Some Anglicans thank St. Therese for this week's supra-ecumenical grace. I love stories like these.... From the staff blog of the Kansas City Diocese's newspaper (I have combined the 10/21 and 10/22 entries).
St. Therese and the Anglicans
Last year, a small Anglican parish in Kansas City decided to seek full communion with the Catholic Church. They were received by Bishop Robert Finn and they now make their home at St. Therese Little Flower Parish where they continue to receive converts.
St. Therese is probably unique in the Catholic world in that it celebrates both its historic Gospel Mass and now an Anglican Use Liturgy every Sunday.
Father Ernie Davis is a former Episcopal Priest who "came home" to the Catholic Church and was ordained for the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph in 2002. He is currently administrator of the St. Therese parish. He wrote of the news from the Vatican:
Anglicans and Catholics flocked to visit the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux as they made a very recent pilgrimage to England. Her relics rested on her 2009 feast day at York Minster, the Cathedral of the Anglican Archbishop of York.
When I read about that, I told the people here at St. Therese Little Flower that she was working on something big. In other words, preparations for this Apostolic Constitution have been in process for 170 years, and some of the preparations have been made at levels that are higher than Popes.
The Traditional Anglican Communion Bishop of Canada saw the claim and sent an email today to Father Davis with remarkable details of St. Therese’s intercession. Here’s the email:
Dear Father Davis,
Your story about the Anglican Ordinariate and St Therese (which came to me via England this morning) is very interesting. And I can tell you another connexion with her.
I am the Anglican Catholic Bishop of Canada in the TAC. I was present at the Synod of TAC Bishops in Portsmouth England in October 2007 which voted unanimously to ask for full communion, and signed the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The first full day of the Synod was October 1st, the 'new' date of St Therese's feast, and the actual vote to ask for full communion was taken on October 3rd 'old' date of her feast.
I also accompanied the Primate and Bishop Robert Mercer CR to deliver the Letter to the CDF where we had been directed by the Holy Father. My friend Mother Teresa of the Carmel in Edmonton had given me some holy cards with a piece of cloth touched to her relics. Each of us carried one of these cards, and we asked St Therese's prayers on our venture. We also had similar cards from Poland of the Servant of God John Paul II.
I have continued 'to bother her' about a favourable response to our request, and now thanks to the generosity and love of the Holy Father who has taken a personal interest in us for many years, and the prayers of St Therese, something wonderful has come about.
God bless you,
+Peter Wilkinson, OSG
Bishop Ordinary
Anglican Catholic Church of Canada
TAC
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 23/10/2009 20:13]