The Rev. Mark Lewis is married. He also wants to become a Catholic priest. Lewis is the rector of St. Luke’s in Bladensburg, the first Episcopalian parish in the U.S. to seek to become Catholic under Anglicanorum coetibus, a process outlined by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 that allows groups of Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church without discarding their liturgical heritage. Raised Episcopalian, the 52-year-old Lewis entered the ministry 10 years ago and has two grown children. He will become Catholic with his parish in October. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
Obviously, I am of the Catholic faith. Even as Episcopalians, we believed we were Catholic Christians. The Episcopal Church is a very broad church. In it you can have very evangelical people, and in it you can also have very high church Anglo-Catholics, of which I was one.
Why did you and your church convert?
I teach Catholic theology to my people. Once the apostolic constitution was announced, it opened a door that had previously been closed to us. I didn’t really want to sway them with my excitement, so we looked at it together: “Is this something that is really of interest to us?” We looked at the difference between being a Catholic in the Anglican tradition, and being a Catholic in the Roman tradition. And we realized as a church that we needed to be in communion with the Church of Rome. This was an opportunity we must not pass up.
Did the arguments over homosexuality and female priests influence your decision?
We looked at the ordination of women and the sexuality issues, but we looked at something even more basic than that. I teach that the church interprets Scripture, but as Anglicans we wondered: ‘Which church? The church in America?” We realized we needed Apostolic authority. It can’t be left up to me or you or the Diocese of Maryland or the Diocese of Washington. Is there room in the faith to have a diversity of theologies? No, everybody can’t be right. The Catholic Church has an authority that is not present in the Anglican church, which appealed to us.
You said everybody can’t be right. Is there only one faith?
The Catholic Church is the fullness of the faith. Salvation and goodness can be found in all of Christianity. And there is goodness, God’s goodness that calls people of other religions.
Have you encountered opposition from others about your conversion to Roman Catholicism?
I received a letter from a man Virginia asking me whether I deemed him a heretic going to hell. I responded no, but he assured me that as a follower of the pope, I must see him that way. There are some people that are really upset about the decision my parish has made, but it seems there is more negative emotion from outside the parish community than inside. Even those from inside the parish who are still discerning their personal conversion to the Catholic faith, there’s no anger.
How does having a family influence your priesthood?
I see the value of celibacy, but at the same time I’m very thankful that the Holy Father would consider me to be a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. I also see a value in me being married. It’s the first sacrament I was called to, before the priesthood. She is my soul mate. Sometimes she helps me to see things differently, a different perspective, and for me, I think it’s been very, very positive.
So should Roman Catholic priests have the option to be married?
No, I don’t think so. I agree with the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Someone who wants to become a priest in the Catholic Church knows what they’re committing to prior to entering seminary.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
One is, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. But I would like to add to that. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no other name given under heaven for health and salvation. And I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the fullness of the faith to express these truths.
– Liz Essley
