Ordination Date and Future Plans

Plans for my ordination to the priesthood are on track. It will take place on Saturday, September 11, at 10 am here at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. I am currently assigned to St. Thomas and may be assigned here as a priest after ordination. We will know pretty soon. In August, I will make my pre-ordination retreat, and I ask for your prayers as I continue preparing for the priesthood.

Once I am ordained and assigned and have settled in a bit, then I hope that there will be a way that I might begin offering the Anglican Use mass. Pray especially for this. When we can have the mass every week at a regular time and place, then we can advertise more and see who is interested. When we have a stable group of people that desires the Anglican Use, then we can look at possible next steps. In the mean time, plans for the Ordinariate should be moving forward as well.

One high point from the Anglican Use Conference at the beginning of June was the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey. What a beautiful place! The solemn celebration of the Anglican Use mass on Friday evening fit right in. Now, could we build something like this in Phoenix…?! Another high point was the presence at the conference of Archbishop John Hepworth of the Traditional Anglican Communion, who spoke very eloquently about their petition to Rome and their current process in response to Anglicanorum Coetibus. I was impressed by his humility and sincerity.

We can not tell exactly how the future will go, but we can continue to work and pray for those things that we would like to see. Saint Paul’s Anglican Use continues to reach out to all those who may be considering the Catholic Church. We invite you to contact us with any questions you may have and to join us as we seek to establish the Anglican Use here in the Diocese of Phoenix.