Spring Break
Anglicans welcomed into Catholic Church
Michal Elseth
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: News
Anglican and Catholic students' reaction to Pope Benedict XVI's announcement last week has been largely favorable so far. The pope announced last week that the Roman Catholic Church will make provisions for Anglican congregations to join the Catholic Church while preserving their own priests and elements of their liturgy.
Sophomore Serena Howe, a leader of the Anglican group on the Hillsdale College campus, said she thinks this is a wise move for both churches.
"It seems like a wise political move - political in the best sense," she said. "Sort of a positive ecumenical movement."
The idea of welcoming Anglicans and allowing them to keep parts of their liturgy is not an entirely new idea. It has been happening on an individual basis for years.
The change is in the scope of the new provision. According to the pope's announcement on Oct. 20, this new provision will allow entire Anglican congregations to enter the Catholic Church together, keeping their communities intact. They will even be able to keep their own priests, who, even if they are married, may be ordained as Roman Catholic priests.
Many Catholics and members of the Anglican Communion alike welcomed the pope's announcement as a move toward church unity.
Senior Raymond Spiotta, a member of the Catholic Church, said he is glad to see more Anglicans come into the church, as are most Catholics, because they consider it to be the one true church.
There is one local Anglican church, Holy Trinity Parish in Hillsdale.
Howe and Senior Stephen Hilgendorf helped start the Anglican group that meets nightly for prayers, and Howe said that there have been both Anglican and non-Anglican students coming since the beginning of the semester. Howe said she doesn't know of any Anglican students considering conversion right now.
"We're feeling pretty apathetic about it," she said. "It doesn't really affect us."
But senior Sean McDermott, a member of the Anglican church, said he expects a lot of traditional Anglicans will end up turning to Rome.
Sophomore Serena Howe, a leader of the Anglican group on the Hillsdale College campus, said she thinks this is a wise move for both churches.
"It seems like a wise political move - political in the best sense," she said. "Sort of a positive ecumenical movement."
The idea of welcoming Anglicans and allowing them to keep parts of their liturgy is not an entirely new idea. It has been happening on an individual basis for years.
The change is in the scope of the new provision. According to the pope's announcement on Oct. 20, this new provision will allow entire Anglican congregations to enter the Catholic Church together, keeping their communities intact. They will even be able to keep their own priests, who, even if they are married, may be ordained as Roman Catholic priests.
Many Catholics and members of the Anglican Communion alike welcomed the pope's announcement as a move toward church unity.
Senior Raymond Spiotta, a member of the Catholic Church, said he is glad to see more Anglicans come into the church, as are most Catholics, because they consider it to be the one true church.
There is one local Anglican church, Holy Trinity Parish in Hillsdale.
Howe and Senior Stephen Hilgendorf helped start the Anglican group that meets nightly for prayers, and Howe said that there have been both Anglican and non-Anglican students coming since the beginning of the semester. Howe said she doesn't know of any Anglican students considering conversion right now.
"We're feeling pretty apathetic about it," she said. "It doesn't really affect us."
But senior Sean McDermott, a member of the Anglican church, said he expects a lot of traditional Anglicans will end up turning to Rome.
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