by Elizabeth Ela
www.headlinebistro.com

Jeffrey Steenson

Converts from the Anglican tradition to Roman Catholicism are nothing new, whether among laity or clergy. However, as former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, Jeffrey Steenson, D.Phil., stood out among the rest last Advent when he was received into the Catholic Church in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Steenson and his wife, Debra, are currently in Italy, where Steenson is taking classes in preparation for his ordination to the Catholic priesthood under Pope John Paul II’s Pastoral Provision for married Anglican clergy. His ordination is expected to take place later this year.

Headline Bistro conducted a written interview with Steenson, asking him about his journey to the Catholic Church, how elements of Anglicanism will affect his ministry as a Catholic priest and his thoughts on the future of Anglican-Catholic dialogue.

Steenson's insights are timely, especially with the recent news of the Episocopal Diocese of Pittsburgh's decision to split from the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) and join the more traditional Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. At least two other Episcopal dioceses are considering similar moves later this year, reflecting an internal struggle over the denomination's direction.

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1) When you were ordained an Episcopal priest, did you ever think you'd become Catholic?

No, not as an individual. So many of the Anglican clergy back then, especially those in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, expected that a corporate rapprochement was just around the corner. The texts from the Anglican – Roman Catholic International Commission left us with the impression that these ecumenical hopes were about to be fulfilled. I remember how Archbishop Michael Ramsay would encourage us to kiss the episcopal ring he received from Pope Paul VI as a sign of this hope. “Within our lifetime” was the expression frequently used about the reconciliation of Anglicans with Rome.

2) Was there one major influence in your eventual conversion, or one major turning point?

For all practical purposes, I have always given assent to the essential elements of the Catholic Faith. To be sure, there were some matters I didn’t fully understand or appreciate at the time, but the primacy of the Roman Church was never one of them. The words from Lumen Gentium have been very important to me – that which is worthy and true in any Christian tradition necessarily possesses an inner dynamic toward Catholic unity. So I believed that so many of the things I valued as an Anglican had both their source and their fulfillment in the Roman Church.

However, when I began to reflect on the recent developments in the Episcopal Church, I could no longer discern such an inner dynamic toward Catholic truth and life. The Anglican Communion recently has tried to find the means to order the lives of its member churches, so that the Episcopal Church would not, for instance, promote some teaching or practice that is radically at variance with what is held and believed elsewhere in the Communion. But, when they responded last year, my former colleagues in the Episcopal House of Bishops insisted that the Episcopal Church is first and foremost an organization of Christians democratically constituted and owes its allegiance to no one.  I simply could not accept this approach as being Catholic in any sense of the word.

3) What was the Episcopalians' response to your decision to become Catholic? Were more traditional Anglicans more sympathetic?

Perhaps they were glad to see me go! But, seriously, my leave-taking in the Episcopal House of Bishops was, but for a few exceptions, molto gentile, as they say here in Italy. I think that the more conservative folk found it more upsetting, especially for the clergy in my former diocese who have had to contend with further uncertainty and change. But, on balance, I think it has gone as well as could be expected. It is so important not to burn bridges unnecessarily, and of course we must keep the Lord’s high priestly prayer before us – “that they may be one.” You never know whether the person at whom you are tempted to throw a stone today might become your brother or sister in the future. Relationships are precious life to be nurtured.

There certainly are many Anglicans who would love to come to the Catholic Church. But for various reasons, this can be a difficult journey. Many fear that it will be like immigrating to a far country and not being able to fit in. Perhaps there are complicated marital situations to be resolved, and there are many traditional Anglicans who are former Catholics, now divorced and remarried. And of course the clergy must worry about how to support their families. I would not want to minimize these concerns, but once you are resolved to be a Catholic and determined to step out in faith, it just won’t do anymore to argue with yourself, “I would become a Catholic if only …”

4) And how did the Catholic Church welcome you?

In every instance it has been a warm and generous welcome, far more than I could possibly have deserved. In particular, the support and encouragement my wife and I have received from Archbishop Michael Sheehan has been extraordinary. He has taught me so much about the pastoral care of those newly received. Help them in their early days to be steady in their new walk of faith, and then encourage them to go and help others likewise. I have found much enthusiasm across the Catholic Church for what Pope John Paul II called “the new evangelization.” Where it is practiced one finds tremendous energy to reach out and gather in. It’s quite infectious!

5) What did you learn from the Anglican tradition? Was it "just a step", or will you take something from it to the Catholic priesthood?

There is a great and noble literary and musical culture in Anglicanism. The Catholic Church already recognizes it. You can readily see this in the Liturgy of the Hours. It seems to me that much of the spirit of the liturgical renewal encouraged by Pope Benedict XVI is in harmony with it. It is my language of prayer, and I am certain that it has left an indelible impress upon me. I think this is particularly what Pope Paul VI had in mind when he spoke of the worthy patrimony of Anglicanism. I sincerely hope that I might help to bring these gifts to the delightful spiritual garden that is the Catholic Church.

6) You often refer to the "joy of being Catholic" – why is that?

