www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Italian media speculates: Vatican will announce massive reception

Not very many of them, at least not here. There are an estimated 2500-3000 members of TAC in the states, and only a couple of hundred have so far applied. Some of their leading theologians, like Robert Hart, have written some pretty scathing denunciations of the constitution.

I believe you may be confusing parts of the Anglican "Continuum" groups - ACC, UECNA and APCK, with the TAC affiliated Anglican Church in America (ACA).

Recently there has been some discussion of possible use of the Sarum Liturgy (a variant of the Roman Rite) for Anglicans who enter Catholic communion.

I'm surprised that much this discussion assumes that at present the Church does not permit the celebration of the Sarum Liturgy. This is a misunderstanding; the Sarum Liturgy has not been banned and never quite died. It is used on occasion at the Venerable English College in Rome, and in some places in England (I've attended two standing-room-only celebrations by the Oratorians in Oxford). It is quite lovely, and I should think that at least some Anglicans who become Catholics would retain it, if only as an option.

There was a complete set of reprints of the necessary books under Queen Mary Tudor and Cardinal Pole. The Society of Saint Osmund (in England) is trying to organize a new set of reprints, and presumably a hand missal as well.

Fr. Serge

I watched parts of the Anglican Use meeting yesterday and was highly interested in a question / comment from a TAC priest (see video # 3 from 19 minutes to 22 minutes 3 seconds) with a beard and a walking stick during the questions session. He said that he had heard about a working group under Roman auspices that had produced a “typical edition of the Sarum Use” as a replacement for the present BDW and to be adapted for various Anglican situations. This lovely and obviously warm-hearted priest was most tactful about the Anglican Use, and showed his joy that so much had been achieved by this rite (in spite of its datedness and imperfections). If this is true, this is exciting news.

It has always been my dream that one day, the Church would restore the Use of Sarum to its place of honour in the English Church and among Anglicans in other parts of the world. I could see the situation of the ancient Sarum Use being a kind of “normative” rite (or variation of the Roman rite) with the possibility of formulating pastoral variations and adaptions. One such adaptation could be the post-Reformation Prayer Books with corrections as may be required by Rome. The “standard” would be in Latin, and then there would be a Cranmer-style translation into English, possibly a modern style English translation and translations into other languages as needed by actual pastoral situations. Other variations (limited by the Roman authority) could include things like supplementing or replacing the priest’s private communion prayers with the familiar Prayer of Humble Access. Obviously, our Anglican Prayer Book Office (as already permitted in the Book of Divine Worship) is of such simple beauty that it should be kept and fostered – and perhaps also allowed in Latin as well as English and other vernacular languages.

This would be a “standard” that would be flexible in application, like the Novus Ordo was intended to be. Perhaps that flexibility could be carefully regulated by the Ordinary and the Congregation for Divine Worship in Rome in order to avoid the risk of abuses.

I am told some of the men in Rome read our blog. Please, Monsignor, pass these ideas onto the Congregation for Divine Worship. They might say “We’re working on it”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see the fulfilment of a dream of more than 150 years!