BALTIMORE (EWTN News)—A group of religious sisters in Maryland is believed to be the first U.S. Episcopal order to become a Catholic religious community.
On Nov. 1, the All Saints Sisters of the Poor professed their perpetual vows at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore.
Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, received the sisters into a newly erected diocesan priory at a special Mass on the feast of All Saints.
The 10 sisters had been part of a religious community within the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
After seven years of discernment, they contacted the Archdiocese of Baltimore in 2008 to inquire about the possibility of entering into full communion with the Catholic Church.
The sisters were accepted into the Church individually on Sept. 3, 2009.
Their chaplain, Father Warren Tanghe, also entered the Catholic Church and is now a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Diane Barr, chancellor for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, explained that the All Saints Sisters of the Poor have been erected into a diocesan priory, a new diocesan institute.
When the sisters first entered the Catholic Church, they took private vows because the Church did not recognize their religious community, Barr told EWTN News on Nov. 3.
The sisters had to write a constitution and submit it to the archbishop, who then had to consult with the Congregation for Religious in Rome about erecting a diocesan priory before the community could be officially recognized.
The sisters will continue to live in their Catonsville convent, where their order has been since 1917.
Barr explained that the sisters will have the option of entering a U.S. ordinariate once one is established.
She said, “It is my understanding that they were planning to stay with the Archdiocese of Baltimore.”
The creation of ordinariates for Anglican communities wishing to enter the Catholic Church was authorized by Pope Benedict XVI in his 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus.
Ordinariates are similar to dioceses but are typically national in scope. They will allow Anglican communities to retain elements of their heritage and liturgical practices, while fully entering into communion with the Catholic Church.
Barr said that she is not currently aware of any other religious communities that are seeking to enter the Catholic Church.
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Glad to see many articles regarding Episcopals converting to the Catholic faith.
I know some Episcopalians and, to me, they creat a personal Jesus and tend to bend and adjust the teachings of the bible to suit their own needs. I even know of a Episcopal Church that has a lesbian deacon.
I’m all for people having faith, whether it’s Buddhism, Jewish and the such, but when you are crossing out and ripping pages out of the bible like Episcopalians do is quite disturbing—For it is a washed out way to praise Jesus….
Actually, the first Episcopalian religious order to become Catholic was The Society of the Atonement, also known as the Friars and Sisters of the Atonement or Graymoor Friars and Sisters, a Franciscan religious congregation at Graymoor New York. They became Catholic way back in 1909. Not only that, the Vatican took the unprecedented step of accepting the members of the Society as a corporate body, allowing the Friars and Sisters to remain in their established way of life.
Teddy, you are painting all Episcopalians with the same brush. Episcopalians, like many other Protestant Christians, vary widely in their personal beliefs even within the same parish. Shouldn’t it be obvious that these sisters (like so many other Episcopalians and Anglicans) are uncomfortable with the liberal direction of the Episcopal Church, and this is why they are converting?
P.S. Whatever happened to capitalizing the “B” in Bible?
Excuse me, but you seem to have overlooked the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, an Episcopal religious order of men and women which was founded in 1898 and entered the Church in 1909. Information on the history of this order can be found at: http://www.atonementfriars.org/who_we_are/friars_history.html
I think the Franciscian Friars of the Atonement, in Graymoor, NY, were the first Episcopal religious order to enter the fold of the Catholic Church; they do excellent work in ecumenism and social outreach. Nonetheless, I hope these sisters continue to witness for God.
Of course, the Sisters were Catholic before becoming Roman Catholic, and so are the many Anglican Catholic religious who remain Anglicans.
Welcome to the Catholic Church, and may I suggest that you conder joining the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious and the Institute on Religious Life!
I say Welcome Sisters and God Bless You!
Scott Knitter, members of the Church of England or Episcopalians, etc are not Catholic. Although some term themselves “Anglo-Catholic” they are not Catholic. These sisters became Catholic when they came into full Communion with the Catholic Church.
Welcome to Catholic Church. May the Merciful Jesus continue to bless and direct you people. Let us pray for each order, so that we will be worthy of our vocation. Jesus, I trust in you!
Welcome dear sisters to Catholic Church, May the Merciful Jesus bless and strenghen you in your faith.I wish you all the best. Welcome!
Welcome! May God bless and guide uou in your journey towards him.
Benvenuta!
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