Calgary Anglican explains why parish wants to join Catholic church

From Canada-

For longtime Anglican Richard Harding, switching to the Catholic church feels like coming home.

Last month, Harding and other members of the St. John the Evangelist congregation in Calgary became the first Anglican parish in Canada to accept an offer from the Pope to rejoin the Catholic church.

Harding said they are excited about the change.

Only two members of the parish in Inglewood, one of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, voted against the move and a few others abstained.

But some, including the congregation's former priest, have decided not to switch, so the move is bittersweet.

"There is a bit of sadness. This is a very sobering step and is a serious step, but it is a positive one," said Harding, who has worshipped at St. John for more than 20 years. "Every new beginning is a goodbye to some of the past."

The congregation decided to leave a church that has been their spiritual home for all of their lives for varied and complex reasons.

Anglicans split from Rome in 1534 when the pope refused to annul the first marriage of England's King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon.

More here-

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/home_family/calgary-anglican-explains-why-parish--wants-to-join-catholic-church-111470369.html