The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham will, in the future, have parishes where it has groups of members. These will be 'personal' parishes and not 'territorial' like a diocesan parish.
Where membership of a diocesan parish comes from living within the defined territorial boundaries of that parish, to be a member of a 'personal' parish in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, a person must be a member of the group for which that parish was established, i.e. an initial member of an Ordinariate Group or someone who has joined a specific Group within the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
After obtaining the consent of the Governing Council and consulting with the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the Ordinary may erect territorial deaneries for a number of personal parishes which will be supervised by a delegate of the Ordinary.
Who looks after the Ordinariate Groups and parishes?
Groups and parishes within the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham are served by the clergy of the Ordinariate, appointed by the Ordinary.
A Parish Priest may be assisted by a Parochial Vicar (assistant priest) and/or a deacon. Once a parish is established it must have a Pastoral Council and a Finance Council.
Clergy and religious from territorial dioceses, with the consent of their diocesan bishop or religious superior, may also assist in the pastoral care of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, under the supervision of the Ordinary when and where it is deemed suitable.
Similarly, clergy incardinated into the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham assist in the pastoral care of the faithful in the local diocese, in consultation with the diocesan bishop and the Ordinary.
What churches does the Ordinariate use?
In most cases, the previous places of worship used by the Groups who form the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham were in the ownership of the Church of England. It is, therefore, unusual for them to continue to be used by members of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Ordinariate Groups often use their local diocesan Catholic Church for the celebration of Mass and other liturgies, and in some places a Church building has been given over to the principal use of the Ordinariate Group.
The needs of each Ordinariate Group are carefully assessed by the Ordinary and the most suitable pastoral arrangements are made by him in collaboration with the local diocesan bishop.
