Birmingham: Ordination of married former Anglican priest at Blessed John Henry Newman's Oratory

Fr Raven with Archbishop Longley

The Most Reverend Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, presided and preached at the Ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Father Roger Raven, a priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, on Saturday, 22 September.

The Ordination took place at the Birmingham Oratory in Edgbaston, founded by Blessed John Henry Newman, where Father Roger, a former Anglican clergyman, had attended Mass since he and his family moved up to Birmingham after being received into the Catholic Church in April 2009.

At the start of Mass Archbishop Bernard Longley warmly welcomed Deacon Roger Raven, his wife Carol, sons, John and Peter, relatives, friends and parishioners of the Birmingham Oratory, as well as parishioners from St Edward's Selly Park where Father Roger had been serving as a Deacon.

The Archbishop of Birmingham made special mention of members of the Church of England present who had helped and encouraged Roger Raven during his time as an Anglican clergyman and during his journey into the Catholic Church.

Father Roger Raven wrote at the end of his Ordination Mass booklet: "Today's liturgy marks the culmination of a long journey, the beginnings of which go back many years… I am profoundly grateful for the welcome extended to both myself and my family by the priests, deacons and laity of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. In particular, I would like to thank the fathers, brothers and members of the Oratory parish for both their warm welcome, and also their wise and kindly encouragement as I have pursued my vocation with the Archdiocese."

Father Roger added: "I also wish to express my gratitude to the Society of St Paul for providing me with the means to put bread on the table for my family." He worked part-time in St Paul's Bookshop situated next to St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham.

Among the concelebrants at the Ordination Mass were Mgr Mark Crisp, Rector of St Mary's College, where Father Roger studied for the priesthood, Mgr Canon Timothy Menezes, Vicar General, together with more than 40 priests from parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Birmingham, as well as priest friends who came for the occasion.

Father Paul Chavasse, and Father Richard Duffield (a member of the Oxford Oratory), both former Provosts of the Birmingham Oratory, and Father Anton Guziel, Parish Priest, concelebrated. Deacons Brother Richard Duncan of the Birmingham Oratory and Deacon Henry Whisenant, from the Diocese of East Anglia, both studying for the priesthood at Oscott College, assisted at the Mass.

Fr Roger's youngest son Peter, aged 13, was among the altar servers. During the Rite of Ordination, he and his elder brother, John, brought a Paten and Chalice to Archbishop Bernard Longley, who accepted them and handed them to their father, now a newly ordained Catholic priest. It was a poignant moment during a joyful and memorable two-hour ceremony.

During his homily Archbishop Bernard Longley, Chairman, Department of Dialogue and Unity, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said: "I know that Roger has an abiding affection for the Church of England where his ministry of word and sacrament was fruitful through the work of the Holy Spirit. The prayers of his many Anglican friends have helped bring him to this present moment of grace."

Archbishop Longley said: "It is fitting that during the litany we shall soon call upon the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman who made the same journey of faith that Roger is making today. In this ceremony I am carrying Blessed John Henry's crozier, and I intended wearing his mitre - sadly it was too small - two precious relics that recall his own pastoral ministry in this city. As a priest he insisted on using the gifts that God had given him and his example will encourage Roger to do the same."

Archbishop Bernard Longley concluded: "May our Lady, to whose Immaculate Heart this Oratory Church is dedicated, help you by her prayers to be more closely united to her Son as you share in his priesthood. May Blessed John Henry Newman, whose shrine is beside us here, influence your preaching and your pastoral care as a priest.

"The mystery you celebrate and which you are called to imitate is wonderfully echoed in Cardinal Newman's hymn Praise to the Holiest: And that a higher gift than grace should flesh and blood refine: God's presence and his very self and essence all divine. As you celebrate Mass and as you serve his holy people let your mind be filled with his grace. Be forever to others a pledge of that divine glory that is to be theirs."

The sound of Blessed John Henry Newman's powerful hymn Praise to the Holiest filled the beautiful Oratory Church in Edgbaston, as the final procession made its way out into the cloisters and the bright late September Saturday afternoon sunshine.

Father Roger Raven has been appointed as a Chaplain at Heartland's Hospital, Birmingham.