Food, Fellowship, and Evensong: Bringing Ordinariate Life to the Texas Capital

Could the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter one day have a new Catholic community in the very capital of the Lone Star state? The Ordinariate’s Architects of Communion sets the benchmarks any aspiring group must meet in order for the bishop to canonically establish it as a community-in-formation. But the Ordinariate Members and Friends of Austin have made strong strides toward meeting those criteria by putting the Ordinariate’s mission from Pope Francis into action in Austin through evangelization, discipleship, and providing Christian fellowship.

In this interview with the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society, Ordinariate member Matthew Henry shares how the Ordinariate Members and Friends group began in Austin, how they have grown through outreach and evangelization, and what the coming year has in store.

What's the latest going on at Ordinariate Members and Friends of Austin?
Since we started this community in April, we’ve been meeting monthly for food, fellowship and Evensong. We’ve had about 10 families join us so far. We’re getting to know each other better, sharing prayer intentions, and building a sense of community. 
Organizationally, we’ve recently become a federal nonprofit and are growing our savings account. Recently some of our members have generously gifted beautiful altar cards and a Divine Worship altar missal. We’re looking forward to using these for the first time in 2022. 

We’ve also opened important discussions with the local diocese. In November, Monsignor Perkins (Vicar General of the Ordinariate) met with us and the Diocese of Austin, where we asked permission to move our meetings from our homes into a local parish. We’re still waiting on a response from Bishop Vasquez, but we are prayerful that this will be the start of a healthy and fruitful relationship with the local diocese. 

For those who are not familiar with your group's history, how did you all come together?

I grew up Reformed Baptist, became Anglican about 15 years ago and finally became Catholic with my family in 2020. We are happy in our local parish, but my wife and I felt called toward the evangelistic mission of the Ordinariate. We started by listing our group on the ACS website map. Then we started connecting through social media (Facebook and Reddit) with other interested Austinites.

Our group is a mix of former Episcopalians (including a couple of former Episcopal priests), ACNA Anglicans, and some cradle Catholics who have experience with the Ordinariate. Most of us became Catholic in just the last few years.  Each of us brings our own unique narrative, but our journeys share much in common. We often spend time talking about aspects of the Catholic faith that we slowly came to understand and appreciate.

What is the mission field like in Austin? What kind of evangelization or ecumenical outreach have you been able to do so far?
So far we’ve primarily been organizing through social media and building relationships in our monthly meetings. We’ve already had three Protestant families meet with us, and two of them are now in local RCIA programs! This is a great example of the evangelistic mission of the Ordinariate. Many of us are recent converts and have strong connections to other Anglicans groups in Austin. I think we’re all prayerfully considering the right time to reach out to them. On top of that, Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, so there’s a huge influx of people from many Protestant traditions. Eventually I would love to see our community hosting Catholicism 101 sessions for inquirers. 

The new Divine Worship: Daily Office came out in 2021. Have you made it part of your community life?
Yes! We always pray the office at our meetings. Initially I printed the content directly from prayer.covert.org, which can be downloaded in a handy booklet form. More recently I’ve been assembling my own liturgy handout so I can add canticle and psalm chant tones and an office hymn. Some great resources are singtheoffice.org, cradleofprayer.org, and the St Dunstan’s Plainsong psalter. I own copies of both the North American version and the Commonwealth version, and whenever we have new attendees at our meetings, I love to do some show and tell.

What have you found is most helpful to build up your community?
It’s important to establish a strong online presence to help others find you. We set up a simple website and have used Facebook extensively to share updates and make connections. We’ve also posted announcements on local chat forums where we are members, like on homeschooling message boards or charter school forums. Recently we’ve recently been looking into leveraging Flocknote as a tool to improve our group’s communications.

Also, never underestimate the importance of hospitality and eating together. One of the biggest challenges in starting a new community is building trust, and good food and fellowship around the table really help build a shared sense of identity.

How has this experience of being involved in the Ordinariate Members and Friends of Austin made an impact on your own discipleship of Jesus Christ?
As I’ve listened to the stories of others I’ve been encouraged to see how God has led each of us in different ways, and sometimes over long periods of time, into the fullness of the Catholic faith. These changes have often happened through long relationships. I’ve been challenged to continually reach out and accompany others, and see how the Holy Spirit multiplies our efforts.

What are you looking forward to most in 2022?
We have a lot of growing to do next year! A huge milestone for our community will be the first Ordinariate Mass in Austin. Once we land our group in a local parish (or rent a space ourselves), we hope to begin offering Mass on a regular schedule. That will be a huge draw for others to learn more about what we’re doing. A regular meeting space will also unlock new opportunities for evangelism. As you think of us, please pray for us, that we would prayerfully discern each next step and see God’s blessing on our efforts!


For more information on the Ordinariate Members and Friends of Austin, please visit ordinariateatx.org. 

Peter Jesserer Smith is the vice president of the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society, and editor-in-chief of the St Peter’s Rambler.

This article appeared first in the February 2022 edition of the St. Peter's Rambler.