What is the English Patrimony?
The English, or Anglican, Patrimony is the sum total of the spiritual, liturgical, pastoral, cultural and social traditions that have come down to us primarily via the experience of Christian life primarily in England, but also to an extent from the whole of the British Isles. It begins with the first unknown missionaries to England, from the protomartyr Saint Alban, and continues through the Celtic Church, the Roman-Gregorian Mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury. It includes the lives and writings of great figures like Saint Bede the Venerable, Edward the Confessor, Saint Anselm, Saint Richard of Chichester, Saint Hilda of Whitby, Margery Kemp, Walter Hilton, Richard Rolle, the Lady Julian of Norwich, the author of the Cloud of Unknowing, St Aelred of Riveaux, and continues down through the era of the time of the separation between the sees of Canterbury and Rome; the era of the Book of Common Prayer, and the King James Bible; with figures like Thomas Ken, George Herbert, William Laud, Jeremy Taylor, John Donne, Lancelot Andrewes, Charles Wesley, and into the Oxford Movement of the Nineteenth Century, with Saint John Henry Newman, Dr Pusey, Fr Faber, Christina Rosetti, A.W.N. Pugin, and later via the "Ritualists" into the "Anglo-Catholic" movement of the Twentieth Century, with figures like Eric Mascall, C.S. Lewis, Michael Ramsay, Percy Dearmer, and many, many others. In this great host of people, theologies, spiritualities, writings, understandings, customs and traditions, we find a worthy patrimony in and through which we can express our prayer to God in particular kinds of ways.
When the Personal Ordinariates were formed, Pope Benedict XVI expressed the wish that they share the treasure of their patrimony with the whole Church. So we at Saints Ninian & Chad in our own way share with you that which we have received, our patrimony, hoping that you will find joy and peace in the Catholic Faith through the Ordinariate's tradition. From the Apostolic Constitution, "Anglicanorum Coetibus" (Groups of Anglicans), of Pope Benedict XVI, 4th November, 2009: This single Church of Christ, which we profess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic “subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him. Nevertheless, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside her visible confines. Since these are gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, they are forces impelling towards Catholic unity.” III. Without excluding liturgical celebrations according to the Roman Rite, the Ordinariate has the faculty to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical celebrations according to the liturgical books proper to the Anglican tradition, which have been approved by the Holy See, so as to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared. |
A Video discussing the Personal Ordinariates and the English Patrimony
(9th November 2018)
IS THERE A DISTINCTIVE ENGLISH (ANGLICAN) SPIRITUAL TRADITION?
Successive Archbishops of Canterbury have made it clear that only those who are members of the Canterbury Anglican Communion have a legitimate claim to call themselves Anglicans. All other Christians, including us, who describe themselves as Anglicans are those who follow the Anglican Way of living the Christian life.
The Canterbury Communion members use the word ‘Anglican’ as a noun. That describes who they are. Those outside that Communion use the word ‘Anglican’ as an adjective for it describes the traditions which are held dear and practised. Pope Benedict XVI clearly believed that there is a distinctive Anglican spiritual tradition that he wished to reintroduce into the Catholic Church through the Ordinariates.
If it exists, what is this tradition?
There has been much debate about what the Anglican tradition might be. Some have said that Anglicans are more pastorally focused in their ministry than some other Christians. Others have said that Anglican preaching is good, the worship is spiritual without being over dramatic or emotional, while some have said that Evensong and the use of hymnbooks are positive gifts. Anglicans can no longer claim to be unique among the Christian world in most of these matters, so what is it that makes Anglicans different? There must be deeper riches that Benedict XVI recognised as being an essential element that is currently not part of the rich tapestry of Catholic life.
Only those from other Christian traditions or none who are Catholic in heart are likely to enter an Ordinariate. These are those who have either worked through difficulties they may have had with some Catholic beliefs, or more importantly, are prepared to put their reservations ‘on hold’ and trust that understanding will come through living the Catholic life in the Ordinariate. Like St Anselm, they are prepared to believe in order to understand.
