Integration not Assimilation

There are some Anglicans who have expressed a concern that joining the Ordinariate will mean that the their parishes will be "absorbed" into the Catholic Church and thus become like a "non-ordinariate" Catholic parish (thereby losing all of the Anglican heritage that they are wanting to preserve). Although this has clearly been rejected by the words of Anglicanorum Coetibus, it would help to see this truth come from the very words of the newly named Ordinary himself. This is precisely what we have. Read this quote from Fr. Jeffrey Steenson (the emphasis is mine).

The parishes and communities of the Ordinariate have been called, not to live in relative isolation, but to be fully engaged in the life of the local diocese; not to be assimilated, but to be integrated into the rich life of the Catholic Church. This Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter must be, above all else, an effective instrument for evangelization. But Jesus taught us that the unity of Christian people is the essential condition for evangelization (John 17:21). So this must be our hallmark: to build bridges, to be an instrument of peace and reconciliation, to be a sign of what Christian unity might look like. And gaudete in Domino semper (Philippians 4:4) to be joyful and happy Catholics!

He uses the word "assimilated" rather than "absorbed", but his meaning is clear because the definition is the same. It is not the purpose of the Ordinariate, nor the stated intention of the Ordinary himself, to allow the parishes in the Ordinariate to lose their heritage or change their heritage into something different. Were that to be the desire of the parish, then I doubt that he would approve their entrance into the Ordinariate; the very purpose for which is to preserve the Anglican heritage.

Because these parishes are to be involved in the life of the local diocese they need to know the common language and practices of these other Latin Rite parishes. Therefore catechesis is necessary so that they can easily relate to one another and recognize the beauty of each other's traditions. Integrating the Ordinariate parishes into the life of the local diocese means that these parishes will not become ghettos that are isolated from the rest of the Church. This is especially important for a parish like St. Aidan's where I serve. There are no other Ordinariate parishes for well over a hundred miles, and so the local Catholics are those that we will be interacting with more often. We will be a part of the Ordinariate, and we will be integrated into the life of the local Catholic diocese. This serves the Church in the best way possible, because it allows us to maintain our heritage, while we also are able to grow in close relationship with our local Catholic brethren.