The Gentle Art of Holy Surrender

The Houston priest appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to lead what amounts to a nationwide diocese for Anglican converts to Catholicism said Monday that the new Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter represents a momentous step toward healing the rift between the Vatican and the Anglican church. "For, perhaps, the first time since the Reformation in the 16th century, a corporate structure has been given to assist those who in conscience seek to return to the fold of St. Peter and his successors," said the Rev. Jeffrey Neil Steenson, a married former Episcopal priest and father of three. The pope named Steenson to head the ordinariate, which is the first of its kind in the United States. It will be based in Houston at Our Lady of Walsingham, a Catholic Anglican-use parish established in 1984 that serves about 300 local families. Steenson asked for prayers for him and for those who become members of the ordinariate. "There is so much to learn, and it is a steep learning curve," he said. "Be patient with us as we embark on this journey. Pray that we may strive to learn the faith, laws and culture of the Catholic Church with humility and good cheer. But pray, too, that we do not forget who we are and where we have come from, for we have been formed in the beautiful and noble Anglican tradition." The ordinariate will keep Anglican liturgical traditions in music, structure and prayers, but will be fully Catholic, Steenson said. Parishes will use both the Roman Missal and the Vatican-approved Book of Divine Worship, which uses Anglican prayers adapted to reflect Catholic beliefs. So far, more than 100 Anglican priests have applied to become Catholic priests for the ordinate. About 1,400 individuals in 22 Anglican communities also have expressed interest, according to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Although headquartered in Houston, the ordinariate will include former Anglican groups and individuals from all over the country. Steenson said Houston is an ideal base for two reasons: First, the existence of a vibrant church, Our Lady of Walsingham, that could serve as the principal church for the ordinariate; and second, the handy resource of St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, where former Anglican clergy train to become Catholic priests. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, said he did not expect a flood of new converts, but he had spoken to the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, to let him know about the new ordinariate. "I think he's hoping for mutual courtesy and kindness," DiNardo said. "There probably might be a few people who are worried that we might be trying to draw people away, but no, we're there for people who are already interested." Doyle said in a statement that he and DiNardo have an open and healthy friendship, and both recognize that they have former members and clergy worshiping and serving in each other's churches. "We are glad to welcome Romans and members of other denominations into the Episcopal Church just as the Roman church may do so today," Doyle said. "The most important thing is that I want people to have a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ, in whatever denomination they choose to worship. For me, I am unabashedly Episcopalian and I love my Church." Steenson was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1980. He served as rector of churches in Philadelphia and Fort Worth, and canon to the ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, N.M., before being elected bishop of that diocese. The Episcopal Church is the part of the worldwide Anglican communion. Steenson, who grew up on a farm in Hillsboro, N.D., studied at Trinity College near Chicago, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, Harvard Divinity School and Oxford University in England. He converted to Catholicism in 2007, troubled by what he described as "very difficult conversations in the Episcopal church" about blessings for same-sex unions. "It wasn't the question itself, but how the question got answered in the context of the church" that bothered him, Steenson said. "It brought to mind one of the basic differences between our two ecclesiastical traditions: How do we solve problems when they come up?" Steenson thought the church should not function as a democracy and that putting a complicated and challenging theological question to a vote was not Catholic. "It's a good thing we don't put these questions to vote because every age has its own shibboleths, and the great thing about the Catholic Church is that it takes the long view," he said. Steenson has served as a Catholic priest in Houston since 2009. He teaches at the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary's Seminary, where he helped establish a program for other Anglican priests applying for the Catholic priesthood. Steenson and his wife, Debra, have been married since 1974, and have three adult children. Former Anglican priests, bishops or deacons may remain married when they become ordained Catholic priests. Non-married clergy must remain celibate, however, and non-celibate priests cannot become bishops. Steenson said Monday that he never dreamed the pope would tap him for such a high-profile job. "I assumed I'd be a simple parish priest somewhere," he said.