The distinctive English spiritual tradition can claim continuity with those spiritual traditions that preceded it. It claims continuity with the Desert Fathers and Mothers, with the Celtic Church, with St Augustine of Canterbury and St Benedict. These latter two, together with St Anselm (11th /12th Century), Julian of Norwich (14th/15th Century) and the Caroline Divines (17th Century) have shaped our spiritual tradition before and after the Reformation.
Characteristics of the English (Anglican) tradition.
There is a balance between the study of theology (head knowledge) and the way we live and express our religious life (the heart). Giving equal weight to both these aspects of the Christian faith is the real via media of Anglicanism. Some people believe that Anglicanism’s claim to be a ‘middle way’ refers to being both catholic and reformed, but it isn’t. The via media is giving equal weight to sound learning and the way we express our devotional life and the level of our commitment to the gospel in our daily living. The via media is not a ‘little of both’, it is both in equal measure.
Ordained ministers and laity are considered to be equal within the unity of the Church here on earth. The English tradition has tried to avoid putting clergy ‘on a pedestal’ despite some clergy who put themselves on one, or laity who place them there. The consequence has been that the ability of the clergy to teach the faith depends to some degree on the willingness of the laity to be receptive students. Clergy have tried to avoid being over-dogmatic, but this has its dangers as well as its benefits. The pastoral ministry of the clergy has been more ‘hands on’ and grounded in real life than has been the case in some other Christian churches. A danger of this is that it is too easy to adapt our moral and ethical teaching to that of the world rather than keeping our eye on God’s truth will that is revealed in Scripture.
The English tradition is very Benedictine in its approach to the spiritual life. The shape of this life is Trinitarian in that it consists of the Mass (Eucharist), the saying of daily mattins and evensong and personal devotion (prayer time and spiritual reading). The praying of mattins and evensong was never intended to be reserved for the clergy and this is more the situation in the wider Catholic Church. As clergy and laity were regarded as equal in the Church militant, mattins and evensong were to be the formal prayer of everyone. They were the communal prayer of the whole Church.
In the English tradition, prayer is not only something we do, but is integral to our relationship with God. When we are in a relationship with another human being, we will think about that person several times a day. If we are really in love, it is as if that person is with us all the time even though we are not physically in that person’s presence. The same applies for our loved ones who have died. So it is in our relationship with God. We spend time ‘talking with and listening to him’ in formal and personal prayer, but we also need to recall his presence in our lives throughout the day. This emphasis on the recollection of God as being involved in every aspect of our lives is a gift from the Celtic tradition that continues in the English spiritual tradition. The balance between public worship, private prayer and the recollection of God in our lives is achieved by giving them equal weight.
Spiritual direction from a trusted mentor, together with ‘private’ and sacramental confession have always been part of the English spiritual tradition. Direction and sacramental confession were revived following the Oxford Movement among Anglo-Catholics, but in recent times it has been replaced by ‘counselling’. The Pope is trying to encourage more Roman Catholics to avail themselves of this sacrament because as Archbishop Michael Ramsey reminds us, “To be healthy and whole is no substitute for being forgiven and holy.” The Ordinariates must play their part in drawing attention to Ramsey’s wise words.
Some dangers in the English tradition.
Giving equal weight to sound learning and working for the salvation of others and ourselves can too easily be put in the ‘too hard basket’. The result can be that we either regard Anglicanism as a tradition that enjoyed a golden age at some point in the past, which if we could recover it we would discover ‘true’ Anglicanism, or we ignore our tradition and let our emotions decide what we believe and how we express our faith in worship.
Allowing the notion of recollecting God’s presence in our lives as an important factor in our faith can also get out of hand. It can lead to laziness believing that if we recollect God’s presence then that can be a substitute for attending communal sacramental and other worship or engaging in private devotions. ‘Worshipping’ God on the golf course or under the blue dome on a glorious bush walk is no substitute for attending Mass, spending time in prayer and learning the faith. The former may be enjoyable but won’t do much for your relationship with God.
