St Barnabas Society Launches Landmark Report on Former Clergy and Religious Entering Full Communion with the Catholic Church

Today at Aston Hall in Stone, Staffordshire, the St Barnabas Society proudly launches its new report, Convert Clergy in the Catholic Church in Britain: The Role of the St Barnabas Society, a comprehensive study into the lived experiences of former clergy and religious who have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in Britain.

Commissioned in May 2019 by the Trustees of the St Barnabas Society and carried out by the Benedict XVI Centre for Religion, Ethics and Society at St Mary’s University, this research draws on decades of testimonies as well as statistical data. The project collected deeply personal testimonies from 36 participants including bishops, clergy, religious, and spouses and examines their journeys over a thirty-year period.

In his foreword, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the St Barnabas Society, reflects:

“It is fascinating reading … not only in its collating of facts and figures, but also in so many personal testimonies and insights … [this journey] is not so much a turning away or rejection of their rich and precious Anglican heritage but an experience of an imperative to move into the full visible communion of the Catholic Church, in union with the See of Peter.”

St Barnabas Society trustees hope that this publication will raise awareness of the many hidden stories, foster greater appreciation for the service of convert clergy, and encourage continued support of the Society’s work.

https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/research/centres/benedict-xvi/docs/convert-clergy-report.pdf

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Her Royal Highness Katharine, Duchess of Kent, who died on Thursday, 4th September, aged 92. A former Anglican, who in the past was closely associated with the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and had a candle marked with a simple “K” burning in the Holy House, the Duchess was received into the full communion of the Catholic Church by the late Cardinal Basil Hume in January 1994. At the time of her conversion she famously said:

“I do love guidelines and the Catholic Church offers you guidelines. I have always wanted that in my life. I like to know what’s expected of me. I like being told ‘You shall go to church on Sunday and if you don’t you’re in for it!’”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols will preside at her Funeral Mass in Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday 16th September which will be followed by burial at Frogmore.

We extend our deepest sympathy and the assurance of our prayers to His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent and his immediate family.

Requiescat in Pace. Amen.

The election on Thursday, 8th May, of the American/Peruvian Cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost, as  the 267th Roman Pontiff, was a moment of indescribable joy for Catholics worldwide.

Pope Leo XIV, as he will now be known, was not thought to be a frontrunner, so the announcement of his election came as a huge surprise to the many thousands waiting in St Peter’s Square, and to the many millions who were glued to their TV and computer screens as this remarkable event unfolded. 

It felt as if everyone immediately took him to their hearts as he made his first public appearance as our new Holy Father. The close up camera shots showed how overwhelmed and emotional he was as he waved to the crowds and gave them his first blessing, but my immediate thought was “He looks every inch a Pope. We are in safe hands.” I sense there are many within the Church, and also outside it, who feel the same. We have been blessed with an ardent but gentle Servant of the Gospel.

As we now eagerly anticipate his Mass of Installation on Sunday, 18th May, and unite ourselves with him in prayer, it is worth reflecting upon the words he spoke to the College of Cardinals at Mass in the Sistine Chapel, the day after his election. Referring to his new role as Pontiff, he said:

“You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a Church, as a community, as friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the Good News, to announce the Gospel.”

He was speaking, of course, not only to the Cardinals, but to the whole Church, and he deserves the unwavering support of every Catholic upon the planet as his Petrine ministry now begins.

God bless you, Holy Father, and thank you for so courageously accepting the awesome responsibility which now rests upon your shoulders.