Certainly the greatest joy is to be in communion with the one with whom our Lord left the keys! That is such an incredible experience, to know the significance of the ministry our Holy Father exercises and to be a part of it. Sometimes I pinch myself just to be sure that it really has happened, that I am a member of this family of faith, not only by desire and intention, but in truth. I want to emphasize the "in truth" part.  The air in the Catholic Church seems denser, more real.  There is a rich theological tradition to explain this, but one can also sense it. It drives Anglicans crazy when they hear it said, but the Eucharist in the Catholic Church has a different texture and depth.

Then there is the joy of belonging to a really, really big family. My wife and I have delighted in the experience of worshipping with other Catholics. Goodness, so much happens in the pews! Those are real spiritual dramas unfolding before our eyes. We have been astonished to see the power of Word and Sacrament reflected in their prayers. I am reliably informed that this is not because Catholics are by nature better than others!

In the Anglican Church there is a calendar of the saints, and the lives of many great men and women of the faith are celebrated. But I always wondered, if St. Basil or St. Athanasius or St. Augustine were to come back today, would they worship in my church? I have absolutely no doubt that they would be in communion with the Church of Rome, and I want to be with them, not only by intention, but truly in the same family.

7) I see you were ordained the 1,000th bishop in the Episcopal Church! What do you think it will be like to go from bishop to priest?

If you will forgive my impertinence -- “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!”

I think the martyred Protestant missionary Jim Elliott framed the spiritual dilemma perfectly: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Certainly it was a privilege and a joy to serve as an Anglican bishop, but the best part of it was priestly and pastoral. What can be more important than the privilege of being an instrument by which God makes himself truly present to his people?

Msgr. Douglas Raun, the pastor of my parish, St. Thomas Aquinas in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, looks after more souls than there were in the whole of my former diocese. So it is helpful to keep it all in perspective. Msgr Raun often reminded me during my years of discernment that “the fields are ripe for the harvest.” I am much more concerned that the pastoral burdens of the Catholic priesthood will be overwhelming than I am about a perceived change in status.

8) Recently, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, made a pilgrimage to Lourdes, where he raised the ire of some Protestants for preaching at a Mass about Mary as the Mother of God – obviously, that's very Catholic, but this is the same leader whose Anglican Communion nearly split this summer over the issue of women bishops. What are your thoughts on Anglican-Catholic dialogue? Is there hope for union?

Archbishop Rowan is an amazing person, subtle in ways that often elude my understanding, but I suspect that the heart of the man is truly to be found in what he said at Lourdes. He represents the best of the Anglican tradition, especially in its generous and learned pastoral approach. But unfortunately it is so quixotic and in great need of Catholic discipline for it to be perfected and fulfilled. I doubt that there is any realistic hope for meaningful progress on the ecumenical front now, from a corporate point of view. Anglicanism itself is hopelessly divided, and therefore I don’t think it has the capacity to reach an accord with those churches who understand themselves as bound to sacred Tradition. I admire the resolve of the Catholic Church to keep the dialogue going. Perhaps someday things will be different, but modern Anglicanism would first have to undergo a profound change of heart for this to happen. And there is no evidence that such a change is on the horizon.

9) What about the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, whose presiding bishop is female, and which ordained an openly homosexual priest as another bishop? Are there any hints that more Episcopal clergy will feel forced to follow your path to Rome?

Yes, I definitely think so. But I would not use the word “forced.” These Episcopalians may feel forced to realign with another part of Anglicanism or perhaps to become independent. But the Catholic Church is not the Church of last resort when all else fails! Problems in the Episcopal Church may be, to borrow from Aristotle, the “efficient” cause for becoming Catholic, the catalyst for what was already brewing in the soul. This answers the “how” question but not the “why” question.

I am grateful for the counsel I received from many wise Catholics: Take your time. Be sure that it is the Catholic Church you are seeking and not merely a safe harbor. Be careful that it is the Holy Spirit and not anger which fills your sails.

10) What would you say to Protestant clergy – especially those in the Anglican tradition – who believe Catholic teachings and desire union with the Church, but are "waiting out" current controversies in hope that their church will return to tradition and orthodoxy?

I think that some may indeed have a vocation to stay and bear witness and make sacrifices. But I just can’t see how such a vocation can be understood in terms of holding the fort until better days arrive. Not only does that argument seem delusional, but it also makes no sense from the Catholic point of view.

This past month of September we have been in Assisi, trying to learn some Italian, and our classmates have been the new seminarians from Ireland. What truly amazing young men they are! They are so keen to bring people to Christ! Who can doubt that they will become the young priests God will use to renew the Church in Ireland? This is the great thing about the Catholic Church. She has her ups and downs, and there are times when one might think that death approaches and there is no chance for recovery. But this capacity to be renewed and resurrected, to come back stronger and more confident and reconnected to the apostolic foundations, this is the great thing. I’m not sure that this is possible for Anglicanism in its modern forms. Something essential has been lost, and I don’t see how it can be recovered, once the Tradition has been lost.

Steenson was ordained an Anglican priest in Oxford in 1980, where he earned his doctorate in theology. He likewise earned a master’s of divinity in New Testament and patristics and a master’s of arts in church history. Steenson served as bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, which includes New Mexico and parts of southwestern Texas, from 2004-2007.