The Catholic Tradition
What does it mean when we say that we are in the Catholic tradition? Are we talking about an alignment with the Roman Catholic Church? Do we mimic their practices and dogmas? Catholic has, unfortunately, become a highly-charged term; we hope this guide will help you to understand what we mean when we use it.
The word Catholic derives from the Greek word katholikos, meaning “of the whole.” In the ecclesiastical setting, it refers to the idea that the fullness of Christian belief is that which is shared by all believers from the birth of the Faith forward. (St. Vincent of Lérins described this view best when he described the Catholic Faith as that which is believed in all places, in all times, and by all people.)
Many Anglicans do not give much thought to the community of the faithful as it existed before the creation of the Church of England. If, however, we are to participate in the fullness of the deposit of the Faith, we must cast a wider net. We cannot ignore the Church in England, the collective experiences of Christians who date their faith back to the arrival in England of St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, in 597; nor can we ignore the thriving Christian communities that existed before Augustine’s arrival.
It is also important not to forget the experience of those believers who predated Augustine’s arrival. There is evidence for Christian communities in the Roman province of Britannia as far back as the 3rd century. And these believers did not simply “stay put” to worship God. Christianity was brought to the Celtic peoples of Ireland and to what would become known as Scotland very early on; their practices created a unique spirituality known as Celtic Christianity. These Celtic Christians were known particularly for their monastic organizations, their unique rituals, and their missionary zeal.
We must not forget, either, the great Orthodox Churches of the East. Many of these Churches are located in the very homelands of Christianity. The spiritual legacy they offer, particularly the great sense of the Mystery of God, is incalculable in aiding us down the path of sanctification and becoming unified to the will of Christ.
Where does this leave the Roman Catholic Church? How should we relate to it? There can be no question of the place of the Bishop of Rome within the Western Church; his very title among the great leaders of the Church was, indeed, “Patriarch of the West.” It is vitally important that we recognize the importance of the ministry of the Church of Rome and consider the many spiritual riches they have to offer those seeking to live out the Catholic Faith.
The body of 19th century English clerics mentioned earlier began a process of rediscovering the place of these Churches and of the Church of England in terms of their ancient Catholic identity. These Anglicans were the founders of the Oxford Movement, which gave rise to Anglo-Catholicism as it exists today. The shining lights of the Movement wrote ninety tracts stating their position both in terms of the Established Church and how it was truly part of the Church Catholic. It is in the line of these great men that this parish stands as a recipient of the deposit of the Catholic Faith.