That's really very kind of you. I do pray that our churches grow closer together. God bless you and your church richly.

@@thegoldenfox283I appreciate your point but I said "reconquista" brought to mind the conquistadors. My point is that of the idea of conquest which is common to both and how it affects Christianity. I hope you don't want to conquer or reconquer other Christians.

@@363catman thank you so much! I am again being accused of "pick and choose" by those who have picked and chosen to believe uncritically what one particular bishop says.

@@joemantheiy I can put that on my to-do list but it's not a hoop jumping exercise unlike some churches. I will have a think. With regards to the BCP, I forget the requirements for Canada and South Africa, but as far as the US and the UK go, the ACC standard for the US is the 1928 BCP which was a revision of the 1789 BCP which itself has links to the 1549 BCP through the Scottish Episcopal Church. In the UK, our standard is the original 1549 which was used by the likes of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes and the Caroline Divines. To be honest, I think the 1549 UK BCP is the foundational text and is given a Catholic interpretation by the ACC.

Thank you for these kind words. With regards to reconquista and as I replied to another commentator, I take the point about the historical origin of reconquista but my point was about how the idea of the conquista that appears in reconquista damages relations between Christians. I think of the Norman Conquest in this country and how it radically altered our history.

First, you have my prayers. It isn't easy to know where to go in a noisy world. My advice would be first, have a day or two without social media and pray prayers that mean something to you, prayers that have stirred your spirit before. Second, in some silence consider what God wants for you. Remember God is for you and wants your happiness so listen for him. Ask Him explicitly for guidance through the Holy Ghost. Third, having asked God for guidance, consider what it is that fires the spirit within you. Why Anglo-Catholicism? Why Rome? Why not Orthodoxy? Fourth, be practical. If you convert to Roman Catholicism, you are accepting all the Papal claims and you are subjecting your conscience to the decisions of the Magisterium. You also need to consider that Roman Catholic liturgy is not what it was and many Roman Catholics do not actually believe what the Magisterium teaches. Anglo-Catholics, however, have greater respect for liturgy but may either be too liberal for you or too conservative. You need to decide which of these you are. Once you have some idea what you are looking for, *then* you need to see what's available. Nowhere will be perfect. You need to attend places and see them worship. Try each place several times for a while. Don't be in a hurry. God will give you time. Finally, be aware that there are people praying for you and that there are saints praying for you. Don't forget the saints - they can guide you too!

@Warwickensis Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. It means alot. I will take your advice and really look into it. May God bless you and keep you well. Thank you Father.

@Vinsanity997 I'm sorry. I don't understand the problem. There is a definite faith in what we must do to be saved, repent, believe the Gospel, be baptised, eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of His blood, etc c. I suppose the "Anglican magisterium" as you put it wants to treat people as grown ups, i.e. aware of their responsibility to believe and thus use the Church as a school as well as a Hospital for the soul. What you seem to be suggesting is that we need everyone to believe everything straightaway. I don't think that's what you mean. I suppose we see life as a pilgrimage back to God in which we increase in virtue, justification and knowledge, of awareness of our sins and the impact they have. We are more concerned with where the Church is than where it isn't. We present that Church so that people may come in, become one with us and grow in God. We have ancient disciplines and practices are strongly encouraged such as fasting, daily prayer, studying the word of God, almsgiving, et c all which help us grow in the Faith. The Eastern Orthodox Church does the same. It mandates the Real Presence but does not define it unlike the Roman Church. We do the same: though some of us understand that Real Presence as Transubstantiation, others do not. Transubstantiation as a doctrine is not explicitly found in the Early Church but is an acceptable way of expressing the doctrine of the Real Presence, I.e. that in the Eucharist, the host truly becomes the Body of Christ and the chalice truly contains His Blood. Nonetheless, the Real Presence is a required belief which we received from the Early Church because it affirms the Reality of God and His Grace for us and our salvation. The three creeds are also very much mandated and the Oecumenical Councils which show us the God we must worship. There is no "pick and choose" going on here. Everything we believe is found in the Early Church. This may seem alien to some but I suspect this is because we are a Western church, have a Western history and worldview and approach tge Undivided Faith from the West rather than the East. We approach things in exactly the same way as the Roman Catholic Church: we received a question, "do you believe X?"; we then test X, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, against the requirement of the Vincentian Canon; if it passes we accept it; if its negation passes the Vincentian Canon we reject it. If it does neither, then we have to accept it as a possibility until we have greater information. The Holy See and the Orthodox do the same: in the Roman Church, one may pick and choose which miracles to believe: only the miracle of the Resurrection is mandated.

Which parish are you looking at? Dudley? Rochester? I know all the priests in the Diocese, so I can certainly introduce you.

@@Warwickensis Hi fr Jonathan thank you for your reply. I currently live in Cape Town so none of the dioceses youve mentioned apply to me. The province i live in has a patrimony (not sure what that means), but no diocese as of yet. I believe there is a church plant or two in the city but i am not sure and the denom's website is not clear. you suggested i contact bishop meintjes (i think i spelt that correctly). But apperances are everything so im not sure what to say to a bishop, when i've not even met any of the clergy or been to one of the churches. The denom is still in the process of planting churches, and most of the established ones are in the east of the country - not near where i am. what do you suggest? I understand if your time is limited. blessings henry

Sorry, I got confused when you mentioned the CoE. My bad! 😄 The best thing to do is go to Mass and worship. You cannot rush things. If you feel called to be a priest, then you must show the Church evidence of that by your actions, by committing your time and energy and by contributing. It's going to be at least six months of being a committed member of the church before the question of vocation can even be asked. Just go along and worship and see where the Holy Spirit leads. Just by attending, you will generate interest in you.

@@Warwickensis Thank you Fr Jonathan. It is a matter of finding a church that is the issue. I have sent an email on the Anglican Catholic church website. But you are correct that I need to be a member of the local church first. This has been tricky since i need to move church memberships. I have signed up to do confirmation in a couple of months at the Anglo-Catholic church i mentioned. I will join the member ship of that church soon. However, it is the sole church of its kind, and so I am forced to look outside of it if I wish to join the priesthood since this (that I've mentioned) is part of the CoE (ACSA) and is therefore liberal (except in rare pockets). Because I wish to serve in a church that is Orthodox as well as Catholic it seems that the Anglican Catholic Church is the only option open to me, but as I have said it does not have much presence in my part of the country. Therefore it is difficult to know what to do. There aren't many options for a conservative Anglican catholic is what i am saying! Hopefully I can arrange some sort of meeting with a local bishop and see if there is some nearby church I can join.

@@HenryLeslieGraham sorry, I got confused again. You say that there is an Anglican Catholic Parish 35 mins from your house. Have you been there? You don't need to be introduced, just turn up and worship! The priest there will be your first port of call. I do appreciate your problem. With so many liberal churches altering their faith to fit their experience, we all have problems trying to find somewhere. If you truly want to become an Anglican Catholic but there are no suitable Anglican Catholic parishes, then find the nearest Church that offers a reasonably traditional liturgy, but don't receive communion. Pray and study and make as many contacts as you can within the Anglican Catholic Church. That way you can find fellowship. Email Bishop Mentijes and other clergy. Make yourself known and declare your interest.

@Chris-fv3um good question. Bear in mind that we don't see ourselves as Anglicans but as Catholics with an Anglican, i.e. English heritage. For that reason we: - accept the doctrine of the Real Presence as affirmed in the Early Church. Many of us, myself included, affirm Transubstantiation but it is not mandated; - do not subscribe to the XXXIX Articles and they have no place in the Affirmation of St Louis which states the principles of our church; - do not recognise the universal and immediate jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome but are prepared to recognise him as primus inter pares and having a venerable position but is subject to the findings of Oecumenical Councils; - do venerate ikons and make use of the intercession of the saints but do not require the Immaculate Conception or Assumption of Our Lady as dogma of the Church; - do not hold to any of the Solas; - do hold to seven sacraments; - do not recognise any monarch as Supreme Governor save Christ Himself but humbly submit to the civil authority given by God to the leaders whom he sets over us; - do not recognise Purgatory as a place of punishment for sin, nor somewhere affected by indulgences; - do pray for the departed as an expression of our continuing love and communion with them in the hope of the resurrection. Note well that none of these positions comes about from a "pick and choose" mentality but that which confirms to the Catholic Church which is not necessarily identical with being the Papal communion. We are not "cosmetic Catholics" but hold to what the Church has always taught. God bless you also.

Thank you for your careful rectification. The common denominator of all heretics is to state, "We believe this, but we don't believe that." Heretics reject a dogma because they don't understand it, the Protestant way of "understand first, then believe". Catholics of the One True Apostolic Faith believe ALL of revelation as taught by the Magisterium without picking and choosing, accepting it all whether they understand it or not. Then they seek to understand it with the help of sanctifying grace. This requires humility and obedience. And faith!

@dr.parakletos7765 thank you for your acceptance of our Catholicity though there is nothing Protestant with following the 12th Century Victorine dictum of intelligo ut credam which goes hand in hand with credo ut intelligam. Indeed we do believe ALL of the revelation of the One True Apostolic and Catholic Faith as taught by Scripture and the Church Fathers and Councils. It's why we share so much if not all of our faith with the Holy Orthodox Church.

It’s always strange to find people who actually think that 21st Century Anglicans even know about the 39 Articles, let alone being guided by them. Yes, there are probably some Anglicans interested in them, but for the majority they are simply historical documents pertaining to 16the Century issues. And nothing more.

@@rogeryoung5180 for the CofE, the Articles are usually something brought up when the Evangelicals want to object to something. There are groups such as the United Episcopal Church, the Reformed Episcopal Church and the Free Church of England who hold to the Articles as a source of doctrine, but they do so because they remain outside the Anglican Communion. As for ACNA and the GAFCON groups, they are not very clear at all.