Page 4 - The Portal magazine - February 2025

THE P RTAL February 2025 Page 4
Unity matters

Joanna Bogle Aun t ie

DISTINGUISHED RETIRED bishop, who was
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A ought up in the Church of England and joined the Catholic J
church as a student, used to recall a hymn from his youth that
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began “I love the Church of England/A branch of Christ the vine/ o
Her bishops, priests and deacons/In Apostolic line”. It was sung to a
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the tune of “The Church’s one foundation”.
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One of the things that “cradle Catholics” need to grasp a feeling that nna
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nna
es
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is that the sentiments expressed in that hymn were for somehow there wri es
many a true affirmation of faith. It is something that would be, in God’s
no one really explained to me in the RE or the history time, a reuniting of Christians and that Britain had a
lessons of my RC childhood, although I got hints of it special place in this.
from my mother (who was received into the Catholic
church as a teenager with her father and brothers) and The mood is different now. There are a good many
I have certainly as an adult met many devout men and reasons for this shift in things, but a main one is
women who grew up affirming that hymn’s statements. undoubtedly the ordination of women by the CofE,
following a vote in 1992. That evening, I was researching
Growing up RC for me meant attending Mass in the (alas, since closed) Catholic Central Library
every Sunday in a busy London suburb. When I was near Westminster Cathedral, and after consulting us
small, we walked past the magnificent Medieval all, the librarian turned on the radio so that we could
church and a fine Tudor manor house on Sunday hear the debate taking place at the CofE’s synod, at the
mornings to a teahut in the local park where Mass other end of Victoria Street.
was celebrated. We never went to the teahut for any
other reason and for years I genuinely thought that Listening, I was impressed with the arguments of
the hut had been built specifically for Catholics for those defending the tradition of a male priesthood. But
Mass and didn’t know it was simply hired by our I had to leave the library before the debate ended, and
parish for Sundays. What did stay in the mind was later in Victoria Street when I encountered a couple of
that the ancient church nearby, with its glorious peal ladies who had clearly just come from Church House
of bells, was something different. and were chattering about it all, I asked which side had
won. “We did!” they exclaimed exultantly, and hugged
Later a house move took us nearer the local Catholic each other “Oh dear”, I found myself saying, “Oh dear”.
church, a simple and rather attractive building dating
from the 1900s which in due course was replaced with We do not know what historians of the distant future
a rather ugly one in 1971, not a good year for church will make of the Church of England’s post-1990s saga.
architecture. But a couple of decades into the 21st century, some
commentators are already giving their views, some
I was married in that church some years later – a exploring the deeper issues, some not.
glorious Mass and a very happy family day with all
the traditional wedding trimmings – and I remember Perhaps more important, however, is what happens
my Anglican friends and relatives, although enjoying next. I genuinely do believe that the Ordinariate is part
it all, admitting with frankness that the church was, of the saga. We are in the early stages of something. It
well, ugly. never was going to be a quick and exciting project with
Anglican parishes being able to enter into full Catholic
But these were ecumenical times, and we went to communion bringing England’s glorious old buildings
services in CofE and Methodist churches each January with them. It was never going to be a smug, comfortable
in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. There were “Look…who’s winning now?” sort of thing.
splendid hymns, with everyone singing, and it was
fun seeing different local churches, all of which were It is a work in progress. And it comes on the back of
still quite well attended at that time. Among many a lot of sorrow and hurt – years of awkwardness within
commentators, including Catholics, there really was ... continued at the foot of the next page
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