An Episcopal parish in Maryland announced Monday that it will become the first in the United States to join the Roman Catholic Church under a Vatican process designed to bring disgruntled Anglicans and Episcopalians into its fold.
St. Luke's Episcopal parish in Bladensburg will become part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington within the next few months. It will sever ties from its liberal bishop, who has spoken out in favor of same-sex marriage and other controversial issues.
The bishop, John Bryson Chane, said in a statement Monday that he approved the separation. Chane said the decision was made with "mutual respect," adding that "Christians move from one church to another with far greater frequency than in the past, sometimes as individuals, sometimes as groups."
The parish will lease its land from the Episcopal diocese with the option to purchase.
Godspeed to the folks at St Luke's. The transition seems to have taken place in a civilized manner, and the people and clergy had no notion that the property was theirs to take without compensation.
Nowhere do I find mention of the size of the congregation at St Luke's nor whether the entire congregation joined the ordinariate.
UPDATE: I learned something else new tonight. Anglicanorum coetibus is pronounced Anglican-orum chay-tee-boose). I did not know that.
UPDATE 2: For further information on St Luke's Church and their process of moving to the Roman Catholic ordinariate see Ann Fontaine's post at The Lead.