What can Ordinariate members learn from the Catholic (Roman) tradition?
For almost 1500 years, the British (Celtic) and English Church was part of the Roman Catholic Church. The present Catholic Church comprises of 22 different Churches. There is 1 Western Catholic Church, the Latin Rite or Roman Catholic Church and 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The traditions of the Eastern Catholics are very like those of the Orthodox Churches. The Western Church is by far the largest, but in the document Ut Unum Sint (1995), Pope John Paul II decreed that it was vital that the Church breathes with two lungs (Eastern as well as Western Churches) and that she works for unity with Protestant Churches. Those in the Ordinariate can learn much from the richness of the Eastern Catholics and should be open to doing so.
One of the characteristics of the Eastern Churches is that of adoration in their worship. Anglicans tend to be more reserved and find adoration in worship more difficult than do members of more emotionally demonstrative cultures. Perhaps this is why Benediction and some other acts of Catholic devotion are misunderstood.
We can learn much about faithfulness and fortitude during spiritual struggles from spiritual giants such as St John of the Cross, St Teresa of Avila and St Ignatius Loyola. All these struggled with the Church and her leadership but never lost their faith and remained loyal to her teaching. In a spiritual ‘pick and choose’ culture, it is too easy to shop around until we find what we like and when we become bored with it, move on to something else.
It may be excessive to say that Christianity is fighting for its life, but it is clearly under threat of being turned into a private matter by the secular forces in our Western Societies. Alongside this, the half-hearted commitment to their faith on the part of Christians is being exposed by the devotion and dedication shown by ordinary, non-fanatical members of non-Christian religions. They are shaping Western culture at the expense of Christians because they practise their faith in a way that puts most Christians to shame. Some strong Catholic voices hold the view that unless Catholics become much more serious about their faith, we will lose our prophetic voice in the world. The Book of Common Prayer urged the newly baptised to ‘manfully fight under his (Christ’s) banner’ and some Anglican hymn books may still contain hymns that refer to disciples as soldiers of the Cross. In our modern age it is much easier and ‘safer’ to regard ourselves as God’s servants and handmaids rather than God’s militia. Members of the Ordinariates are being ‘called to arms’ once more.
Those who consider entering the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia are being called into unity with those Western and Eastern Catholics who are in communion with the Bishop of Rome. During the Reformation in the 16th century, Anglicans separated from the Western Catholic Church so it is in that ‘lung’ we breathe and proclaim the gospel of Jesus. To do so effectively we must accept and believe what the Catholic Church teaches, but we have been invited to live out that belief and teaching with the distinctiveness of some of our English) (Anglican) tradition. We do not apologise for that. What we have is described as a treasure to be shared. Even so, treasures can become so familiar that we live with them without realising their worth. Ordinariate members must rediscover our English spiritual heritage in order to make a difference to the mission and ministry of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Perhaps it is true that the only thing we have to fear about the Ordinariate is fear itself.
Msgr Harry Entwistle
The Canterbury Communion members use the word ‘Anglican’ as a noun. That describes who they are. Those outside that Communion use the word ‘Anglican’ as an adjective for it describes the traditions which are held dear and practised. Pope Benedict XVI clearly believed that there is a distinctive Anglican spiritual tradition that he wished to reintroduce into the Catholic Church through the Ordinariates.
If it exists, what is this tradition?
There has been much debate about what the Anglican tradition might be. Some have said that Anglicans are more pastorally focused in their ministry than some other Christians. Others have said that Anglican preaching is good, the worship is spiritual without being over dramatic or emotional, while some have said that Evensong and the use of hymnbooks are positive gifts. Anglicans can no longer claim to be unique among the Christian world in most of these matters, so what is it that makes Anglicans different? There must be deeper riches that Benedict XVI recognised as being an essential element that is currently not part of the rich tapestry of Catholic life.
Only those from other Christian traditions or none who are Catholic in heart are likely to enter an Ordinariate. These are those who have either worked through difficulties they may have had with some Catholic beliefs, or more importantly, are prepared to put their reservations ‘on hold’ and trust that understanding will come through living the Catholic life in the Ordinariate. Like St Anselm, they are prepared to believe in order to understand.
