Former Anglican Bishop from Wales to Join Catholic Church and Serve as Anglican Ordinariate Priest

The Right Rev. Richard Pain, former Anglican bishop of Monmouth, will embrace the Catholic faith and be ordained as a priest within the Anglican Ordinariate. The Anglican Ordinariate was established by former Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 and is known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. This significant event will take place on Sunday, July 2, at St. Basil and St. Gwladys in Rogerstone, Wales, making Pain the first Welsh Anglican bishop to convert to Catholicism through this particular ordinariate.

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
6/14/2023 (1 year ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Catholic, Anglican, priest, faith, convert, serve, Ordinariate

In a statement, Monsignor Keith Newton, the ordinary of the ordinariate, expressed joy at Richard's decision, stating, "We are delighted that after much prayer Richard has asked to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church." Newton further highlighted the significance of this occasion, as Richard will be the first bishop from the Anglican Church in Wales to join the ordinariate since its establishment.

The Anglican Ordinariate functions similarly to a diocese, allowing former Anglican priests and bishops to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving certain Anglican traditions. It possesses its own eucharistic liturgy, distinct from the standard Roman Rite, and incorporates elements of the Book of Common Prayer that align with Catholic doctrine.

In the United States and Canada, the Anglican Ordinariate is recognized as The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, welcoming converts from Anglican and Methodist backgrounds.

Through this ordinariate, Anglican priests or bishops, even if married, can serve as Catholic priests. Richard Pain, who has been married to his wife Juliet for over 40 years, will be able to continue his ministry as a Catholic priest.

In his statement, Pain emphasized the significance of the Benedictine understanding of obedience and discernment in his personal journey towards Catholicism. He expressed gratitude for his experiences as an Anglican but felt a natural and spiritual calling towards Catholicism. Pain viewed the opportunity to begin afresh within the ordinariate as a welcome challenge and humbly requested prayers as he embarked on this new path as a learner and disciple.

Richard Pain, born in London in 1956, was ordained as an Anglican priest in the Church in Wales at Newport Cathedral in 1986. He served as the bishop of Monmouth from 2013 until his retirement in 2019. Throughout his time in the Anglican Church, he actively contributed to the discernment and training of clergy.

Since its inception, at least 15 Anglican bishops, including four in 2021, have converted to Catholicism through the Anglican ordinariate. Among the 2021 converts was the Right Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, a prominent member of the Anglican hierarchy who was once considered a potential candidate for the position of archbishop of Canterbury, the highest-ranking role in the Church of England and the Anglican communion.