Pope John Paul II extended to Anglicans, including married priests, the opportunity to become Catholic in 1980. During the next 30 years, 100 or so Anglican priests entered the Catholic Church and were incorporated into local dioceses.<\/p>\n
But some in the worldwide Anglican Communion \u201d\u201d particularly the Episcopal Church, the religious body\u2019s US province \u201d\u201d wanted to make it easier for whole congregations to come in, and to be part of a group of like-minded churches.<\/p>\n
At their request, Pope Benedict XVI established special \u201cordinariates\u201d\u009d \u201d\u201d basically superdioceses \u201d\u201d especially for Anglican priests and congregations. The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, which spans the United States and Canada, was created last year. It includes more than 30 congregations, including [ Jurgen] Liias\u2019s St. Gregory the Great, which held its first Mass in April.<\/p>\n