The congregation of an Anglican parish in southeast Calgary has accepted Pope Benedict's offer to join Rome.
The parish of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church voted overwhelmingly for the move.
90 per cent of the 70-member church voted to become Roman Catholics in the Anglican tradition.
"We're making a corporate and individual commitment to join the Roman Catholic Church as soon as all the details are in place," said Christine Grabenstetter, spokesperson for St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.
Grabenstetter says her parish has been an Anglo-Catholic parish for many decades.
"The Anglo-Catholic tradition has always been a tradition which tries to emphasize and encourage our connection to the whole church. We, for example, call our priests father," added Grabenstetter.
Grabenstetter says the congregation feels its faith and worship aligns more closely with the Roman Catholic Church than the more liberal Anglican Church.
"This feels, to us, right. It feels familiar. Anglo-Catholics have always looked toward joining Rome. In the United States, facilities, and what we call an ordinariate, have been in place for many, many decades. And there have been Anglo-Catholic churches who've made this decision 30 years ago," said Grabenstetter.
Grabenstetter says this is the first time the invitation has been made to Canadian churches. The invitation allows the congregation to retain its traditions and ways of worship, allowing the parish to continue worshipping as it's always done.
The church itself was built in 1905 and is a provincial and municipal historic site. Its ownership is part of the parish's negotiations with the Anglican diocese.
Grabenstetter says the parish is prepared to stay or find a new building. Negotiations are actively underway and the parish would like the transition to be completed within a year.
