Head of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to Speak in Houston on Feb. 2

Archbishop Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will begin his first official visit to the United States at a Houston symposium on Feb. 2, 2013 that is open to the public (pre-registration required).

The symposium, The Mission of the Ordinariate (http://usordinariate.org/symposium), will explore the ecclesiology and evangelizing and liturgical missions of the personal ordinariates created by Pope Benedict XVI under a 2009 apostolic constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus. Ordinariates are similar to dioceses, though national in scope. They include former Anglican groups and clergy that have become Catholic while retaining aspects of their Anglican heritage and liturgy.

Key speakers at the symposium include:

• Archbishop Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington
• Monsignor Steven Lopes, Official with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Bishop Kevin Vann, Bishop of Orange
• Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson, Ordinary, Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter

The symposium is being sponsored by the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter in partnership with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and is being held at St. Mary’s Seminary. The full schedule, registration and other details for The Mission of the Ordinariate are online. Registration is $25, which includes lunch.

The Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, which is based in Houston, was created by the Vatican on Jan. 1, 2012. It currently includes 28 priests (30 by Feb. 1, 2013), who are all former Anglicans who have completed an approved formation program, and 1,600 people in 36 Catholic communities across the United States and Canada. Most of the communities became Catholic over the past year. Ordinariates also exist in the United Kingdom and Australia.

“It is a great honor to welcome Archbishop Müller to the United States. His participation in the symposium signifies in a special way his commitment to this special intention of the Holy Father for Christian reunification,” said Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson, the Ordinary for the ordinariate.

“We also are grateful for his presence as we recognize Cardinal Donald Wuerl for his extraordinary leadership in guiding the process that led to the establishment of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter,” he added.

Media contact: Susan Gibbs, 202-525-9554 and [email protected].