Called to be Holy

(News  from the UK Ordinariate)

The follow-up to last year’s celebrations of Called To Be One: Called To Be Holy is a direct response to the question posed by Cardinal Nichols in his address at the Festival in September: ‘Does what you do, in pursuit of a proper distinctiveness, clearly lead to holiness? Is it in the service of sanctification? This is what counts.’

Once again, Ordinariate groups will be hosting events in their own areas. The heart of the celebration will be a Novena from May 15 to 23 (Ascension to Pentecost); all Ordinariate members are encouraged to join in – and to invite family and friends to pray with them. Groups will soon be receiving copies of a booklet containing material for prayer and reflection drawn from writers in the English spiritual tradition, from the eighth century Dream Of The Rood to Michael Ramsey, 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. By now, many of us will have seen the accompanying prayer cards, illustrated with examples of Christian spiritual art through the ages.

Each group is asked to host a Day of Recollection, either during the week of the Novena or later in the year. We are asked to offer an invitation to other Christians to spend the day with us: our English spiritual heritage is one we can all share, in a powerful experience of praying together. Plenty of resources are available: a new DVD with a message from the Ordinary, a poster which can be personalised with details of local events, and materials for children’s activities.

Called to be Holy draws its inspiration from the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Benedict XVI Anglicanorum coetibus, published in November 2009, which specifically refers to ‘many elements of sanctification and of truth that are found outside the Catholic Church’s visible confines. These are gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ; they are forces impelling towards Catholic unity. They are a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and a treasure to be shared’.

Called to be Holy is intended to contribute to the spiritual renewal of Catholic life in England by drawing on those elements of sanctification to be found in the riches of English spiritual writers, to make evident the truth and beauty contained in Catholic teaching and life in a way that will have a particular appeal to sensitivities fashioned by Anglican and English traditions, and as the specific gift the Ordinariate brings to the Catholic Church in England and to our common task of evangelisation.

There will be a Called to be Holy Novena from Friday 15th May to Saturday 23rd May, that is between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday. Ordinariate Groups across the country will be hosting a day of recollection during the Novena; details of local events in May will be posted on the special Called to Be … website (http://www.calledtobe.org.uk/) as soon as they are available. It will be possible to join in a ‘virtual’ Novena by following the spiritual writings, prayers and reflections, which we also hope to publish on this Ordinariate Expats website.

It is hoped that this initiative by the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, Called to be Holy, will appeal to members of our Ordinariate Groups, to our brothers and sisters in local Catholic Dioceses and Deaneries, and to our brothers and sisters in other Christian communities, as we all seek that constant renewal of our spiritual life in Christ which is the essential foundation to the task of offering the good news of Jesus Christ to the people of this land, once renowned as the Island of Saints and as Our Lady’s Dowry.