Advent 2023

In this season of Advent, we join each of you in watching and waiting for the Christ who comes to meet us. We turn towards him in penitence, mindful of our sins and failings, but also in hope, and in joyful expectation of the fulfilment of His promises and the coming of His kingdom.

You will have seen that the House of Bishops has now commended the ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ (PLF) and has issued Pastoral Guidance which provides the framework within which they may be used. We are glad to read in the Pastoral Guidance that:

The Church of England teaches that Holy Matrimony is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, blessed by God in creation and pointing to the love between Christ and the church; a way of life which Christ makes holy. It is within marriage that sexual intimacy finds its proper place.

The Bishops of The Society, mindful of their calling to be guardians of the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it, which doctrine is expressed in the common prayer of our liturgy, will not be using the PLF in public prayer. We recognise, however, that the nature of the commendation means that local decisions lie solely with clergy and their PCCs. Society Bishops will be offering further guidance on the PLF to the clergy in their care in due course.

We continue to rejoice that the parishes and worshipping communities in our care are places of welcome for all, where those from diverse backgrounds and households can come together as God’s people united around the one altar of sacrifice of the New Covenant.

In Advent we recall the place of Mary in the story of our salvation. Her example is of a life lived wholly for God, utterly transparent to His loving purposes. May her prayers support us as we seek, by God’s grace, to grow in holiness and do His will.

+ JONATHAN FULHAM

The Rt Revd Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham,

Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops

+ PAUL OSWESTRIENSIS

The Rt Revd Paul Thomas, Bishop of Oswestry,

Chairman of Forward in Faith

Advent Sunday 2023

The Council of Nicaea, held in the year 325, marked a crucial point in the development of the Church's doctrine. So much so that the text of the Nicene Creed, which we affirm at Mass each Sunday, emerged from the deliberations of the Council.

The year 2025 will mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council and, in common with Christians throughout the world, The Society will be celebrating its anniversary with a series of events, booklets and on-line videos, running from the start of the Church's year on Advent Sunday 2024 in a year’s time through to the end of the Church's year on the feast of Christ the King 2025.

The Society's programme will be badged 'We Believe: The Year of Faith' and will have a joyful focus on the importance of credal orthodoxy and its centrality within the life of the universal Church. The Society will encourage existing festivals in the Anglo-Catholic calendar to adopt the theme of faith for that year's celebration.

As part of The Society's exploration of the theme, there will be materials relating specifically to baptism and confirmation as sacraments of initiation and the critical role they play in enabling Christians to live out the Christian faith so clearly expressed in the Nicene Creed.

Further details will be shared as The Year of Faith approaches. Your prayers are asked for all those involved in this initiative and for us all as we seek to live out our call to orthodox Christian witness in this country.