Pastoral Provision
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The Pastoral Provision is a set of practices and norms in the
History
Background
Since at least the early 1950s, former Anglican, Lutheran and other clergy who join the Catholic Church have been granted exceptions to the norm of celibacy, in a practice mentioned in Pope Paul VI's encyclical Sacerdotalis caelibatus of 1967.[2]
In 1977, some of those who desired union with the Catholic Church contacted individual Catholic bishops, the
In 1979, after the United States National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had reacted favourably to the proposals that had been put before them, a formal request for union was presented in Rome on 3 November for acceptance into the Roman Catholic Church, for steps to be taken to eliminate any defects that might be found in their priestly orders, and that they be granted the oversight, direction, and governance of a Catholic bishop.[3]
The decision of the Holy See was officially communicated in a letter of 22 July 1980 from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the President of the United States episcopal conference, who published it on 20 August 1980.
Announcement
The provision was authorized by
The provision also enables bishops to ordain married former clergy as
Since 1981, over 100 ordinations have taken place under the Pastoral Provision, and several personal parishes were established within dioceses. Starting in 2012, most of those parishes were transferred from their dioceses to a new nationwide jurisdiction, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
In March 1981, the Vatican appointed then Most Rev.
The
The number of personal parishes established is only 7, but, since 1983 over 80 former Anglicans have been ordained for priestly ministry in various Catholic dioceses of the United States.[3]
Personal Ordinariate era
The Vatican erected the
In 2017 the Vatican ordered that all parishes within the Pastoral Provision enter into the Personal Ordinariate. As of late 2017, only one chaplaincy in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston established under the Pastoral Provision remains in diocesan jurisdiction,[7] after the parish in San Antonio was transferred to the Ordinariate.[8] It was expected that the Boston congregation would eventually be transferred also.[9] The Pastoral Provision remained in force for married former Anglican clergy petitioning for orders in any diocese that is not the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.
Structure
Though admittance of the Episcopalians in question to the Catholic Church was considered as reconciliation of individuals, a pastoral provision or statute gave them a common group identity.[10]
That identity involved the possibility, after a period of being subject to the local Latin Church bishop, of being granted some distinct type of structure; the use, with the group, but not outside it, of a form of liturgy that retained certain elements of the Anglican liturgy; married Episcopalian priests may be ordained as Catholic priests, but not as bishops.[11]
An Ecclesiastical Delegate, a Catholic who is preferably a bishop, was appointed to oversee the implementation of the decision and to coordinate with the Congregation.[12]
Married priests
As of November 2012, approximately 70 married men have been ordained as priests under the Pastoral Provision.[5] This number does not include married former Protestant clergy, whose petitions for dispensation from the norm of celibacy continue to go through the normal channels. The majority of married diocesan priests historically have not served as pastors of diocesan parishes, though there are now some exceptions.[5] A few priests work at secular occupations to support their families, but the majority serve in chaplaincies and in teaching or administrative positions.[5]
See also
- Anglican Communion
- Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue
- Anglicanorum coetibus
- Anglo-Catholicism
- Catholic Church hierarchy#Equivalents of diocesan bishops in law
- Clerical celibacy (Catholic Church)
- Continuing Anglican movement
- Ecumenism
- Forward in Faith
- Paul van K. Thomson
- Personal Ordinariate
- Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter
- Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
- Sacerdotalis caelibatus
- Vincent Nichols
References
- ^ "The Pastoral Provision | Anglicans Becoming Catholic | Former Anglicans | Anglican Provision - Established in 1980 by Blessed Pope John Paul II". www.pastoralprovision.org. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ Sacerdotalis caelibatus, 42-43
- ^ a b c "The Pastoral Provision - Anglicans Becoming Catholic - Former Anglicans - Anglican Provision - history". www.pastoralprovision.org. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (31 March 1981). "Declaration". Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d Fraga, Brian (18 November 2012). "Understanding married priesthood". Our Sunday Visitor. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ "USCCB News:Anglican Ordinariate for U.S, to be established 1 January; Bishop Kevin Vann Named Delegate for Pastoral Provision". www.usccb.org. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "The Pastoral Provision - Anglicans Becoming Catholic - Former Anglicans - Anglican Provision - Parishes". www.pastoralprovision.org. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Becoming One". ordinariate.net. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ "Congregation of St. Athanasius celebrates 20th year". www.thebostonpilot.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- ^ Letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Archived 4 June 2004 at the Wayback Machine, I
- ^ Letter, II
- ^ Letter, V
External links
- Document establishing the pastoral provision
- Office of the Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision
- Anglican Use Society
- Book of Divine Worship
- The Order of Mass, Rite 1, according to the Book of Divine Worship
- The Daily Office According to the Anglican Use
- The Catholic Parish of Saint Mary the Virgin, Arlington, Texas
- Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas