The Anglocatholic Church is around the world in Twenty-Four countries: Angola, Australia, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Costa Rica, DR Congo, Estonia, France, Gabon, Germany, Haiti, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and United States in nine archdioceses and fourteen dioceses in 90 parishes with 26,341 faithful members. Among them are 28 bishops,125 priests, and 47 deacons, total 200 clergymen. We have no statistics from Angola, Burundi and Rwanda.
I was raised in a family that had a distinctly distant relationship with the Church. However, even as a boy I was drawn to the Church and was formed in the catholic faith as both a Choir boy and as an Altar boy. I was moulded within a concept of the beauty of holiness quite apart from my family. Growing up with the King James Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, the Psalter and the great music of the Anglican tradition was foundational to my spiritual growth and maturity. I spent much of my working life as an leading Canadian church musician and as a solo performer. Yet, Holy Orders always exerted a compelling call which was to be realized in later life.
2 How did you hear about the Anglocatholic Church?
In 2016, I was working as a Priest in a cathedral church in Toronto, Canada. Our relationship with our Archbishop suffered a severe rupture and thus we were in urgent need of a new traditional catholic church home. I was charged with finding a solution to this problem and began an intensive search which culminated, after a long and tortuous process, in reading online of the foundation of the Anglocatholic Church. Our treatment by Patriarch Heigo and ultimate reception into the fellowship of the Anglocatholic Church was in marked contrast to the discouraging treatment received from a large number of traditional catholic dispensations in North America. I felt that God had heard our prayers and provided us with a new home.
3 Why did you join the Anglocatholic Church?
I was personally searching prayerfully for a catholic body that remained true to the deposito fidei, and was loyal to the historic apostolic foundations and patristic traditions received from Christ our Lord Himself, traditions whose truth remains and must remain. As I came to know the Patriarch and other senior clergy I became convinced that in this Church was the spiritual home that I had long sought, the promised land in which to settle and become fruitful.
4 How do you feel ministering in the Anglocatholic Church?
I have found here a safe harbour, a place in which the ecclestical battles for the soul of the contemporary world are not shipwrecked upon the altar of relativism but rather find their solution in the quest for spiritual transformation, a renewal of the mind rather than a conformity to the present age.
5 How do you feel regarding your work in the creation of the Code of Canon Law of the ACC?
When Patriarch Heigo invited me to take over the task of the creation of the Code of Canon Law I naturally questioned my ability to undertake so great a work. A line from Psalm 119 came to mind Servus tuus, sum ego : da mihi intellectum, ut sciam testimonia tua. (vs 125, prayed daily at Sext. ) O Lord, I am thy servant, grant me that I may know thy testimonies. I also remembered a prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas that he used before he entered into his studies, the Creator Ineffabilis. The saint prayed Deign to pour into the shadows of my mind the rays of your glory….Instruct my beginnings, direct my progress and bring to completion my work. The task was of crucial significance to a new ecclestical foundation. My attempts to be a vessel of received tradition was equally important. The writing of the Canons required a process of detailed study, careful writing and critical assessment, this later furnished me by our Patriarch. It also required a discernment of that which was of essence and that which was secondary, for it cannot be nor was it intended to be a Summa. The test of time will tell the true story of this Code of Canon Law as will the ability of the Code to positively effect the growth and maturation of the Anglocatholic Church in the true faith that bears abundant fruit in the emerging kingdom of the Father.
6 Describe the results of the creation of the Code of Canon Law.
This Code of Canon Law is like a seed planted in the rich soil of the Anglocatholic Church. It is a potential waiting to be realized. Like a seed, its growth to fruitful maturity in the Church will be a slow and natural process. To be effective it must, like the corpus of the Scriptures, be read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested as suggests the Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent in the Book of Common Prayer. Sadly, it appears that many of our bishops have not thoroughly availed themselves of the opportunity to make the Canons known both to themselves and also to the clergy and laity under their pastoral guidance. As a Church, we have much to do in commending it to the faithful, both clerics and laity, and in creating a culture in which the realization of the contents and intent of the Canons become a joyful experience.
