Ordination Anniversary

Today is a significant anniversary for the Church of England. It marks 25 years since the first group of women were ordained priest in Bristol. It marked the end of a strange transition time, as I had trained alongside women, including Debbie, and my year were all ordained deacon in 1990. The men were ordained priest in 1991, but the women weren't, as the changes had not yet gone through. 

Because of the timing of our move from Southwell Diocese to Coventry in 1994, Debs missed the big services in both cathedrals, but it worked out nicely as she and one other candidate were ordained at a special service at All Saints', Leamington Spa. As I was sharing here in Beverley the other day, Debs was 7 months pregnant at the time, and said Jono gave a big kick at the moment of ordination. You can see the 'bump' in the picture. That must explain why he now works for a church...!

It was St Barnabas' Day, 11 June 1994, so red stoles were worn. My first Sunday back on duty after Debbie died was Pentecost Sunday, when we also wear red, and this was the stole I wore. It's probably the only bit of clergy garb that really holds any significance for me - reminding me of her, and also that extraordinary day.

The following day, Debbie presided at communion at St James', Whitley - the first time a woman had ever done so, of course, and she also officiated at some other 'firsts' at other churches in the months (and even years) that followed. Back then it was all new, exciting and for some people deeply traumatic, but now it all seems very familiar and normal. 

Ecclesiastical Family Trees

Forward in Faith, the traditionalist catholic organisation has made a statement about what it expects in a future C of E where there are female bishops. You can read it here. There is a commitment within the new legislation that there will be provision for those who do not recognise the ministry of women priests and bishops.

However, it gets complicated...

Once we have women who are bishops, they will be authorised to officiate at services in roles currently not open to women. They will ordain people - men and women. However, if your beliefs are that a woman cannot be a bishop, then those ordinations are not valid. That means that gender will no longer be a visible signifier of whether an ordination to the priesthood is valid in the eyes of a traditionalist.

It gets messier..

If women bishops preside at or even share in the ordination (or consecration) of a male bishop then that would create problems for traditionalists for that male bishop's future ministry. The FiF statement implies that even male bishops involved in such an ordination would be problematic if they were then involved in the ordination of a bishop intended to be acceptable to traditionalists.

What I don't know is how someone confirmed by a woman would be viewed by FiF. Presumably the confirmation wouldn't be seen as valid either, although they could presumably receive communion in a FiF as people desirous of being confirmed.

I'm not even clear on my own 'status' as a priest in the eyes of purists. I was ordained deacon and priest before 1994, but I was involved in the first ordinations of women as priests in 1994. Priests join with the bishop in laying on hands and praying at the point of ordination, and I was privileged to be invited to do so on two occasions. That doesn't seem to have been a problem to colleagues in the past, but it may be for some.

What all this points to is that the future is going to be complicated. Will future generations of those who wish to minister to traditionalists need a kind of family tree, in order to demonstrate that their ordination is acceptable? It'll be messy, that's for sure. This is the Church of England, after all.

Questions to Traditionalists

A couple of friends will, almost certainly, respond to this, but I'd be interested to hear from others, too. Having grown up in an evangelical Anglican church, I both know the arguments and understand the instincts of that constituency of the church, even though I'm no longer a card-carrier for that viewpoint. However whilst I have seen the arguments put, I have some unresolved questions about the traditionalist catholic position within the C of E, regarding the recent debate on women bishops etc. Now the dust is settling from Synod, I'd be genuinely interested to read some responses without it being a ding-dong battle.
My interest is around the what is usually called the three-fold ministry. Some churches which came out of the reformation, separated from what we now call the Roman Catholic church, retained the pattern of ministry of that church - i.e. they continued to ordain deacons, priests or presbyters, and bishops. The Church of England is one such church. As things stand, Anglican ordination is not recognised by the Roman Catholic Church, having been declared null and void in a Papal Bull called Apostolicae Curae in 1896. This continues to be the RC position, and those Anglican priests who have become Roman Catholics have had to be ordained again in order to serve as deacons or priests.

If I have understood the arguments correctly, one of the key concerns for traditionalists is to keep Anglican ministry as compatible as possible with that in the Roman Catholic Church, so that a formal reunion is still possible, with the aspiration that recognition of Anglican ordination might also be part of that. That being the case, my first question is why was there so little fuss when women were ordained deacon in 1987? If the three-fold ministry is that important (and the traditionalist position would say it is), then surely the admission of anyone to any of those 3 orders needs to be in keeping with Roman Catholic practise?

Ordaining women deacon caused a reaction at the time in terms of women being seen in dog collars, but there was no exodus and no structural provision for conscience. In fact Andrew Burnham, a leading traditionalist who was a 'flying bishop' and has now become a Roman Catholic, had a woman deacon on his staff when a vicar in Nottingham. If ordaining women as priests and bishops is seen as unacceptably moving us away from the historic churches (Roman Catholic and Orthodox) then it seems to me that the key moment was 1987. Either that or you have to say the diaconate doesn't matter as much, which is not the historic view of three-fold orders. (Conservative evangelicals could cope with women deacons, as it didn't place them in positions of authority, so women becoming priests/presbyters & bishops were the problem for them.)

The second issue is more about the aspiration of my traditionalist colleagues. I presume that the reason they don't just become Roman Catholics is that there is something about being Anglican which they would wish to retain if Anglicans were reunited with Rome. My question is what, exactly, would they hope to carry through into a church which came under Roman authority? Many traditionalist catholic Anglicans already accept Roman Catholic understanding on many theological issues, and many use Roman Catholic liturgies, so I imagine it's a hope of carrying the church community into formal unity and recognition. Perhaps there is also an aspiration that something of the Anglican experience, story and possibly even some liturgy, might find an accepted place in any future union. But I'm not clear on what that really means, and many of their fellow Anglicans, whilst keen on ecumenical cooperation in many areas, wouldn't accept all that being a Roman Catholic entails - which is why they're Anglicans.

Ordination Weekend

Church of England ordinations are quite an occasion. A two hour service, often in a cathedral, when nervous candidates wait for the moment when the Bishop puts his hands and their head and they become a 'Rev'. I still remember the drive from [sadly closed] Morley retreat house to Southwell Minster on 1 July 1990, with a slight discomfort at the newly acquired piece of white plastic in my shirt collar. So it was good to be there on Saturday to share in that transitional moment for 8 candidates in Blackburn on Saturday.

Ordinations are a particular genre of Church of England - lots of cathedral pomp (more in some than others!). Blackburn Cathedral has at least a three second reverb in the building (I counted) which either makes preachers acquire a parsonical voice and pace to their delivery, or means their words get lost in the mush of the echo.

For Cathedral ordinations, there is always lots of beautifully sung choral music. The snag is that it's wasted on me, although I know when it's done well (and when it isn't). Blackburn was no exception, and the choir were in excellent voice. However, I do find choral settings of communion services frustrating. The choir sing the 'congregational' sections to you, when they are the parts of the service where the congregation normally get to join in. I always feel a bit cheated at that point, although those who enjoy listening to [insert composer]'s mass in B minor presumably are glad to be soaking it in.

For me the most important part was seeing people setting off on a new chapter of their lives and ministry within the Church. Whatever your theology of what ordination does or doesn't do to you, life is never the same again, and for all of us it's a journey into the unknown to some extent. The Church of England will be going through some interesting times in the next few years, so my prayers go with those who continue to offer themselves for ministry.

Personal Ordinariates: A view from Craggy Island

To be read in a strong Irish accent. Similarities with a popular Irish sitcom are purely coincidental.

D: Ted, Ted, where are you, Ted? We’re getting women!

Father Jack briefly wakes and shouts “Girls!” and various obscenities before succumbing again to the effects of drink.

T: Now what’s that you’re on about, Dougal?

D: Priests, Ted. The Holy Father is inviting the Anglicans to come, so there’ll be women everywhere, there will. I like that vicar of Dibley – you know, the nice smile, the chocolate, and all the crazy people. I’d love to have her here, I would. Mind you, she’d have to get used to not being surrounded by nutters.

T: No, no, no, you’ve got it all the wrong way round, Dougal. The women are the problem.

D: Now why would that be Ted?

T: The Holy Father is inviting the Anglican clergy who don’t want women priests and Bishops to join us.

D: Why would he do that, now, Ted?

T: That would be an ecumenical matter, Dougal.

D: Well, at least we’ll be getting a few more priests in the church, eh? We could do with a bit more help on Craggy Island. Let’s get one to say mass tomorrow and we can go on the beach or stay in and play Buckaroo.

T: Ah, there’s a problem with that, Dougal.

D: What would the problem be, now, Ted? I know where you hid the Buckaroo. I found it while I was hiding Jack’s whiskey.

Jack wakes again, yells “Drink!” and is placated with a large slug from an open bottle.

D: Back to this problem, Ted, what is it?

T: Well these Anglicans, they’re not really priests.

D: But I just thought you said they were.

T: Not exactly, Dougal. You see they think they are, but the Holy Father doesn’t.

D: So let me get this right, Ted. The Holy Father is inviting priests who aren’t really priests to become priests so that they don’t have to be with the women priests who aren’t really priests either.

Ted hesitates slightly

T: Yes, that’s about it, Dougal.

D: So why would he do that Ted?

T: That would be an ecumenical matter, Dougal.

D: But Ted.

T: (wearily) Yes Dougal.

D: These priests, who aren’t priests but want to be real priests like us.

T: Yes

D: What will happen to them?

T: Ah, well they believe they are the proper priests, unlike the women priests, so they want to be accepted by a church that has real priests, which will say that they aren’t real priests, only lay people, but is willing to ordain them to be real priests in a church that hasn’t got any women priests. It’s simple really, Dougal.

D: Who’d be a Protestant, eh Ted?

T: Ah. That would be an ecumenical matter.

Jack bursts back into life.

J: GIRLS! **** ****