Dear Father, Brothers and Sisters,

‍

At 11.00am today (12noon Rome time) it was announced that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, had accepted my resignation from the pastoral responsibility for the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and has appointed Father David Waller, until now our Vicar General, to be the second Ordinary of the Ordinariate here in  Great Britain.  As he is a celibate he will be ordained the episcopate in due course and so will be our first Bishop Ordinary.  

‍

This is a momentous day in the life of the Ordinariate. You will understand that I have mixed feelings about giving up being Ordinary after over 13 years but I think it is the right time for me to hand over to someone new.  More importantly this is the first time that a new Ordinary of the 3 Ordinariates has been selected from one of its serving priests. Deo Gratias.

‍

This whole process has taken nearly two years and I am extremely grateful to the members of our Governing Council, whose role it was to send a terna of names to the Holy See, to have kept this information confidential for such a long time.

‍

We hope the episcopal ordination will take place towards the end of June and for that reason I think it is sensible to cancel the Co-ordinators and the Plenary meetings on June 19th and 20th as we cannot expect people to travel to London twice in so short a time.  Details of the ordination will be sent out as soon as they are known. 

‍

In the meantime please note I should no longer be named in the Eucharistic prayer nor should Bishop-elect Waller until he has taken possession of the Ordinariate after his ordination. However, both of us would value your prayers during this transitional period. 

‍

Finally, I want to say how delighted I am with the appointment of Father David as the next Ordinary.  He has been unwaveringly loyal to the Ordinariate since his ordination and has been a great support to me especially since his appointment as Vicar General. 

‍

With the assurance of my prayers for Father David and for you all as we begin a new chapter in the life of the Ordinariate.

‍

Yours in Christ

‍

Mgr Keith

‍

The Right Revd Mgr Keith Newton

The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham

‍

‍