Solemnity of Pentecost and St. Timothy's Church

60 members of St. Timothy Church were received into the Ordinariate of
the Chair of St. Peter at St. Mary the Assumption Church on May 27.
St. Timothy was a former Episcopalian Church which announced its
desire to enter the US Ordinariate on January 1.
Photo by Donna Ryckaert

Today was a truly blessed and historic day, as on this great feast of Pentecost, about 60 members of St. Timothy Church were received into the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter at St. Mary the Assumption Church in Fort Worth. The members of St. Timothy Church through the leadership of their Pastor, Rev. Christopher Stainbrook, officially announced their desire to enter the US Ordinariate on January 1, 2012, on the same day that the Holy See announced the erection of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter in the United States with Msgr. Jeffery Steenson named as the Ordinary. Since that time, the members of St. Timothy had been involved in several weeks of formation and catechesis in preparation for the reception into the Church. Today about 60 of their members, along with their pastor were received into the Church by Fr. David Bristow, pastor of St. Mary the Assumption.

I was able to address the congregation at the beginning of Mass to welcome them and affirm their decision to come into the Ordinariate in what is truly a historic occasion and give them my blessing before I headed over to the Cathedral for Adult Confirmation of about 65 adult Catholics from across the Diocese. After his homily, Fr. Bristow received and confirmed about 60 of their members, beginning with their pastor Christopher Stainbrook who then proudly stood and sponsored each member as they came forward for Confirmation. After Confirmation, Fr. Bristow then presided over a brief Rite of Welcome for about 15 members of St. Timothy’s who were still in preparation for full reception and Confirmation, and who will be received into the Church on a later date. Christopher Stainbrook then addressed his congregation and thanked them for their perseverance in this journey of faith and stated that in his 22 years of ministry this was the most emotional moment he has ever experienced.

The community of St. Timothy is the largest community to join the Anglican Ordinariate so far in the Diocese of Fort Worth. They will continue to have their home at St. Mary the Assumption in Fort Worth and will celebrate their Mass at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays. They also look forward to this coming Tuesday evening when Christopher Stainbrook along with 4 other former Episcopalian priests will be ordained to the transitional Diaconate at 7:00 p.m. at St. Mary the Assumption. They will all then be ordained to the priesthood on June 30th at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller.

I want to especially thank in a special way Bert and Rosary Guidry, Jim and Mary Pat Black, and Julia Smead for their excellent work with the community of St. Timothy in their formation and catechesis over the past couple of months in preparation for this day. This is truly a historic day for St. Timothy’s, the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, and the Diocese of Fort Worth with many more historic days to come in the months ahead.

Fr. David Bristow confirms Christopher Stainbrook of St. Timothy Church.
Photo by Donna Ryckaert

Fr. David Bristow confirms the members of St. Timothy's Church as Rev.
Christopher Stainbrook proudly stands and sponsored each of them.
Photo by Donna Ryckaert

Below is the homily given by Fr. David Bristow, pastor of St. Mary the Assumption, for the reception of St. Timothy’s on Pentecost Sunday.

Homily for the Solemnity of Pentecost
St. Mary the Assumption Church, Fort Worth
May 27, 2012

Lections Acts:  "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans…yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."
1 Cor. 3-13:  No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.
Jn. 20:19-23:  Jesus said…"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, be breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
Theme: Peace of Christ "the peace which passeth all understanding."
Illustration:  I expect that all of us have experienced the satisfaction of completing a difficult task. It is a kind of peace, isn't it? I think so. I expect that our Lord was enjoying that sort of peace when he entered that room full of very surprised disciples!

A. "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans…yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts or God."

“Peace be with you." Christ's greeting to his disciples was typical to the Jewish culture of that time, and it was an old greeting even then. Calling down peace or a blessing on others is an ancient practice and a good one. Just think of the old traditional greeting in Ireland: "God bless all here!" Our Lord greeted his beloved disciples by calling down peace on them. It was a moment filled with beauty and warmth.

To bless someone with peace we have to have peace to give them in the first place. Christ had plenty of peace to give. He had accomplished all that the Father had sent him to do. He was sharing his peace with his friends. But, there was business to do, too. In only a few words, Christ commissions the disciples to carry on his work in the world: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Then he equipped them for that work: "Receive the Holy Spirit." This is how Pope Leo, XIII explains it: "What did He wish in regards to the Church founded…This: to transmit to it the same mission and the same mandate which He received from the Father, that it should be perpetuated. This He actually did." (Satis Cognitum)

B. No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.

To proclaim the Good News is to proclaim the name of Jesus to all and to teach what that name means. Christ commissioned his disciples for that purpose, endowing them with the gift of the Holy Spirit. From that moment on, they were disciples no longer. They were Apostles, Ambassadors of the Kingdom of God to all the world. (Divine Commission-St. Mattew) "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…and behold, I am with you always”…"Go...make disciples of all nations." And so the Apostles did. And in less than one hundred years the Good News of Jesus Christ had spread all across the Mediterranean world, and had moved out beyond it.

C. "Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans…yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God!"

By Word and sacrament, Christ has equipped his entire Church for the work of ministry. The Church starts with the Rites of Initiation: first, Baptism, admission to the Body of Christ and the first promised gift of the Holy Spirit; and, Confirmation. He gives that same Spirit to bless his Church with, not one but two priesthoods-first, the Ministerial Priesthood of bishops, priests and deacons, the Church's pastors and leaders. Next, the Royal Priesthood of all the laity everywhere whose task is to bear the mark of Christ on their foreheads, and to say to the world, "Jesus is Lord."

D. “Peace be with you.”

Today is the Solemnity of Pentecost. We celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit as we always do at this time every year. But today our celebration carries with it a special meaning. Today, here at St. Mary's, we will welcome an entire Christian community into the full communion of the Roman Catholic Church. Theirs has been a long pilgrimage, and sometimes not easy but that's all done. Today they come, asking to share our life as we worship and serve our Lord in the faith once handed down to the Apostles. The answer is “YES!” Come…share our life, our work, our rewards and our consolations.

The Rite of Confirmation of the Roman Catholic Church is brief and to the point. The point is the doors of the Church are open wide to all who will come. The Rite ends where we began a few minutes ago. It ends with the words of our Lord, "Peace be with you." It is also the kiss of peace from this church who welcomes you. Come…share with us the peace of the resurrected Christ…the peace which passeth all understanding!

AMEN.