At least 600 Church of England lay members and 20 priests will mark the start of Lent today by joining the Roman Catholic Church.
They represent the first wave of laity joining the Ordinariate, the new body set up by the Pope for groups of former Anglicans, and are from more than 30 Ordinariate groups that have been meeting in Anglican parishes in England, Scotland and Wales to prepare for their reception into the Catholic Church.
More departures can be expected in second and third waves as the new body becomes established. According to The Tablet, which surveyed 29 of the Ordinariate groups in Britain, 14 groups of them are planning to go over in the first wave.
One of the biggest parish groups is from St Peter and St Paul, Hockley, Essex, where up to 100 laity are planning to join with their priest. About 80 people are going at St Barnabas Church, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Some groups, such as those in Darlington and Northampton, told The Tablet they will wait until after the first wave has been established.
Anglicans who start worshipping in Catholic churches from today, Ash Wednesday, will be unable to receive the sacrament of communion until they are confirmed in Holy Week.
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Writing in the latest edition of the Ordinariate magazine, The Portal, Fr Keith Newton, leader of the ordinariate, addressed this issue. “One particular aspect of your preparation is the fact that you are unable to receive Holy Communion from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week. I know some of you will find it difficult to sit quietly in your seat as others go to the altar to receive the sacrament.” However, Fr Newton said this time would help engender a longing for the sacrament and union with the Church.
Figures have also emerged of numbers going the other way. Tony Baldry MP, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, told Parliament last week that at least 14 Catholic priests had been ordained ministers in the Church of England since 2005. He said that there was two-way traffic between the churches “and long may that continue”.
Christina Rees, a synod member and a leading campaigner for women bishops, said: “We have nearly a million active lay people in the Church of England and 600 is a tiny percentage. I can only hope they will find the kind of church home they are looking for. The overwhelming majority is looking forward to women bishops. Many who do not want women bishops still wish to remain in the Church of England.”