CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF ENGLAND AND WALES 39 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1BX www.catholicchurch.org.uk To All Parishes in the Dioceses of England and Wales September 2013 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ On Tuesday, 24th September, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. To coincide with this Feast, a letter has been sent to all Catholic parishes within England and Wales for the weekend 21/22 September which aims to deepen awareness of the presence and contribution of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham within the life of the Catholic Church in this country. The Ordinariate is the canonical structure set up in 2011 as the result of a generous initiative of Pope Benedict XVI. Under this structure, Anglicans who wish to enter the full communion of the Catholic Church, bringing with them some of the traditions and beauty of the Anglican heritage in which they were nurtured, may do so. The letter – available at the back of the church ‐ is written by Monsignor Keith Newton, who, as Ordinary of the Ordinariate, is responsible for overseeing it in a similar way to that in which a Bishop oversees a diocese. I warmly encourage you to take home a copy of Monsignor Newton’s letter and to welcome and support the clergy and faithful of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, both for the part they play in the life and mission of the Catholic Church in this country and for the particular gifts they bring which add to our rich diversity. With every blessing Vincent Nichols President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Tel: 020 7901 4815 Fax: 020 7901 4819 E‐Mail: [email protected] Catholic Trust for England and Wales Company No. 4734592 Registered Charity No. 1097482 .