Catholic Church Brings Maryland Episcopalians Into Fold

The Catholic Church this week began allowing some Anglican parishes and Episcopal churches in the United States to become Catholic, including those with married priests.

The move, set for Jan. 1, 2012, was announced in the fall by Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, head of a committee of U.S. bishops leading the effort.

More than 1,300 Anglicans have asked to be included in what is essentially a new diocese, according to The Washington Post.

Included are members of St. Luke’s in Bladensburg,MD, the first Episcopal church in the United States to convert to Catholicism under the new Vatican rules, the Post said. St. Luke’s, a small congregation whose members are mostly from Africa and the Caribbean, will reportedly continue its Anglican traditions and keep its married pastor.  

Baltimore’s Mount Calvary also reportedly applied to join.

Tens of millions of Americans identify themselves as Catholic or Protestant, so the new movement is small in comparison, according to The New York Times.

The Episcopal Church has faced criticism from some members for the ordination and marrying of gays and lesbians and the ordination of women. Members who align with the Catholic Church are seen as breaching a 500-year-old divide between Anglicans and Catholics.

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