The Washington Examiner is reporting that St. Luke's Episcopal parish will enter the Catholic Church under the guidance of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl and the Vatican, which is forming a national diocese for Episcopalians who want to convert to Catholicism.
The parish, which has 250 parishioners, of which 100 are active, is scheduled to complete its conversion to Catholicism by the end of this year. They signed a three-year lease with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington last week to continue to worship in their church with an option to buy the premises when it expires.
The parish will enter the Church through the program initiated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 that receives Anglicans into the Catholic Church while preserving their liturgy and heritage. The process, which unites the two churches that have been divided for more than 500 years, came as a godsend for disaffected Anglicans who were upset over liberal changes in their communion, such as the ordination of females and active homosexuals.
"We have been discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit since the Holy Father's announcement of Anglicanorum Coetibus in October of 2009," said an announcement on the parish website. "Since that time we have been in close dialogue with both the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and the Archdiocese Washington. Over the next few months the people of St. Luke's Ordinariate Catholic Community will undergo formal preparation to become Roman Catholics."
The Rev. Mark Lewis, pastor of St. Luke's, said the Pope's new process "opened the door for us. This is a natural progression. We've always been close to Catholic theology and this is an answer to our prayer for unity."
Lewis, who is a married clergyman, said the people who usually attend Mass at St. Luke's are very supportive of the move.
"It's a miracle," he said. "Any reservation that was there was wiped away. People's attitudes changed and hearts softened. It was a beautiful thing to witness."
Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore also has announced its intention to become Catholic, but is still negotiating the details.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Episcopal Church in Maryland to Become Roman Catholic
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
An Episcopal church in Bladensburg, Maryland became the first in the nation to convert to Roman Catholicism yesterday when their application was officially approved by the local bishop.
The Washington Examiner is reporting that St. Luke's Episcopal parish will enter the Catholic Church under the guidance of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl and the Vatican, which is forming a national diocese for Episcopalians who want to convert to Catholicism.
The parish, which has 250 parishioners, of which 100 are active, is scheduled to complete its conversion to Catholicism by the end of this year. They signed a three-year lease with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington last week to continue to worship in their church with an option to buy the premises when it expires.
The parish will enter the Church through the program initiated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 that receives Anglicans into the Catholic Church while preserving their liturgy and heritage. The process, which unites the two churches that have been divided for more than 500 years, came as a godsend for disaffected Anglicans who were upset over liberal changes in their communion, such as the ordination of females and active homosexuals.
"We have been discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit since the Holy Father's announcement of Anglicanorum Coetibus in October of 2009," said an announcement on the parish website. "Since that time we have been in close dialogue with both the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and the Archdiocese Washington. Over the next few months the people of St. Luke's Ordinariate Catholic Community will undergo formal preparation to become Roman Catholics."
The Rev. Mark Lewis, pastor of St. Luke's, said the Pope's new process "opened the door for us. This is a natural progression. We've always been close to Catholic theology and this is an answer to our prayer for unity."
Lewis, who is a married clergyman, said the people who usually attend Mass at St. Luke's are very supportive of the move.
"It's a miracle," he said. "Any reservation that was there was wiped away. People's attitudes changed and hearts softened. It was a beautiful thing to witness."
Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore also has announced its intention to become Catholic, but is still negotiating the details.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
The Washington Examiner is reporting that St. Luke's Episcopal parish will enter the Catholic Church under the guidance of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl and the Vatican, which is forming a national diocese for Episcopalians who want to convert to Catholicism.
The parish, which has 250 parishioners, of which 100 are active, is scheduled to complete its conversion to Catholicism by the end of this year. They signed a three-year lease with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington last week to continue to worship in their church with an option to buy the premises when it expires.
The parish will enter the Church through the program initiated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 that receives Anglicans into the Catholic Church while preserving their liturgy and heritage. The process, which unites the two churches that have been divided for more than 500 years, came as a godsend for disaffected Anglicans who were upset over liberal changes in their communion, such as the ordination of females and active homosexuals.
"We have been discerning the leading of the Holy Spirit since the Holy Father's announcement of Anglicanorum Coetibus in October of 2009," said an announcement on the parish website. "Since that time we have been in close dialogue with both the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and the Archdiocese Washington. Over the next few months the people of St. Luke's Ordinariate Catholic Community will undergo formal preparation to become Roman Catholics."
The Rev. Mark Lewis, pastor of St. Luke's, said the Pope's new process "opened the door for us. This is a natural progression. We've always been close to Catholic theology and this is an answer to our prayer for unity."
Lewis, who is a married clergyman, said the people who usually attend Mass at St. Luke's are very supportive of the move.
"It's a miracle," he said. "Any reservation that was there was wiped away. People's attitudes changed and hearts softened. It was a beautiful thing to witness."
Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore also has announced its intention to become Catholic, but is still negotiating the details.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