The distinctive English spiritual tradition can claim continuity with those spiritual traditions that preceded it. It claims continuity with the Desert Fathers and Mothers, with the Celtic Church, with St Augustine of Canterbury and St Benedict. These latter two, together with St Anselm (11th /12th Century), Julian of Norwich (14th/15th Century) and the Caroline Divines (17th Century) have shaped our spiritual tradition before and after the Reformation.
Characteristics of the English (Anglican) tradition.
There is a balance between the study of theology (head knowledge) and the way we live and express our religious life (the heart). Giving equal weight to both these aspects of the Christian faith is the real via media of Anglicanism. Some people believe that Anglicanism’s claim to be a ‘middle way’ refers to being both catholic and reformed, but it isn’t. The via media is giving equal weight to sound learning and the way we express our devotional life and the level of our commitment to the gospel in our daily living. The via media is not a ‘little of both’, it is both in equal measure.
Ordained ministers and laity are considered to be equal within the unity of the Church here on earth. The English tradition has tried to avoid putting clergy ‘on a pedestal’ despite some clergy who put themselves on one, or laity who place them there. The consequence has been that the ability of the clergy to teach the faith depends to some degree on the willingness of the laity to be receptive students. Clergy have tried to avoid being over-dogmatic, but this has its dangers as well as its benefits. The pastoral ministry of the clergy has been more ‘hands on’ and grounded in real life than has been the case in some other Christian churches. A danger of this is that it is too easy to adapt our moral and ethical teaching to that of the world rather than keeping our eye on God’s truth will that is revealed in Scripture.
The English tradition is very Benedictine in its approach to the spiritual life. The shape of this life is Trinitarian in that it consists of the Mass (Eucharist), the saying of daily mattins and evensong and personal devotion (prayer time and spiritual reading). The praying of mattins and evensong was never intended to be reserved for the clergy and this is more the situation in the wider Catholic Church. As clergy and laity were regarded as equal in the Church militant, mattins and evensong were to be the formal prayer of everyone. They were the communal prayer of the whole Church.
In the English tradition, prayer is not only something we do, but is integral to our relationship with God. When we are in a relationship with another human being, we will think about that person several times a day. If we are really in love, it is as if that person is with us all the time even though we are not physically in that person’s presence. The same applies for our loved ones who have died. So it is in our relationship with God. We spend time ‘talking with and listening to him’ in formal and personal prayer, but we also need to recall his presence in our lives throughout the day. This emphasis on the recollection of God as being involved in every aspect of our lives is a gift from the Celtic tradition that continues in the English spiritual tradition. The balance between public worship, private prayer and the recollection of God in our lives is achieved by giving them equal weight.
Spiritual direction from a trusted mentor, together with ‘private’ and sacramental confession have always been part of the English spiritual tradition. Direction and sacramental confession were revived following the Oxford Movement among Anglo-Catholics, but in recent times it has been replaced by ‘counselling’. The Pope is trying to encourage more Roman Catholics to avail themselves of this sacrament because as Archbishop Michael Ramsey reminds us, “To be healthy and whole is no substitute for being forgiven and holy.” The Ordinariates must play their part in drawing attention to Ramsey’s wise words.
Some dangers in the English tradition.
Giving equal weight to sound learning and working for the salvation of others and ourselves can too easily be put in the ‘too hard basket’. The result can be that we either regard Anglicanism as a tradition that enjoyed a golden age at some point in the past, which if we could recover it we would discover ‘true’ Anglicanism, or we ignore our tradition and let our emotions decide what we believe and how we express our faith in worship.
Allowing the notion of recollecting God’s presence in our lives as an important factor in our faith can also get out of hand. It can lead to laziness believing that if we recollect God’s presence then that can be a substitute for attending communal sacramental and other worship or engaging in private devotions. ‘Worshipping’ God on the golf course or under the blue dome on a glorious bush walk is no substitute for attending Mass, spending time in prayer and learning the faith. The former may be enjoyable but won’t do much for your relationship with God.
