Pastoral Provision History
In July 1980 the President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop John Quinn, received a letter from the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Franjo Seper, indicating that the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, responding to requests received from some priests and laity formerly or actually belonging to the Episcopal Church in the United States, had decided to make a special pastoral provision for their reception into full communion with the Catholic Church.
A Message from the Most Rev. Thomas J. Paprocki:
My dear companions in the journey of faith,
Welcome to the new webpage for the Pastoral Provision. I hope that this new webpage from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will help anyone seeking answers to questions about the Pastoral Provision.
As many of you may not know, the origin of the Pastoral Provision is attributed to the vision of St. John Henry Cardinal Newman and his foresight towards complete unity by Anglicans with the Church. It is also a fruit of the Second Vatican Council and the Pontificates of Pope St. Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II. The Pastoral Provision has over a forty-six-year history of assisting individual Episcopal priests, and those from the Episcopalian heritage, answer the call to enter full communion with the Catholic Church, and as part of that journey, to the priestly ministry in the Church.
The webpage includes a PDF version of the Pastoral Provision Manual entitled: “Into Full Communion,” information about the faculty, staff for the Pastoral Provision, important FAQs, and much more.
I sincerely thank Most Rev. Kevin Vann, Diocese of Orange, and his staff, for their many years of service for the Pastoral Provision.
Prayers and Blessings,
Most Rev. Thomas John Paprocki
Bishop of Springfield in Illinois
Ecclesiastical Delegate for the Pastoral Provision