Charity offers support to former Anglican priests

Our Lady of Walsingham

The St Barnabas Society, a charitable organization based in England and Ireland, has offered £100,000 for Anglican priests who have entered the Catholic Church.

"This is a very generous gesture widely appreciated”, the Archbishop of Westminster, Most Rev Vincent Nichols said. "It is a tangible expression of generosity that the Holy Father asks us to show to those who are seeking full communion with the Catholic Church”.

Recently, 20 priests and 600 lay people from different areas of England were admitted to full communion with the Catholic Church. Among the first to join the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, are five former Anglican bishops and their wives.

Most of the priests who have left the Anglican parishes, and therefore no longer entitled to financial remuneration, are financially supported by the Ordinariate. On 15 April, the Ordinariate announced that they received £100,000 from the St Barnabas Society. The organization considers the economic support vital for the Anglicans welcomed to the Catholic Church, since many do not only lose their jobs but also housing. The economic contribution is distributed through the clergy and religious, depending on individual needs, in the period that goes from their entry into the Catholic Church to Easter, ordination, Pentecost.

The St Barnabas Society is supported by donations from Catholic congregations, individuals and inheritance, and during the year has also spoken in support of other priests and religious from other religions who have converted to Catholicism.

For more information on the St Barnabas Society see: www.stbarnabassociety.org.uk/

Source: Fides/ICN