A former Anglican bishop from Wales will be received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church next month and will serve as a priest within the Anglican Ordinariate, which was created by the late Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.
The Right Reverend Richard Pain, who served as the Anglican Bishop of Monmouth, will join the Catholic Church on Sunday, July 2, at St. Basil and St. Gwladys in Rogerstone, Wales. He is the first Welsh Anglican bishop to convert to Catholicism through the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.
"We are delighted that after much prayer, Richard has asked to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church," said Monsignor Keith Newton, the Ordinary of the Ordinariate, in a statement.
"He will be the first bishop of the Church in Wales to be received into the Ordinariate since its creation in 2011," added Newton.
"Richard has a long and distinguished ministry in the Church in Wales. He has many gifts which he will continue to use to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Wales."
The Ordinariate is structured similarly to a diocese and allows former Anglican priests and bishops to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining certain Anglican traditions. It has its own Eucharistic liturgy, distinct from the standard Roman Rite liturgy, and incorporates elements from the Book of Common Prayer that are not in conflict with Catholic doctrine.
In the United States and Canada, the Ordinariate is known as the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter and welcomes Anglican and Methodist converts.
Through the Ordinariate, an Anglican priest or bishop can enter into full communion with the Catholic Church and serve as a priest even if he is married. Mr. Pain married his wife, Juliet, over 40 years ago, and they have two sons.
In a statement, Mr. Pain said the Benedictine concept of obedience and listening to the Lord played a significant role in his personal formation and ultimate conversion to the Catholic faith.
"The call to conversion that followed has led me to convert to the Catholic Church through the Ordinariate," said Mr. Pain.
"I have much to be grateful for from the experience gained throughout my life as an Anglican. Yet, the call to Catholicism feels both natural and spiritual. Starting again will be a welcome challenge and I come—as we all do—as a learner and disciple. The Ordinariate, through Pope Benedict's vision, offers a generous pathway to follow a pilgrim's way and I ask for your prayers."
Born in London in 1956, Mr. Pain was ordained a priest in the Church in Wales at Newport Cathedral in 1986. He was consecrated Bishop of Monmouth in 2013 and retired in 2019. During his career in the Anglican Church, he contributed to clergy discernment and formation.
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At least 15 Anglican bishops have converted to Catholicism through the Anglican Ordinariate since its creation, including four bishops in 2021.
One of the bishops who converted in 2021, the Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, was a prominent member of the Anglican hierarchy. He was considered a future candidate for the position of Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest office in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.
This article was originally published by the National Catholic Register (Article Link). It is republished and translated with the author's permission.