THE
P RTAL
April 2017
Church. Our instruction was given by the Oratory
Fathers and was aimed at us as a group of educated lay
people from the Anglican catholic wing. I deliberately
left it for nearly six months, but still felt that sense of
calling to the priesthood. I turned to the Group Pastor
in Oxford - Andrew Burnham. We had a couple of
conversations leading to the formal interview process.
It’s been very difficult for me not to see the hand of
providence in the way that everything just lined up
neatly. Now I am now a couple of months away from
being ordained as a Deacon.
I asked if celibacy is a problem. Jonathan answered,
“I think the thing people struggle with is a feeling of
loneliness and isolation and not so much about sex.
I am not lonely or isolated and am surrounded by
friends here. I have family and friends elsewhere. It is
important for a priest not to let himself become lonely
or isolated.”
Thomas added, “I think it’s very interesting. I know
in the C of E we did have celibacy, and I know there
are clergy who are unmarried. It is not just a case of
not having met the right woman, but for whom it
is a conscious decision. The discipline of the Latin
Church, with a few exceptions, is that only celibates
can be ordained. This means there is a great openness
about it.
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defending the Faith in a reasonable way and saying
that reason is part of the faith.
Pope Benedict’s very interesting speech that he gave
some years ago at Ravensburg, is remembered for
only one line about Islam, but what he was talking
about was the balance between faith and reason. The
fact is that Christianity combines both of those. It’s a
reasonable Faith. It’s not like Anglicans saying that we
used to believe all this, but modern reason suggests
that women are exactly the same as men, so now we
can have women priests. It’s not about that. It’s giving
priests a really good grounding in understanding the
nature of the world of the universe of God of man
and thinking about all those issues and then bringing
them to the actual doctrinal content of the Faith and
theology.
Residential training is expensive. It is also very long -
six years. At Oscott, and the Catholic Church in general,
is absolutely solid and the key is in formation. What
happens here isn’t training or study but formation. It
takes time and what happens here is worth every penny.
It is expensive but that’s because you’re taking a man,
feeding him, housing him and giving him very intense
spiritual input.
There are eight resident priests at Oscott and two full
time laymen teaching here. Of course, that is expensive.
“One of the things about coming to Oscott is that It takes six years to prepare a man for a life time service
it does focus on forming us to live a celibate life, and to the church. The Catholic Church has taken the view
showing us how celibacy is different from bachelorhood. there is no substitute for that.”
Its not that you’re un-married for the rest of your life;
Jonathan and Thomas are the first Ordinariate
rather it’s a very different way of looking at the world,
and the natural and right instinct to love which every laymen to be Seminarians, and they hope to be
human has, and directing them in another direction Ordained Deacon at St James’, Spanish Place London
such as that love is for the whole of the community for on Saturday 17th June. They both hope that, although
the community for God. I think that is something that’s they are the first, they will not be the last.
very difficult to talk about in the Church of England
Thomas said, “We hope it’s a sign that having
but here it’s a natural fact.” Jonathan interjected, “It’s
not a subject that’s ignored and brushed under the Seminarians is rich in Anglican patrimony, that this is
carpet; at the seminary it is openly addressed and of the Holy Spirit saying ‘I am setting this up. This is not
course not everyone concludes that it’s for them and a one generation thing. Let us find a way of integrating
indeed not everyone stays. Some leave the seminary.” them into the church, without absorbing them. This is
a new part of the Church’s life.’ I firmly believe starting
We turned to their time at Oscott; what do they from the Holy Spirit, in five hundred years’ time there
study, how is it different from the CofE? They both will be Ordinariate priests servicing Ordinariate
agreed that the Catholic formation programme is congregations in this country.”
distinctive. The Catholic approach, and why it’s a
T he P ortal is very grateful to Thomas and Jonathan
longer course than the Anglican two or three years,
is because you start with Philosophy. The first two for their time and frankness. If you would like to
years are ab out philosophy. It is the foundation of the contribute to the cost of their formation, or that of
church’s approach to its religious belief. The church their successors, or to continuing priestly training,
adopted the principles of logic and reason borrowing just send you cheque marked “Clergy Training” to the
them from Plato, Aristotle and others up to modern usual address at Golden Square. We assure you it will
philosophy. The church is intimately concerned in be money well spent.