The Vision Glorious: Themes and Personalities of the Catholic Revival in Anglicanism

1983 marked the 150th anniversary of John Keble's Assize Sermon, a sermon which Newman recognized as the beginning of the Oxford Movement. The religious revival which it signalled, though originating in a particular political challenge to the Church of England, was far-reaching in its effect. The continuity and catholic identity of Anglicanism was powerfully affirmed; sacramental worship was restored to a central place in Anglican devotion; religious orders were revived; and both in the mission field and in the slums, devoted priests laboured with new vigour and a new sense of the Church. This study of some of the major themes and personalities of the Catholic revival in Anglicanism highlights some of these aspects, and in particular, points to the close relationship between theology and sacramental spirituality which was at the heart of the movement. To recognize this central characteristic of the revival can contribute much, the author believes, to the renewal of the Catholic tradition in Anglicanism today.