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September 11, 2022CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia – The city of Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson’s mansion of Monticello – but could this part of the "Old Dominion" soon be home to the Ordinariate as well?
St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish in Charlottesville and the St. Anselm Institute are hosting an Evensong on Friday, September 23, on the vigil of Our Lady of Walsingham, to introduce the Ordinariate to Central Virginia. The Ordinariate, as a Catholic diocese with Anglican patrimony, has a mission from the Pope to invite Episcopalians, Anglicans, Methodists and other Protestants into full communion with the Catholic Church.
ACS member Heide Seward shares with the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society how the event is coming together, and how it was inspired by other Ordinariate Evensongs being coordinated in the Shenandoah Valley.
Can you tell me about the Evensong you're putting together in Charlottesville?
We’re having Evensong at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish in Charlottesville, VA, which will be celebrated at 4pm on Friday, Sept. 23, the Vigil of the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, and followed by the regularly-scheduled parish Mass at 5:15pm. The officiant for Evensong will be Fr. Jason Catania, Parochial Vicar of St. Luke's Ordinariate Parish in Washington, DC.
The St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought, an outreach to students at the University of Virginia, will also sponsor a light supper and a talk by Fr. Catania after Mass. St. Anselm's website:
How did this idea for having an Evensong at your parish church, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, come about?
I have been thinking of organizing an Evensong service at St. Thomas for some time. Among other things, the two recent services of Evensong at St. Francis of Assisi in Staunton, VA "across the mountain," organized by Jeff and Karen Adams, inspired me to do something more than think about it.
Do you see a lot of potential for the Ordinariate to evangelize in a complementary way to the local Catholic church in Charlottesville?
I think of this as an opportunity to both introduce the Ordinariate to the wider Catholic community in the area as well as to reach out to Anglicans who might be considering coming into full communion with the Catholic Church.
What are the next steps, in your view, to lay the groundwork for the Ordinariate in these parts of Virginia?
This event could be considered the next step in that process, depending on the level of interest. While Staunton is only 45 miles away, Charlottesville is really a separate Catholic-Christian community.
How can people get involved right now?
Most importantly, they can help spread the word to friends and family in the Central Virginia area who might like to learn more about the Ordinariate and to experience the beauty of Evensong in the Anglican tradition.
Event details below:
An Evening with the Ordinariate
Friday, September 23, 2022 (4:00-7:15pm)
Location: St. Thomas University Parish, 401 Alderman Rd, Charlottesville, VA
Schedule:
4pm Evensong (with choir and organ)
5:15pm Mass (with our local St. Thomas University Parish Dominicans)
6pm Light Dinner (Online registration recommended)
6:30pm After-dinner talk by Fr. Jason Catania, Parochial Vicar of St. Luke’s Ordinariate Parish (Washington, D.C.)
7pm: Open Q&A
This event is cosponsored by the St. Anselm Institute for Catholic Thought and St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish.