In October, Pope Benedict XVI created a new structure within the Catholic Church to receive disenchanted Anglicans. And San Antonio stands to play a huge role in that effort.
Because of controversy over relaxed rules on abortion, contraception, and women and homosexual priests, the Rev. Christopher Phillips decided to give up everything.
Taking his wife and his children, he left a promising career as an Episcopal minister to become Catholic. And, with the blessing of Pope John Paul II in 1983, he became a Catholic priest in San Antonio.
In the last quarter of a century, Father Christopher Phillips has watched his parish at Our Lady of the Atonement grow from 18 people to a congregation of more than 2,000.
Fr. Phillips doesn’t like the title of pioneer, but his story -- once unheard of -- may now help an untold number of Anglicans and Episcopalians who want to join the Catholic fold.
“It’s extremely exciting because the Church is saying that what we’ve been doing here for the last 26 years works. And not only does it work, it’s worth having throughout the whole world,” Fr. Phillips said.
The Anglican Church traces its roots to King Henry VIII, who broke from papal authority in the 16th century. And now, the church faces further schisms among its 80 million members, with more than 2 million of them American Episcopalians. The recent additions of women and gay clergy are causing many to rethink a reunion with Rome.
To that end, Pope Benedict XVI is setting up Personal Ordinariates across the world. Fr. Phillips says an ordinariate resembles a diocese, and will provide a system where incoming Anglican priests can retain their priestly duties and their families, for those who have one.
And the pope has indicated he’ll use San Antonio’s Anglican-rite parish as the model for the rest of the English-speaking ordinariates to follow.
“The pope’s simply saying, ‘Look, this place is good, I’m going to give a place in the Church where it can thrive,’” Fr. Phillips said.
To watch the Saturday symposium, hosted live on the web, click here.
