There has been a rumor that has spread among Ordinariate-hopeful clergy and faithful in North America that clergy over 70 will not be considered for ordination as Catholic priests.
Instead of relying on the rumor mill, I sent an email to Fr. Jeffrey Steenson and he confirmed that it is not true, telling me in a brief message from his phone that “retired Anglican clergy can be considered.”
Last night, I was eminded me that the Archbishop of Ottawa had ordained an 80 year old man to the priesthooda few years ago.
I can understand the deep spiritual wrestling that priests who do not know if they will be considered for Catholic priesthood are undergoing right now, a real Garden of Gethsemane moment, especially if their very identity and livelihood and more is tied up in their priestly ministry. Do they make a leap and herd their flocks into the Ordinariate with no guarantees they will be anything but lay men on the other side?
I too have been doing my own wrestling. Do I trust Jesus? I want to want to wholly surrender my will and my life to Him. Do I trust the Catholic Church? Are they one and the same thing in this context? What I pray for is that anyone wrestling with these things will have a clear leading from the Holy Spirit, along with courage to follow Him and the peace and joy that accompanies wholehearted obedience.
We had an amazing homily last night at our little Ottawa parish from Fr. Doug Hayman about the Conversion of St. Paul, in which he spoke of the other many smaller conversions St. Paul must have had to make to get back on course, bringing up the “thorn in the flesh.”
If God so clothes the grass of the field . . . , will He not much more clothe you . . . ? —Matthew 6:30A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us because we will not be simple. How can we maintain the simplicity of Jesus so that we may understand Him? By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, and obeying Him as He brings us the truth of His Word, life will become amazingly simple. Jesus asks us to consider that “if God so clothes the grass of the field . . .” how “much more” will He clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him? Every time we lose ground in our fellowship with God, it is because we have disrespectfully thought that we knew better than Jesus Christ. We have allowed “the cares of this world” to enter in (Matthew 13:22), while forgetting the “much more” of our heavenly Father.
“Look at the birds of the air . . .” (Matthew 6:26). Their function is to obey the instincts God placed within them, and God watches over them. Jesus said that if you have the right relationship with Him and will obey His Spirit within you, then God will care for your “feathers” too.
“Consider the lilies of the field . . .” (Matthew 6:28). They grow where they are planted. Many of us refuse to grow where God plants us. Therefore, we don’t take root anywhere. Jesus said if we would obey the life of God within us, He would look after all other things. Did Jesus Christ lie to us? Are we experiencing the “much more” He promised? If we are not, it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us and have cluttered our minds with confusing thoughts and worries. How much time have we wasted asking God senseless questions while we should be absolutely free to concentrate on our service to Him? Consecration is the act of continually separating myself from everything except that which God has appointed me to do. It is not a one-time experience but an ongoing process. Am I continually separating myself and looking to God every day of my life?
Thank you, Mrs. Gyapong. I had heard about this rumour in private communication but chose not to spread it on the Internet. I am very happy to hear that it is not true. There are certain incoming septuagenarians whom I would love to see proceed to Catholic Holy Orders.
P.K.T.P.
Yes, Mr. Perkins, my concern would be without these shepherds, much of the institutional memory necessary for passing along Anglican patrimony could be lost—the parts of it that can’t be learned in a book, or picked up through rubrics but are caught from those who have lived it.
It is not true. In fact retired priests are very welcome in the ordinariate, as they are usually financially self-supporting through (Anglican Church) pension and state benefits. Those aged 80 and over will be unlikely to be considered for ordination, but those under, with necessary votums, will be given full consideration by CDF, and if approved, be given a rescript for ordination, and papal dispensation if they are married.