New U.S. Ordinariate

The new Anglican Ordinariate for the U.S. has been established (January 1), given an ordinary, and named! Fr. Jeffrey Steenson will serve as the first ordinary of the U.S. Anglican ordinariate which is currently already attracting 70 Episcopal priests, a few bishops, and a few parishes.

Fr. Jeffrey is already a Catholic priest, having converted from the Episcopal Church in 2007 and having been ordained in 2009. He is therefore  somewhat of an expert on the transition process, as he himself as lived it. Also of interest is the fact that he is married, which means that while he will be the head of the jurisdiction of the ordinariate in the U.S., he will not be ordained a bishop.

Fr. Jeffrey has long been the expected to become the ordinariate. He's experienced in the transition process, and has been helping Cardinal Wuerl as the Cardinal has been implementing Anglicanorum Coetibus. He was even present at the announcement made by Cardinal Wuerl in regards to the date for the establishment of the ordinariate.

But here's the exciting part, at least for me: the name of the new ordinariate will be the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter. My patron saint is St. Peter, so I take a vested interest in all things Peter. I will therefore pray even more fervently for the ordinariate's success.

It seems that the impact of Anglicanorum Coetibus is shaping up. I refuse to believe the reports that say  tens of thousands will convert to the Catholic Church as a result of this ordinariate in the next few years (unless, of course, it actually does happen). Nevertheless, over the coming 5-10 years or so we'll see the true impact of this  ordinariate on both the Catholic Church and the Anglican communities.