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.

Losing out on the Trinity

Am I right? I think I’ve noticed both among liberals and, surprisingly, Evangelicals, a move away from the orthodox belief in God as Trinity to Arianism – God, Jesus and the Spirit. A few weeks ago the Sunday Service from … Continue reading

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The Easter Alleluia

A contemporary of mine from Kelham days – with whom I am very glad to be back in contact – reminded me recently of the singing of the ‘Easter Grail and Alleluia’, ( which I am ashamed to admit that … Continue reading

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A new Pope

V A coach is crossing t he Pennines between Yorkshire and Lancashire. It’s magnificent countryside in the north of England, but quite lonely. Suddenly the coach stops, the driver climbs out, vaults the stone wall into a field and heads … Continue reading

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Original sin

The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner MP, spoke recently at the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. She asserted her belief in the fundamental goodness of human beings. This was a brave thing to do at the site of … Continue reading

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The Evangelicals

I was brought up – prepared for Confirmation and confirmed – in an Evangelical parish of the Church of England. Catholics, even those who know the C of E well, are often puzzled that within the National Church there can … Continue reading

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The meaning of greatness

We British talk of our country as ‘Great Britain’ without really thinking. Perhaps during this month of November we might do well to reflect on this idea of ‘greatness’ and in particular, what it is that makes a nation or … Continue reading

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Is the Pope a Catholic?

People who ask why I became a Catholic usually assume it is because I don’t approve of women priests. Certainly the decision by a majority in the General Synod of the Church of England to permit the ordination of women … Continue reading

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Death – the enemy we need to face up to

In my last year as a parish priest in France I was twice asked to preside over funerals where the cremation of the body had already taken place. No funeral directors attended, and the family arrived with the urn or … Continue reading

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The ordination of women: is history being re-written?

I am always grateful to Fr Paul Benfield for his ‘Window’ into the Church of England which he writes for the Ordinariate Portal. I hope he will not mind if I take some quotes from the June magazine where he … Continue reading

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Moral behaviour: it’s simpler than you think.

The author Alexander McCall Smith writes with warmth and affection, but also with great insight into human beings and the way they live. At the end of Emma, a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s well-known comedy of manners published in … Continue reading

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