of Apostolic Constitutions and feminine Mysticism

The full text of the Apostolic constitution is now available and you can find links to it and comment upon it on a number of blogs on the sidebar. In the initial stage it will be easy for some organisations and groups ( The TAC and the American Anglican Use) to conform themselves to the norms specified. In England any such process would be longer and more complicated, one presumes that a group of people must first make the journey into Roman Catholicism, and then, as a group, request status under the terms of the Constitution, they would then form a base group around which others will gather. Those (re) ordained into the new grouping would, it must be presumed, would then gather laity over a (wide?) area into proto-parishes, which would then be free to start a process of evangelisation. It is not yet clear if the reference to Priests in secular employment refers to such clerics as so exist in the present Church of England, or if, as has been suggested to me, is an invitation to married Anglican clergy who join the structure to become self-funding. There is clearly a grave responsibility upon the new ordinary(ies) to become resource hunters as they will be responsible for the housing, payment and pensions of the clergy in their jurisdiction. Well, like the First World War in won't all be over by Christmas.

There is some silly language in the air, 'having their (our) bluff called' and similar terminology, none of which will be helpful to the working out of the process, there needs must be scrupulous honesty about numbers, of laity rather than clergy, who might wish, or be able to make the move, and the implications of that for new structures.

There will now need to be a period of clear headed, and charitable discussion and opinion seeking.

On a more personal note, the recent events have meant that I have been much in contact with King's College London, seeking to change the subject of my final thesis for the KCL D.Min. I had started to write on the rule of SSC and of the pattern of priesthood that the rule seeks to form. After discussion I concluded that SSC will be found to be in a melting pot of uncertain outcome, and I, like all brethren would be part of that process. Thus the situation is not secure enough for the study I had planned.

Dr. Luke Bretherton and Prof McGrath of KCL have been splendid in their help and counsel, under their careful guidance I am submitting a new proposal on Mysticism as an essential to the grammar of the Church, with special reference to S. Bernadette, S. Therese of Lisieux and S. Gemma Galgani. Well, I always like hanging out with women mystics, so it will be three years in good company.