For years, I have written in the perspective of an CofE Anglo-Catholic within the Church of England. i have prayed the Rosary, prayed the Angelus etc. Today, I am sharing that I have stopped looking for that anchor within what I believe to be a fast “dying trunk” of the establishment.
I have officially begun the process of being received into the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
The “Oxygen Mask” Moment
When a plane is going down they advise you yourself put on the oxygen mask which falls from above before helping anyone else. I need the “Oxygen Mask” of the Sacraments, valid, certain, and anchored to tradition. If I lived in Walsingham you know what, ide probably have remained content with the Anglo Catholic tradition, but where I live, the lottery of CofE churches just aren’t consistent with what I need in my worship…whereas any Roman Catholic Church you can be sure it will be – anywhere in the world!
Primordial Stages
I want to be clear: I am in the very early, “primordial” stages of this transition. This isn’t a snap decision, but the result of nearly 10 years of “reconnaissance” through the Catechism and much prayer.
Its not leaving for a new religion remember, more like climbing across to the main trunk of the tree as in the Mother Church. I am still foremost be a Christian man (or at least I try to be) and I will still call my Anglican Friends “Brothers & Sisters” but my character needs order and consistent worship I can trust and where available locally to me in Hull, and for me personally I don’t get that form the CofE.
Anyone who listened to our first podcast will know I was exploring ordination within the Anglican Church Traditional (ACT) movement. there was an initial excitement sure but that path has gone quiet, likely a result of their small, high-profile team being spread thin across England. However, that brief pause in radio comms gave me the spiritual headspace to think “ok, if I get ordained in the ACT, cool, but the question locally for me would remain: where would I worship?” …I would be in an irregular position, and that’s just not me folks.
However, returning to my point about needing an oxygen mask: there is currently no ACT presence in my area, and there likely won’t be for some time. I need consistency and the Grace of the Sacraments now if I am to be of any use here at Titus One Nine. It is not in my character to chase doors that aren’t opening, especially when the harbour of the Ordinariate is already in sight. In terms of being ordained a Deacon, that would have been cool and would have given our ministry more legitimacy in some peoples eyes but this is not the ultimate priority, if God wants someone ordained one doesn’t have to worry about the mechanics of how it will happen. My ultimate priority is firstly my walk with Christ and use my writing and liturgies I draft for myself which i hope might be of use for others in the faith.
The central Ordinariate office has assisted my enquiry and has now referred my enquiry to the North Lincolnshire Ordinariate Group. I am currently awaiting their reply to begin the formal process of formation.
What is the Ordinariate? (Anglicanorum Coetibus)
If you are unfamiliar with the term, the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham is a unique structure within the Catholic Church. It was established in 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI following his landmark decree, Anglicanorum Coetibus (which literally means “Groups of Anglicans”).
For centuries, if an Anglican wanted to become Catholic, they had to “leave everything behind” and assimilate into a standard Roman parish. Anglicanorum Coetibus changed the map forever. It created a “Home within a Home.”
The Ordinariate allows former Anglicans to:
- Keep our “Anglican Patrimony”: The ordinariate bring our beautiful liturgical heritage, our music, and our specific Anglican “way of doing things” with us.
- Retain our Liturgy: The ordinariate use a specific form of the Mass (Divine Worship) that incorporates the language of the Book of Common Prayer and the English Missal (Communion rite). Its practically the BCP Communion! preserved by Rome…I do wonder what Cranmer would have thought about all this.
- Stay Under the Rock: The ordinariate are in full communion with the Seat of Peter, the Pope. The ordinariate have the certainty of Catholic dogma and the safety of the Magisterium, but former Anglicans don’t have to stop being who they are.
In short, the Ordinariate is the provision for those of us who grew up and love the Anglican tradition but can no longer tolerate what one may believe to be the “Dying Trunk” of the establishment. It is the “English branch” grafted back onto the ancient root of the Catholic Church.
What this means for Titus One Nine
My co-founder remains a dedicated Anglican, and our now “Two-Fold Witness” will continue (possibly with future additional team members if its meant to be) and it may even make us stronger as a ministry being on both sides of the river per se. My love for our English patrimony will simply be from my perceived safety of the Catholic Church.
The “English Accent” of our faith the beauty of the BCP and the dignity of our tradition doesn’t have to die. It just needs a home where the foundation doesn’t shift.
We are doing a podcast on Monday 26th Jan 2026 so will no doubt discuss this for the sake of our listeners with my Brother Shaun.
I ask for your prayers as I wait for that first meeting in North Lincolnshire. The Exodus has begun. Lets see what happens.
God Bless.
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
