Lecture by Bishop Steven Lopes

Introduction

• Bishop Steven Lopes, speaking at a conference marking the 10th anniversary of Anglican Ordinate.
• Focus on identity and mission of the Ordinariate.
• Purpose: Look back with gratitude to move forward with clarity and hope.

Recent Contextual Developments

• Appointment of a new Ordinary in Australia (Father Carl Reid).
• Successful conference by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.
• Annual clergy assembly in Chicago.

Identity and Mission

• Transition from survival to growth and stabilization.
• Emphasis on understanding identity to define mission.
• Importance of engaging with the broader mission of the Catholic Church.

Patrimony and Church Identity

• Church defines patrimony, not individuals.
• Importance of liturgy, law, governance, and pastoral structures.
• Recent publication of the Divine Worship Missal formalizes liturgical identity.

Education and Formation

• Catholic education as a fundamental mission.
• Unique approach of Ordinariate schools through classical curriculum and sacred music.

Challenges and Growth

• Fragility of small communities with limited resources.
• Encouragement of lay leadership and parishioner responsibility.
• Emphasis on spiritual growth through fragility and reliance on God.

Visibility and Integration

• Transition from misunderstood entity to central part of the Church.
• Invitation to take over diocesan parishes in the US and Canada.

Liturgical and Ecclesiastical Developments

• Liturgical patrimony is central to identity.
• Standardization and normalization of liturgical practices across Ordinariate parishes.
• New complementary norms from the Holy See.

Spiritual and Lay Resources

• Resources for laypersons: St. Peter Gradual and St. Gregory Prayer Book.
• Importance of these resources in fostering community and personal spiritual growth.

Future Directions and Opportunities

• Need for parishes to engage in reflection and growth.
• Development of leadership and participation within small communities.

Addressing Common Concerns

• Issue of married priests within the Ordinariate.
• Explaining the pastoral reasoning behind the exception.
• Future seminarians in the Ordinariate will be celibate.

Evangelization and Outreach

• Pope’s call to engage with the world's 'peripheries.'
• Opportunities for evangelization through charity, beauty, and intellectual seriousness.
• Ordinariate's role in addressing the needs of those without religious affiliation.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to share the hope and mission of the Ordinariate with the wider community.
• Engaging in mission field with understanding and evangelization.