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To: AnalogReigns

Here is the history of the church, from their website:

http://www.stmarythevirgin.org/

“Formed as a Mission Church in 1961, St. Mary’s was originally known as St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, and it became a Parish in 1969 as a part of the Diocese of Dallas. In 1983 the Diocese of Dallas was divided, and the Diocese of Ft. Worth, which includes Arlington, was formed.

The Reverend Allan R.G. Hawkins, from England, was named rector in 1980, and in 1986 the parish name was changed to Saint Mary the Virgin. Fr. Hawkins is married to Jose and they have two grown children.

The Right Reverend Clarence C. Pope, second Episcopal Bishop of Ft. Worth, broke ground for the new Church Building in June, 1990. The first services were held in the new church at Christmas 1990.

Then, in an historic decision in the summer of 1991, the Parish decided to leave the Episcopal Church and to seek full communion in the Roman Catholic Church as a Personal Parish for the Anglican Use, under terms of the Pastoral Provision of 1980.

Although a number of other such parishes had previously been formed, St. Mary’s is the first Episcopal Parish to have transferred corporately into the Roman Catholic Church — and to have retained its property in so doing.

Members were all received and St. Mary the Virgin was formally erected as a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Ft. Worth on June 12, 1994, by the most Reverend Joseph P. Delaney. A few Days later, June 29 (SS Peter and Paul) Bishop Delaney ordained Fr. Hawkins to the Catholic priesthood. And he dedicated the building in a special ceremony at the end of October in the same year.”

I, too, am a member of SMV and was Episcopalian before converting. I vaguely remember when the church converted, since it was discussed in my parish. There were a lot of Episcopalians from my parish who “crossed the Tiber” in those years, so it was definitely a topic of conversation.


53 posted on 11/21/2007 5:47:48 AM PST by nanetteclaret ("I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." Psalm 104:33b)
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To: nanetteclaret

I guess even TEC with all it’s legal muscle didn’t want to sue the Roman Catholic Church over the property....they might have a bit more muscle, legal and popular, eh?


59 posted on 11/21/2007 2:54:26 PM PST by AnalogReigns
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