An Episcopal parish in the eastern state of Maryland will be the first in the United States to join the Roman Catholic Church under a new streamlined conversion process created by Pope Benedict XVI, leaders of both church groups said Monday.
St. Luke’s Episcopal parish in Bladensburg will come under the care of Washington Catholic Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who is forming a U.S. ordinariate ”” effectively a national diocese ”” for Episcopalians converting under the pope’s plan.
There is also a group forming in Northern Virginia — The St. Thomas of Canterbury Society — http://www.stthomascanterbury.org/
The AP has not checked their facts on this too well. Mt. Calvary, Baltimore was the first to vote to leave TE”c” last October. They were followed by St. Mary of the Angles, Hollywood, CA in May of this year. Now we have St. Luke’s – which makes them the third parish to move to Rome from the Episcopal Church. All of these places were important parishes within the Anglo-Catholic wing of the of PECUSA. I’m thrilled to see them move to safety within the Roman Catholic Church.