7 What in your ministry is bringing you the greatest joy?
For me, the foundation and the end of my ministry is the continuous and ever new quest for a relationship with the living God, my maker, my judge and my redeemer. Only when grounded in this primary relationship will I be able to give to others that which I have unworthily received. Thus, I find my greatest joy in a daily practice of liturgical prayer in the recitation of the Divine Office, in the study of Holy Scripture, in personal prayer and in the celebration of the Mass where as Aquinas suggests in his great Corpus Christi Hymn Adoro Te Devote, we come to gaze on Christ unveiled, and see his face. (Translated Bishop Woodford). As Benedict XVI taught in his Angelus Message of June 13, 2010 the priest is a gift of the Heart of Christ: a gift for the Church and for the world. The priest, as suggested the English school Master Matthew Arnold, exercises ‘ the waters priest-like task of ablution round earth’s shores. ‘ When and as often as I am enabled to do these things by God, my vocation ceases to be mine and by extension becomes some small part of the love of Christ the Good Shepherd and in this I experience joy.
8 What in your view is the future of the Anglocatholic Church?
Inasmuch as we are enabled by God to be a catholic church within the one Body of his Son, a church that prays, contemplates, seeks, listens to and attempts to hear, to love and to realize the will of Almighty God with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength and to make his great love known to a world that so desperately needs Him, we cannot fail. We are called, empowered and mandated to be as Simeon said a Lumen Revelationem Gentium, a light to the nations. May our light so shine before our fellow men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven.
1. When did your spiritual journey began? Please describe.
My spiritual journey began when I was a child around the age of 8. At that time, with my reactions as a child, I wanted to be a priest because I found the priestly habit beautiful. Since my father had a small farm, I enjoyed saying Mass in the barn. Then as I grew up, as a teenager, the idea came to me. This idea came back when I was 20 years old, where I had my first spiritual experiences. But the most important one was the first time I went to Paris, to Rue du Bac, to the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, where in this place apparitions of the Virgin Mary had taken place to St. Catherine Labourré, in 1830. When I discovered this place, I was overwhelmed with great peace, and after the Mass, in a deep moment of recollection, I felt physically on my tongue that something was lying and moving. At that moment I understood that Christ Jesus was truly in Spirit and Truth in the Eucharist.
2. How did you happen to hear about The Anglocatholic Church ?
I heard about the Anglocatholic Church in 2017 from Bishop Léonid, who lived near Caen at the time. Moreover, one Thursday, July 20, 2017, if I remember correctly, he had organized an “inter-Churches” synod. It was on that occasion that I met His Beatitude Heigo Ritsbek, who had been elected Patriarch. That same Thursday evening, there was a service in the Chapel of Mary Mediatrix, and the Patriarch, after the Mass, suggested that I join the Anglocatholic Church. After consulting the people who attend our Chapel, and the few clergy who depend on us, I gave my consent towards the end of July 2017.
3. Why did you join The Anglocatholic Church?
We joined the Anglocatholic Church, because at the same time, there is seriousness, canon law, which was missing in the small Churches, and at the same time a great democracy and freedom, as well as a real listening sharing, and above all, a will to do well, and also, the diversity to live and express one’s faith, while being united, despite distances and language barriers.
4. How do you feel ministering in The Anglocatholic Church?
I feel very well in the Anglocatholic Church, because I live, I share, I listen and I feel listened too. Already a year ago I said that I had found my home. I was not disappointed, and I was conquered when we met together in Toronto, where I met the other members of the Holy Synod, and also, that was my baptism of air. I found true brothers who shared the same faith, the same feelings… In a word, a real happiness and I had never experienced this before.
5. What is bringing to you most joy in The Anglocatholic Church?
It is at the same time the meeting with the other brothers, the shared discussions, the respect without judgment between one and the others, the fact of living the evangelical virtues as Jesus asks us, but also the celebrations lived together. For me, that is what true fellowship is all about.
