his homily of the ancient Christian martyrs of Africa, to whom he was now adding St Charles Lwanga and his companions, Paul VI added:
Nor should we forget those others, of the Anglican Communion, who died for the sake of Christ.
We thank God today, as Pope Paul VI is beatified, for these words, so few but so rich in significance, which inspired many of us to continue longing and praying for the restoration of communion.
About Scott Anderson
Formerly an Anglican priest (ordained 1975) received into the Catholic Church in February 2012, and ordained to the Diaconate on 27th July 2013. I took early retirement, and divide my time between London and northern France. I am deeply committed to the Ordinariate as a gift of the Holy Spirit in the search for unity. Like many Ordinariate members I feel a personal gratitude to Pope Emeritus Benedict, together with loyalty to our Holy Father, Pope Francis. My blog tries to make a small contribution to the growth of the Ordinariate by asking questions (and proposing some answers) about the 'Anglican Patrimony'.
I have always been fascinated by the whole issue of growth and decline, and therefore concerned for appropriate means of evangelisation in western Europe. I believe that the Holy Spirit is constantly renewing the People of God and that we must be open to him.
On Saturday 19th October 2013, I was ordained to the Priesthood at Most Precious Blood, Borough, by the Most Revd Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, for the service of the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham. I continued to serve the Ordinariate group and Parish at Most Precious Blood until the end of 2014. Subsequently, I helped in the care of the Ordinariate Groups at Hemel Hempstead and Croydon, and in the Archdiocese of Southwark, until the beginning of September 2015. With the agreement of my Ordinary, , the Bishop of Amiens appointed me Administrator of the Parish of Notre Dame des Etangs (Pont Remy) in Picardie, France.
After nine years as parish priest, with wonderful and supportive parishioners, I decided that the time had come to retire and return to the UK. A nasty accident four years ago and contracting COVID has left me physically rather feeble! I shall be ever grateful for the years in France, a wonderful ending to the years of parish ministry. So here I am back in the UK, taking a long rest, setting up home, coping with all the new Safeguarding procedures - and wondering what next.
Ordinariate Pilgrim 