Author Archives: Scott Anderson

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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.

Our gratitude for 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 … Continue reading

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Blessed John Henry Newman 9th October 2014

In gratitude for our Patron, Blessed John Henry Newman, and asking his prayers this day

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Forming priests the Kelham way: true patrimony

With the Feast Of St Michael and all Angels on 29th September (St Michael, St Gabriel and St Raphael in the current Roman calendar) the thoughts of those of us who were trained as Anglicans for the priesthood at the … Continue reading

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In the struggle against terrorism what hope is there for free-speech?

Reports of  Theresa May’s speech at the Tory Party Conference are beginning to cause some concern. For while the British people are united behind efforts to counter violent terrorism, some commentators identity an important shift in the Home Secretary’s thinking. … Continue reading

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What shall we sing at Mass?

I have been re-reading “Anglicans and Catholics in Communion”, a collection of articles and essays published by the Catholic League in August 2010. Looking back even over four years at the hopes and fears for the Ordinariates is fascinating, instructive, … Continue reading

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Sunday evenings

It is sometimes said that ‘Evensong’ or ‘Evensong and Benediction’ is the typical worship of the Ordinariate, at least in the UK. Certainly, it is more familiar and easier to find your way around than the Ordinariate Form of the … Continue reading

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Commercialisation + Alienation = Radicalisation

Forgive the jargon words of the title of this post. In the face of all the hand-wringing about the ‘radicalisation’ of Muslim young men, I want to reflect on what happened to the British youth scene from the 1960’s: its subversion … Continue reading

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A hymn for the Ordinariate

  Among a number of gifts at the time of my ordination last year was a subscription to ‘Magnificat’. Each month the booklet arrives, containing for each day a form of prayer for morning and evening, the Mass readings and … Continue reading

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The ‘English Use’ – is it a liturgical cul-de-sac?

Personal customs and habits in the priest celebrating the Mass were very common among Anglo-Catholics. Indeed, some churches prided themselves on ‘the way we do it at St X’s’ . While it was hardly a problem for the vicar, in … Continue reading

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When words are used to hide the truth 5

The western world is very nervous about what it calls ‘judgemental attitudes’. In order to make sure that moral decisions are not ‘pre-judged’ it prefers morally ‘neutral’ words. One of the most obvious examples is the way in which ‘abortion’ … Continue reading

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