6. How do you see the future of The Anglocatholic Church?
It is difficult to answer this question, because, in reality, we do not know, only God knows. But one thing is clear: in a context, where most of humanity seems to have forgotten its God. We see this everywhere. There are so few people attending Masses in Europe. In France, only 3.5% of the population goes to church offices on a regular basis. We can see that this is not very many. Didn’t Christ say: “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:11)). As a faithful little flock, we must not let ourselves be discouraged, we must continue to move forward with strength and determination, with apostolic zeal, under the unfailing guidance of the Holy Spirit. Since its foundation, our Church, although poor and with few resources, has been present in the world. In a short time, it has developed well. But we must be careful, however, of those who would like to join us for the wrong reasons, and it is not always easy to detect them. That is why we must be vigilant. What I wish for the Anglocatholic Church is to always have true pastors, authentic, with a sense of sacrifice and self-sacrifice. Just as Christ gave his life for her and all humanity, we must also give our lives, and be true witnesses in our words and deeds, and constantly promote the unconditional love of God, to which we must all conform and live it in each one of us, among ourselves and around us, in perfect humility. In this way we will build together in harmony and peace.
As April 1, 2020 The Members of The College of Bishops of The Anglocatholic Church in good standing (incl. para 23.6 in Code of Canon Law) are:
Patriarch Heigo Ritsbek Patriarch Coadjutor David Smith Primate Ian Charles Adrian Primate Raphael Marie Villiere Bishop Emeritus Paul Jacob Boardman Bishop Raivo Kodanik Bishop Earl L. Frazier Bishop Elect Father Adriano Amato
“When evening had come” (Mk 4:35). The Gospel passage we have just heard begins like this. For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost.
Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.
On this boat… are all of us.
It is easy to recognize ourselves in this story. What is harder to understand is Jesus’ attitude. While his disciples are quite naturally alarmed and desperate, he stands in the stern, in the part of the boat that sinks first. And what does he do? In spite of the tempest, he sleeps on soundly, trusting in the Father; this is the only time in the Gospels we see Jesus sleeping. When he wakes up, after calming the wind and the waters, he turns to the disciples in a reproaching voice: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” (v. 40).
Let us try to understand. In what does the lack of the disciples’ faith consist, as contrasted with Jesus’ trust? They had not stopped believing in him; in fact, they called on him. But we see how they call on him: “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” (v. 38). Do you not care: they think that Jesus is not interested in them, does not care about them. One of the things that hurts us and our families most when we hear it said is: “Do you not care about me?” It is a phrase that wounds and unleashes storms in our hearts. It would have shaken Jesus too. Because he, more than anyone, cares about us. Indeed, once they have called on him, he saves his disciples from their discouragement.
The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities. It shows us how we have allowed to become dull and feeble the very things that nourish, sustain and strengthen our lives and our communities. The tempest lays bare all our prepackaged ideas and forgetfulness of what nourishes our people’s souls; all those attempts that anesthetize us with ways of thinking and acting that supposedly “save” us, but instead prove incapable of putting us in touch with our roots and keeping alive the memory of those who have gone before us. We deprive ourselves of the antibodies we need to confront adversity.
In this storm, the façade of those stereotypes with which we camouflaged our egos, always worrying about our image, has fallen away, uncovering once more that (blessed) common belonging, of which we cannot be deprived: our belonging as brothers and sisters.
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Lord, your word this evening strikes us and regards us, all of us. In this world, that you love more than we do, we have gone ahead at breakneck speed, feeling powerful and able to do anything. Greedy for profit, we let ourselves get caught up in things, and lured away by haste. We did not stop at your reproach to us, we were not shaken awake by wars or injustice across the world, nor did we listen to the cry of the poor or of our ailing planet. We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was sick. Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you: “Wake up, Lord!”.
Lord, you are calling to us, calling us to faith
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Lord, you are calling to us, calling us to faith. Which is not so much believing that you exist, but coming to you and trusting in you. This Lent your call reverberates urgently: “Be converted!”, “Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not the time of your judgement, but of our judgement: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others.
We can look to so many exemplary companions for the journey, who, even though fearful, have reacted by giving their lives. This is the force of the Spirit poured out and fashioned in courageous and generous self-denial. It is the life in the Spirit that can redeem, value and demonstrate how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people – often forgotten people – who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines nor on the grand catwalks of the latest show, but who without any doubt are in these very days writing the decisive events of our time: doctors, nurses, supermarket employees, cleaners, caregivers, providers of transport, law and order forces, volunteers, priests, religious men and women and so very many others who have understood that no one reaches salvation by themselves.
