Some ten years ago Dr Antonia Lynn and I put together a little booklet for the Novena of Prayer under the title ‘Called to be holy’. We composed the prayers using the Collect form. Archbishop Cranmer was very skilful in using this form and adapting it to the vernacular in his English Prayer Book. Neither the 1970 Missal nor its more recent translation into English have used this form particularly well.
Here is a prayer, composed by the two of us, which I used at the American War Memorial in Weymouth last Sunday.
O Almighty God / King of kings and Lord of lords : when the darkness of war engulfed the nations of the old world / you sent forth fresh light and hope from the new world / through the courage of brave men and women / Hear us as we pray in gratitude for those who gave their lives / that we might enjoy peace and freedom in our day / Welcome them, we pray, into the eternal light of your presence / through Jesus Christ our Lord: / Amen;
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 