"A significant step"

Jellybaby1

I expect those involved will make this work, and of course it is indeed a significant step, particularly in Northern Ireland it is good to see this coming together. I am just wondering how will they make it work?

http://connor.anglican.org/2016/07/27/significant-step-st-annes-appoints-roman-catholic-canon/

brian_t

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I am just wondering how will they make it work?

Made more complicated by the fact that his two fellow canons both have the same name.

martinedwards

Amazingly that isn't a typo!

recedite

Maybe Christchurch in Dublin should follow suit.
Eventually all these historical cathedrals will probably be "shared spaces" and jointly exploited for the benefit of all sects equally, like the church in Bethlehem.

Peregrinus

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I am just wondering how will they make it work?

Well, as the report indicates they already have two other canons from denominations other than Anglican, so obviously they do make it work. In general, the canons at an Anglican Cathedral take it in turns to celebrate Sunday service, or to preach, at the Cathedral. (They don't do all the celebrating/preaching, of course. The Cathedral parish has its own clergy, but the canons do a fair chunk of the work.) Whatever views the Catholic church may have about the validity of Anglican ordinations, the Anglicans have no doubts at all as to the validity of Catholic ordinations, so there's no fundamental reason why a Catholic priest can't lead a service, or preach, at an Anglican Cathedral.

I suspect, though, that the Ecumenical Canons at St. Anne's don't regularly lead services, and possibly don't preach, or preach only very occasionally, if only because this might cause problems for them with their own denominations. The focus of their role is probably on developing St. Anne's relationship with other churches, and developing co-operation between the churches.

Jellybaby1

Peregrinus, I expect you are right. So, if this works so well in a Cathedral, would it work in ordinary parish churches? Though there would have to be certain compromises on both sides I guess. I would not like see what happened in Bethleham, in our parishes here! Gosh, can you imagine it? :eek:

Peregrinus

Well, ordinary parish churches don't have chapters or canons, so the question of appointing an "ecumenical canon" doesn't really arise. Your typical parish church has just one cleric attached to it - increasingly often shared with other parish churches - so the capacity for appointing clerics of other denominations is limited.

Which is not to say that there can't be other forms of ecumenical ministry. Just that appointing people to dedicated positions is not likely to be one of them, at the parish level.

Jellybaby1

What if the local clergy/priest switched churches one Sunday, just for a change. Realms of fantasy here of course, or not?

Peregrinus

Mmm. Absenting yourself from your own congregation, of which you are the pastor, to minister to another congregation. That sends kind of mixed messages, surely?

But there's lots that can be done. If services in the two denominations aren't actually simultaneous, then from time to time they could be jointly celebrated, or the cleric from denomination A can be the guest preacher at denominations B's service, and next month they can do it the other way around. Just for example.

(And thjngs like this do happen, at least occasionally. I've heard the Rector of Taney preaching in Holy Cross, Dundrum, for example. And I could have heard it the other way around, except I wasn't at the other service.)

Jellybaby1

Peregrinus wrote: »

Mmm. Absenting yourself from your own congregation, of which you are the pastor, to minister to another congregation. That sends kind of mixed messages, surely?

But there's lots that can be done. If services in the two denominations aren't actually simultaneous, then from time to time they could be jointly celebrated, or the cleric from denomination A can be the guest preacher at denominations B's service, and next month they can do it the other way around. Just for example.

(And thjngs like this do happen, at least occasionally. I've heard the Rector of Taney preaching in Holy Cross, Dundrum, for example. And I could have heard it the other way around, except I wasn't at the other service.)

Yes, that's what I was getting at all right, just swap preachers for a Sunday, not ministering or providing pastoral care though as congregations would probably prefer their own man/woman. It might open even more doors. Another question comes to mind, if the CoI rector is a woman, the RC church probably wouldn't offer her an invitation, still, swapping the guys might prove interesting anyway.