"I met recently with the Bishop of Fulham to discuss the future relationship between myself, the Church of England and this parish. Following that discussion, I offered my resignation as the Vicar of St Mary-the-Virgin, Kenton, and Bishop John graciously accepted my resignation.I have reached a point in my journey in the Faith at which I have become firmly and prayerfully convinced over a period of months that I should seek to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church without further delay.
I have been the Vicar of St Mary’s for four years, during which time you have been a supportive and generous community to serve. The particular decision to leave this parish has been harder than the joyful decision to be received into the Catholic Church – although the two are of necessity connected, and as the Lord tells us in today’s Gospel, we must be willing to change fundamentally the context and the detail of our lives if we are truly to be His disciples. That call is always present to all of us, but can present itself more immediately at particular moments in life. This is such a moment for me and my family.
I realize that some of you may feel that I am leaving just as you most need to be led through the difficult times which Traditionalist parishes of the Church of England are to face over the next few years.
To those of you who will remain as committed members of the Church of England, I am on a path that is for now different from yours. I trust that one day, in God’s good time, our particular journeys may reconverge. In the meantime, I cannot provide the Anglican leadership you expect and so it would be wrong for me to remain as vicar of this parish..."
h/t to Mulier Fortis
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