After an intensive, years-long period of prayer and discernment, the order of All Saints Sisters of the Poor will be received into the Roman Catholic Church by the Archbishop of Baltimore on Sept. 3.
 
“We are very sorry for any pain that this move might cause our friends,” said the Rev. Mother Christina, superior of the order, told The LivingChurch. “But everyone must try to follow where they feel God is leading them.
 
“We want to be sensitive to those who do not believe as we do. We don’t want to point fingers. We are after all sinners in the eyes of God.”
 
The All Saints Sisters of the Poor are the American Branch of a society founded in England, according to information on a website maintained by the order. They were invited to Baltimore in 1872 by the rector of Mount Calvary Church, Baltimore, a congregation which has continued to maintain strong ties to the sisters. The Rev. Jason Catania, rector of Mount Calvary, said he was aware of the impending move, and that the congregation would “continue to consider them part of the extended church family.”
 
The order describes itself “a traditional religious community, living under the evangelical vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.” In recent years, Mother Christina said many of the sisters felt that they were no longer in the right place.
 
“We tried to be faithful in The Episcopal Church as we understand scriptures, but we seem to be drifting farther and farther apart,” she said. “For the past two years in particular we felt as if we were no longer making a difference in this church. We felt as if we no longer belong.”
 
Mother Christina said that the order discussed its situation with a number of other Anglican groups, including the Anglican Mission in the Americas, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, and the Anglican Church in America led by the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan. The sisters also met with the Antiochian Orthodox Church in America.
 
“The Roman Catholic Church was the last one we thought about asking,” Mother Christina said, but added that the order felt a strong kinship almost immediately.
 
There are currently 12 sisters at the 80-acre convent in Catonsville, Md., Mother Christina said. She added it is possible that one sister will choose to remain with The Episcopal Church. Communities in The Episcopal Church hold title to their own property, so there is little likelihood of a property fight. The Rt. Rev. Donald J. Parsons, Bishop of Quincy from 1973 to 1987, is the bishop visitor of the order. Although physically located within the geographic confines of the Diocese of Maryland, the Bishop of Maryland does not have any authority over the sisters or their property, she said.
 
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