THE BLACK MOUNTAINS - WALES

While I was in England, my friend Erika took me on a day trip by car through the Black Mountains to the town of Hay-on Wye in northeastern Wales.   In a later post, I will show my pictures of the town.

The mountains are hills, as my friend Kevin, who lives near the Cascades in the US, reminded me. Whatever - the scenes are beautiful, as you see from the pictures.

The beauty of Wales is one of Britain's well-kept secrets, at least it was to me. I had no idea of the loveliness of the countryside until our visit.

The photo shows plainly a few of the many crevices in the rocky hills.

The animal in the photo is a wild horse. Erika hoped we would see a herd of horses, but one is better than none.  Though if I remember correctly, there may have been another horse in view but too far away to capture in the same picture.

ROMAN CATHOLIC ORDINARIATE ERECTED IN ENGLAND AND WALES

From Catholic Communications Network:

In accordance with the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus of Pope Benedict XVI (November 4, 2009) and after careful consultation with the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has today erected a Personal Ordinariate within the territory of England and Wales for those groups of Anglican clergy and faithful who have expressed their desire to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church. The Decree of Erection specifies that the Ordinariate will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and will be placed under the patronage of Blessed John Henry Newman.
....

Also today Pope Benedict XVI has nominated Reverend Keith Newton as the first Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Together with Reverend Burnham and Reverend Broadhurst, Reverend Newton will oversee the catechetical preparation of the first groups of Anglicans in England and Wales who will be received into the Catholic Church together with their pastors at Easter, and to accompany the clergy preparing for ordination to the Catholic priesthood around Pentecost.

H/T to Simon Sarmiento at Thinking Anglicans.

UPDATE: From Background information on the Ordinariate:

Will members of the Ordinariate still be Anglicans?

No. Members of the Ordinariate will be Catholics. Their decision is to leave the Anglican Communion and come into the Catholic Church, in full communion with the Pope.

The central purpose of Anglicanorum coetibus is "to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared". Members of the Ordinariate will bring with them, into full communion with the Catholic Church in all its diversity and richness of liturgical rites and traditions, some aspects their own Anglican patrimony and culture.