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Why the Society of Catholic Priests?
In the undercroft of Christ Church New Haven is
a relatively small, wooden altar, no longer in use, that was built for
and memorializes one of the American Catholic Congresses of the early 20th
century. It would have been difficult for those who attended those
conferences to imagine how the next nine or so decades would play out-
forms for private confession in the prayer book and the opening of holy
orders to women would seem equally as unlikely.
At the turn of the 20th
century, the rector of this parish included in the materials in the
cornerstone of the third church, an almost wistful hope that the day
would come when he and his compatriots could be remembered in prayer
after their death. In the meantime, full Requiem Eucharists and votive
candles have become as unremarkable as the influx of “A celebration of
the life of…” has re-shaped an understanding of what the funeral
service might be. Failing seminaries, dioceses splitting and
re-aligning, dismal statistics and all of this is balanced by new
initiatives in service and community life projects for young people,
efforts continue to connect parishes and to re-shape the ties among
us.
So what, then might
a Society of Catholic Priests offer at this point in the life of the
Anglicanism in North America. First, it answers a real need that many
of us feel to connect with others of similar- though never identical-
concerns. Whether the question is developing and honoring a personal
rule of life that offers stability - or finding a way to help a parish
comprehend the depth and the riches of the faith we carry- to worship,
to think and to act out of the gracious heritage that is ours- these
are not projects that an individual can easily sustain without
collegial support.
Whatever this
Society accomplishes will depend in its ability to draw together
priests with common commitments, concerns, and hopes. Second, and
this comes to mind during the General Convention, it will not work as
voice or force for advocacy within the Church. To take one relatively
minor point, priests drawn to this society may well enthusiastically
support the revision of Lesser Feasts and Fasts or have serious
reservations about the process or the results. Conversation that helps
us all clarify our thinking and lets us hear each other – that in fact
leaves individuals better prepared to go and argue their point
perhaps-is the goal. Third, the Society, if it is effective, will
bring into our awareness a great cloud of witnesses- not only the men
and women whose ministry has sustained the catholicity of the Anglican
tradition in North America- but the many people in all sorts of places
who are continuing to work to deepen the church’s sacramental and
devotional life, to strengthen its faith in great mysteries of our
faith and to express all of this in both worship and service that is
honest, demanding, and effective.
We invite you to
join with us- to help us create local chapters and to contribute to the
larger conversation as this Society of Catholic Priests takes up these
three tasks- to create connections among us, to strengthen us in the
things that are central and energizing to our faith and vocations and
to celebrate the heritage and the future of the Anglo-catholic
movement in the Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Church of Canada.
At this point, we
are planning a regional gathering in New York City in September. In
November, we expect to welcome the Rev'd Canon Andrew Nunn, rector
general of the SCP in the UK, as we inaugurate the Society in North
America at our first annual provincial (national) meeting in New Haven,
Connecticut.
Eventually, as
local chapters are established and as they elect rectors- membership
will be through the local chapter and would follow a conversation with
leaders from the local chapter. We are not setting dues and foresee
keeping the Society working on as low an overhead as possible.
Members are expected to make some annual gift- to provide for the costs
of communication and any necessary expenses. Conferences and meetings
will, by necessity be self-supporting and expenses will be kept as low
as possible- conference and meeting fees will reflect real costs. An
annual budget- of income and expenses will be provided for anyone who
makes a financial contribution.
To establish and
sustain the Society on this basis will require committed and active
leadership- and leadership that emerge from the members of the
Society. There are a few of us working now to set this Society in
motion- but we look forward to the day that local chapters and regional
chapters are able to provide and support a regularly changing pool of
leadership.
If you have ideas
or what to help shape the formation of the Society- we need to hear
from you. First, we hope you will join. Second, we hope you will help
create a diocesan or regional gathering in your area. Let us know if
you have questions or if there are specific ways in which the Society
might support your ministry and deepen your spiritual life. Help us
envision how this Society might contribute to the spiritual health and
the vitality of the parishes we serve and the larger church as well.
If you feel called to participate in a Society with these goals and
operating under these commitments, let us hear from you and help us
explore where this beginning might lead.
Fr David Cobb, rector
Christ Church, New Haven
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