The new national diocese, called an "ordinariate," was created to accommodate Episcopal congregations whose members disagree with their church's liberal stances on matters like same-sex marriage and the ordination of women and gays. The Episcopal Church, the main U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, has some 2 million members.

Beckwith said none of the 106 congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark is planning to leave. And Bishop George Councell, who heads the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, which covers central and southern parts of the state, said the same.

"I don't see or hear any evidence of anyone making decisions along those lines," he said.

Some Episcopal clergy note that the Vatican's invitation comes after years of a reverse trend, where they've seen many Catholics joining and attending their churches. Often it's because they disagree with the Vatican's conservative stance on issues like homosexuality, female ordination and divorce.

Not looking elsewhere

Local church leaders echo their bishops, saying disagreements about leadership's liberal views are not severe enough to cause dissenters to split from the Episcopal Church.

The conservative congregation of St. Anthony's of Padua in Hackensack, which has been critical of the positions of Episcopal leaders, resolved its differences while remaining in the church. The congregation opted to receive spiritual guidance and leadership from a conservative bishop in South Carolina rather than the local diocesan bishop, in an agreement reached with the Diocese of Newark.

"That's been an adequate arrangement so people here are pretty happy campers and aren't feeling the need to look elsewhere," said the Rev. Brian Laffler, the church pastor.

A former priest at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Wayne had disagreed with the ordination of an openly gay bishop in 2003, but church warden Patricia Pfeifer said that was not an issue for the congregation and that politics are kept separate from the pulpit.

"The church needs to be Jesus-centered and let him do the judging. That's my feeling and that's my church's feeling," she said.

Nationwide, two churches in Maryland and one in Texas are in the process of joining the ordinariate. Also, 100 former Anglican priests in the United States have applied to become Catholic priests for the ordinariate. Priests who are already married will also be allowed to serve, but cannot attain the rank of bishop, and women will not be accepted as priests.

Twenty other groups from an Episcopal background have also inquired about joining, in all comprising roughly 1,400 people, according to the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, as the new organization is known.

Pope Benedict XVI issued the invitation to Anglicans to become Catholic as parishes in 2009, and the U.S. ordinariate was established Jan. 1 - one year after the establishment of a counterpart in Britain.

Church leaders said it was created in response to Anglican groups who felt some of their church's liberal positions went against scripture and repeatedly asked to enter the Catholic Church. They also wanted to preserve elements of their heritage, so the ordinariate will keep some Anglican traditions in music, structure and prayer.

"It is something that is being done with a lot of foresight, and forethought and a lot of concern for those individuals," said James Goodness, director of communications of the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. "There might not be anything directly in our area right now, but certainly down the road as some in the community begin to think about it, it's a mechanism that will work."

Many similarities

The Catholic and Episcopal churches already share similar structure, easing the transition for members of the faiths who convert or attend one another's services. But historically, it has been easier for Catholics to cross over because the Episcopal Church opens communion to all baptized Christians and doesn't require re-confirmation. The Catholic Church restricts Communion to Catholics, with few exceptions, and has required Episcopal converts to be reconfirmed.

There is no official count of Catholics who are practicing the Episcopal brand of Christianity. But around North Jersey, clergy and churchgoers say the numbers are high. Beckwith estimated that a third of all people he has confirmed in the Diocese of Newark had been Roman Catholic. Half of those he has ordained also came from the Catholic tradition, he said.

"We ordain women and we welcome gay and lesbian people at all levels of our life together," Beckwith said. "I think that invitation and that openness has brought all sorts of people into the Episcopalian Church."

The Anglican Church has its roots in Catholicism. Frustrated over Rome's refusal to grant him an annulment, King Henry VIII in 1534 created the Church of England, the precursor to the Anglican Communion.

The divided and sometimes rocky relationship between the churches has changed since the Second Vatican Council 50 years ago ushered in a new era of dialogue among Christian denominations.

Religious leaders have learned about each other's faith and tried to resolve differences that have divided them over the years, said Monsignor John Radano, a teacher and resident at the Catholic Seton Hall University who served on the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

"We both have engaged in dialogue to overcome this division," he said. "I think we've taken good steps toward unity."

Episcopal Church leaders said they do not view the Vatican's actions as an attempt to boost membership of the Catholic Church, but rather a real response to a spiritual need.

"I think we all want to provide a spiritual home for the people who need them so people can grow in their relationship to God," Beckwith said.

Pfeifer said she hadn't heard of anyone in her parish seeking to join the new ordinariate, but that would be all right with her.

"If people are unhappy with their church and want to go someplace else and explore, they should have that happen," she said.

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The Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches

History

Roman Catholicism traces its history to the apostles, especially to St. Peter, who is considered the first pope. Every pope since him is regarded as his spiritual successor.

The Church of England, the precursor to the Episcopal Church, split from Rome when King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment. Through the Act of Supremacy of 1534, the king made himself the "supreme head" of the Church of England in place of the pope. Queen Elizabeth II now is the church's supreme head.

Adherents

Episcopal Church: 2.3 million in the U.S. and 70 million in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Roman Catholic Church: 65 million in the U.S. and 1.5 billion worldwide.

Faith

The rituals and liturgies of both churches are nearly identical, as are the customary vestments worn by the clergy and lay ministers. The key differences lie in matters of authority and doctrine.

Authority

Roman Catholics adhere to the pope's authority and believe the pope is infallible in certain matters. In the Anglican/Episcopal Church, adherents look to diocesan and national synods of bishops, clergy and laity to interpret matters of faith and order. This has led to variation in doctrine and practice among its churches.

Doctrine

* Catholics and Episcopalians have differences in doctrine in areas including confession, the Eucharist, the role of saints and married priests.

* Catholics require confession of sins to priests, but confession is optional in the Episcopal Church.

* Catholics believe in transubstantiation - the notion that the bread used in the Eucharist becomes the true body of Christ when blessed by a priest, while Episcopalians believe the Eucharist only represents the body of Christ.

* The Episcopal Church recognizes and commemorates saints, while the Catholic Church believes in the ability of saints to intercede on behalf of believers.

* The Episcopal Church allows married priests. In the Catholic Church, married priests are restricted to Lutheran and Episcopalian converts, and Eastern Rite clergy.

Sources: ReligionFacts.com and Anglicansonline.org