What can Ordinariate members learn from the Catholic (Roman) tradition?
For almost 1500 years, the British (Celtic) and English Church was part of the Roman Catholic Church. The present Catholic Church comprises of 22 different Churches. There is 1 Western Catholic Church, the Latin Rite or Roman Catholic Church and 21 Eastern Catholic Churches. The traditions of the Eastern Catholics are very like those of the Orthodox Churches. The Western Church is by far the largest, but in the document Ut Unum Sint (1995), Pope John Paul II decreed that it was vital that the Church breathes with two lungs (Eastern as well as Western Churches) and that she works for unity with Protestant Churches. Those in the Ordinariate can learn much from the richness of the Eastern Catholics and should be open to doing so.
One of the characteristics of the Eastern Churches is that of adoration in their worship. Anglicans tend to be more reserved and find adoration in worship more difficult than do members of more emotionally demonstrative cultures. Perhaps this is why Benediction and some other acts of Catholic devotion are misunderstood.
We can learn much about faithfulness and fortitude during spiritual struggles from spiritual giants such as St John of the Cross, St Teresa of Avila and St Ignatius Loyola. All these struggled with the Church and her leadership but never lost their faith and remained loyal to her teaching. In a spiritual ‘pick and choose’ culture, it is too easy to shop around until we find what we like and when we become bored with it, move on to something else.
It may be excessive to say that Christianity is fighting for its life, but it is clearly under threat of being turned into a private matter by the secular forces in our Western Societies. Alongside this, the half-hearted commitment to their faith on the part of Christians is being exposed by the devotion and dedication shown by ordinary, non-fanatical members of non-Christian religions. They are shaping Western culture at the expense of Christians because they practise their faith in a way that puts most Christians to shame. Some strong Catholic voices hold the view that unless Catholics become much more serious about their faith, we will lose our prophetic voice in the world. The Book of Common Prayer urged the newly baptised to ‘manfully fight under his (Christ’s) banner’ and some Anglican hymn books may still contain hymns that refer to disciples as soldiers of the Cross. In our modern age it is much easier and ‘safer’ to regard ourselves as God’s servants and handmaids rather than God’s militia. Members of the Ordinariates are being ‘called to arms’ once more.
Those who consider entering the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia are being called into unity with those Western and Eastern Catholics who are in communion with the Bishop of Rome. During the Reformation in the 16th century, Anglicans separated from the Western Catholic Church so it is in that ‘lung’ we breathe and proclaim the gospel of Jesus. To do so effectively we must accept and believe what the Catholic Church teaches, but we have been invited to live out that belief and teaching with the distinctiveness of some of our English) (Anglican) tradition. We do not apologise for that. What we have is described as a treasure to be shared. Even so, treasures can become so familiar that we live with them without realising their worth. Ordinariate members must rediscover our English spiritual heritage in order to make a difference to the mission and ministry of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Perhaps it is true that the only thing we have to fear about the Ordinariate is fear itself.
Msgr Harry Entwistle
How can I experience the English Patrimony in the Catholic Church for myself?
Many Catholics already experience in part some of the English Patrimony within the Catholic Church. This is most obvious when parishes use Anglican or Methodist hymnody in their worship at Mass or in other Rites. Of course, you can also listen to beautiful English church music on Youtube or on recordings. Perhaps the best way to experience this noble patrimony is to attend and participate in worship with the Ordinariate. Yet, if it is not possible for you to do so, there is also another wonderful way to experience the English Patrimony, and that is by using the prayers we use as part of your own devotions. You could say Mattins and Evensong at home, and we have a link to where to obtain the 2020 Ordo on our Resources & Links page. Another way would be to purchase for yourself a copy of the Saint Gregory's Prayer Book. This is a very recent resource, but it has been compiled over a number of years from sources within the Patrimony. For an explanation about using this book, read more on our Resources & Links page.