In the face of so much suffering, where the authentic development of our peoples is assessed, we experience the priestly prayer of Jesus: “That they may all be one” (Jn 17:21). How many people every day are exercising patience and offering hope, taking care to sow not panic but a shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday gestures, how to face up to and navigate a crisis by adjusting their routines, lifting their gaze and fostering prayer. How many are praying, offering and interceding for the good of all. Prayer and quiet service: these are our victorious weapons.
Prayer and quiet service: these are our victorious weapons.
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith”? Faith begins when we realise we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we flounder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars. Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples, we will experience that with him on board there will be no shipwreck. Because this is God’s strength: turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. He brings serenity into our storms, because with God life never dies.
The Lord asks us and, in the midst of our tempest, invites us to reawaken and put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering. The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith.
We have an anchor: by his cross we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross we have been redeemed. We have a hope: by his cross we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love. In the midst of isolation when we are suffering from a lack of tenderness and chances to meet up, and we experience the loss of so many things, let us once again listen to the proclamation that saves us: he is risen and is living by our side.
The Lord asks us from his cross to rediscover the life that awaits us, to look towards those who look to us, to strengthen, recognize and foster the grace that lives within us. Let us not quench the wavering flame (cf. Is 42:3) that never falters, and let us allow hope to be rekindled.
We have an anchor… We have a rudder… We have a hope
Embracing his cross means finding the courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time, abandoning for a moment our eagerness for power and possessions in order to make room for the creativity that only the Spirit is capable of inspiring. It means finding the courage to create spaces where everyone can recognize that they are called, and to allow new forms of hospitality, fraternity and solidarity.
By his cross we have been saved in order to embrace hope and let it strengthen and sustain all measures and all possible avenues for helping us protect ourselves and others. Embracing the Lord in order to embrace hope: that is the strength of faith, which frees us from fear and gives us hope.
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith”? Dear brothers and sisters, from this place that tells of Peter’s rock-solid faith, I would like this evening to entrust all of you to the Lord, through the intercession of Mary, Health of the People and Star of the stormy Sea. From this colonnade that embraces Rome and the whole world, may God’s blessing come down upon you as a consoling embrace.
Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:5). And we, together with Peter, “cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us” (cf. 1 Pet 5:7).
On the Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 29, 2020, The Most Reverend Dr. Raivo Kodanik, DD, gives The Body and Blood of Christ between 11AM and 1PM to the faithful privately at the Chapel of The Cathedral of The Holy Trinity of The Anglocatholic Church in Tallinn, Estonia.
The collect for the fourth week in Lent: Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the True Bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this Bread, that He may live in us, and we in Him, Who lives and reigns withYou and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The power in the Body and Blood of Jesus is incredible. Smith Wigglesworth was one of Gods Generals, in healing ministry, signs and wonders. Smith died in 1947. It has been written of his ministry that countless supernatural healings, signs and wonders were done through his ministry. He also raised the dead 14 times. All of this began when he made a commitment to the Lord to go to Holy Communion every day in the Anglican Church of England. He did not belong there but, Smith knew the reality and the power of partaking in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. I believe we must also, it is the most intimate connection we have with God. That is to receive His Body and His Blood.
In John chapter 6 we read starting in verse 22 to 71. Jack Hayford writes in my Spirit Filled Life Bible, “This lengthy section provides us with the most in depth New Testament explanation of the significance of Communion and how it is vastly more than a mere ordinance commemorating Jesus death.” Jesus said in vs 51 ” I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. Vs 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven- not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever… Many of his disciples went back and walked with Him no more. They knew exactly what Jesus was saying but to them it was a hard saying and they did not receive it.
On March 25, 2020, By the decree of His Beautitude, The Most Reverend Dr. Heigo Ritsbek, MA, MDiv, DMin, LittD, DD, The Patriarch of The Anglocatholic church, His Excellency The Most Reverend Augustine Urumbaev, Dip Agr., Dip.Th., Dip.Rel., Ordinary of The Diocese of the Holy Cross of The Anglocatholic Church, has been elevated as Archbishop. His Eminence, The Most Reverend Augustine Urumbaev will minister as The Archbishop of The Archdiocese of the Holy Cross of The Anglocatholic Church (Russia).
