Quando si chiude una porta si apre un portone.

Our friends over at Rorate have picked up on something I suggested here, and I am sure many others have thought of as well.

The beautiful Ushaw Seminary in northern England is slated to be closed.  That belongs to the “it’s a damn shame” category of what is going on these days.  Take a look at the place.

The new Anglican Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walshingham needs a home, a point of reference, decent digs.

Hmmm… what to do… what to do….

If only there were some sort of…. I don’t know…

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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11 Comments

  1. Supertradmum says:

    I would suggest that our wealthier brothers and sisters would donate money to the Catholic Church in England and Wales, through Westminster, to keep the place for the Ordinariate. It is a question of money.

  2. asperges says:

    There are a host of pictures on Flkr taken by the Latin Mass Society at the Priests’ Training Conference last year at Ushaw. It was a wonderful event. Heartbreaking that it will not be repeated there. The Authorities seem utterly determined to block any traditional overtures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/latinmasssociety/galleries/72157624818036524/

  3. RichardT says:

    Is there nothing in Canon Law that says that church buildings should be used in the service of the Church if possible rather than being sold off?

    If not, should there be?

  4. Wayne1a says:

    I am taking internal bets with myself on the likelihood that it is intended for some er…. islamic … group. Doesn’t the bishop of the area have final say ?… And what is that bishops history?

  5. JimmyA says:

    The Ordinariate, as I understand it, is overseen directly by the CDF rather than the English Bishops’ Conference. No doubt the CDF and, I dare say, the Holy Father himself are keen to see progress in such mission-critical areas as establishing a proper centre, including physical buildings.

    Imagine if such a centre became available with the space and facilities not only to provide a fitting centre for the development of an authentic Anglican Use liturgy within the Church but also the facilities to provide retreats for groups joining the ordinariate, catechesis, seminar programmes….a real intellectual and spiritual focus for this great project in Church unity. Imagine…

    Would it really be beyond the bounds of possibility for the CDF, with appropriate delicacy and Romanita, to make that “suggestion” to the relevant authorities in the Bishops’ Conference? And if the money is required would it be beyond the bounds of possibility for a properly sponsored appeal, backed jointly by the Archbishop Nichols and Fr Newton, to support the initiative? So far I see a lot of goodwill to support the Ordinariate financially but perhaps some lack of focus, which a project such as this would immediately provide.

  6. JimmyA says:

    The Ordinariate, as I understand it, is overseen directly by the CDF rather than the English Bishops’ Conference. No doubt the CDF and, I dare say, the Holy Father himself are keen to see progress in such mission-critical areas as establishing a proper centre, including physical buildings.

    Imagine if such a centre became available with the space and facilities not only to provide a fitting centre for the development of an authentic Anglican Use liturgy within the Church but also the facilities to provide retreats for groups joining the ordinariate, catechesis, seminar programmes….a real intellectual and spiritual focus for this great project in Church unity. Imagine…

    Would it really be beyond the bounds of possibility for the CDF, with appropriate delicacy and Romanita, to make that “suggestion” to the relevant authorities in the Bishops’ Conference. And if the money is required would it be beyond the bounds of possibility for a properly sponsored appeal, backed by the Church, to support the initiative? So far I see a lot of goodwill to support the Ordinariate financially but lacking a focus for fundraising such as this.

  7. Genna says:

    This man will probably have the casting vote to close Ushaw. Unlikely it will be needed though.

    http://offerimustibidomine.blogspot.com/2011/01/with-you-always.html

    http://www.lovingit.co.uk/2011/01/with-you-always-from-the-archdiocese-of-liverpool.html#comments

    [Don’t just dump links into my combox. Say what they go to and what someone should look for.]

  8. Supertradmum says:

    Seminaries in England are not exactly organized as they are in the United States. Staring with the Council of Trent, seminaries across Europe were set up under different authorities. Because Catholic education was illegal in England, the English seminaries until very late were established either as pontifical seminaries on the continent-such as the Venerabile in Rome. Other seminaries had to move, such as Douai, because of the French Revolution. Douai’s foundation moved to England, for example, to two locations-one Ushaw and one at Ware. Seminaries in England under Cardinal Vaughan were ecclesiastical seminaries, not diocesan seminaries. Later, diocesan seminaries were established in some dioceses, not all, as the pontificals and ecclesiasticals still existed and still do.

    Usahw also was open to lay student in classes as well as seminarians. It is my understanding that Ushaw was a seminary college, and therefore subject to the vicissitudes of lowering enrollments, like any other small Catholic college in the world. As a seminary college, its board was a combination of the bishops and a president, plus vice-president. The decision to close would most likely been a combination of that board and the Archbishop/Cardinal of Westminster at the time of the decision. I would imagine the building is connected to that jurisdiction and not the local bishop.

  9. Supertradmum says:

    sentence–either or– should be either as pontifical seminaries, or as ecclesiastical seminaries-ecclesiastical seminaries being under the jurisdiction of Westminster directly. I am having trouble with my laptop keys sticking.

  10. irishgirl says:

    I hope that Ushaw College will be given to the Ordinariate. It would be a shame if it was allowed to fall into rack and ruin, or else given over to a non-Catholic [or non-Christian] group.
    I have a priest-friend who made his seminary training at Ushaw. A few times he has sent me postcards of the beautiful Gothic chapel whenever he went there for a retreat or class reunion.

  11. Genna says:

    You are quite right, Father. It was bad manners to sling over a couple of links without a full reference and I stand corrected. In the circumstances, it was generous of you not to moderate my post out of existence. [My skin in thin today.
    Sorry I jumped on you. A lot of people do this. In many cases it is simply littering.]

    The post gave links to two UK blogs. Both pertain to the Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, (Archbishop of Liverpool, the senior churchman in the north of England, Chairman of Trustees of Ushaw) and the DVD produced in the archdiocese featuring the Archbishop. The DVD is called “With You Always” and is the subject of a post in each blog.
    The first link takes you directly to the relevant post by Fr. Simon Henry who comments on the DVD in his blog Offerimus Tibi Domine.
    The second link takes you to directly to the post by Catholic & Loving It blogger James Preece on the same DVD.
    What I should have added was that, imo, the kind of thinking which can spend money on the production of such a DVD might explain why Catholics are falling away from the Church and why Ushaw has so few seminarians. It was to the Archbishop that an online petition asking for a stay of execution for Ushaw was addressed.
    It would be wonderful if funds could be found to establish the HQ of the Ordinariate at Ushaw.

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