On an Anglican Community Finding Its Home in the Catholic Church

"When Father Christopher Pearson and some of his flock at St. Agnes Church in Kennington, South London, made the decision to come into full communion with the Catholic Church, they had to leave quite a lot behind. A church they loved, with its own particular story - destroyed by bombing in World War II and then rebuilt - and a comfortable role in the local community. The congregation and its networks of friends had a strong sense of belonging. No Remembrance Sunday was complete without Father Christopher in cope and cassock arriving the take the traditional service at the local War Memorial. The church's annual round of celebrations and processions was well known and appreciated locally.

"Leaving all of this was not easy - but the call of Peter was not one that they felt, in conscience, could be resisted. When Benedict XVI issued the invitation, in Anglicanorum Coetibus, to 'groups of Anglicans' to join the Catholic Church, Father Christopher invited members of his flock to join him on Sunday following the main service, to pray and ponder.

"The result was a decision to follow Peter - which meant, in effect, leaving everything that had become comfortable and venturing ahead in faith. Father Christopher became a Catholic layman - entering the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham carried no guarantee of ordination, but only meant that he could submit an application and apply for training and ordination. The 'South London Ordinariate group' - as he and his flock became known - met each Sunday at a local Catholic church for Mass, and during the week for instruction. Good humour and a sense of sharing this whole venture together meant that they simply took things stage by stage."

A recent article in The Catholic World Report profiled the South London Ordinariate group and its journey into full communion with the Catholic Church.

To access the complete report, please visit:

Catholic World Report: A story of restoration: An Anglican community finds home in the Catholic Church (18 MAY 19)