[National Post] 14 Jul 2008--Jeffrey Steenson's decision to leave his post as an Episcopal bishop in New Mexico last year came with a steep price.
The former Bishop Steenson, a married father of three who will become a Roman Catholic priest later this year, said his lifestyle was "nothing to complain about." Along with other perks, he left a $100,000-a-year salary for a pay cut of $75,000.
"It's a very big step. All the things you took for granted are gone," said Mr. Steenson, who laughed about his change in financial fortune.
"And if your identity was shaped as a [Episcopal] priest or bishop, that has to be unmade and redone again. That's a big thing. But I feel being in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church is worth those sacrifices."
Mr. Steenson and hundreds of others in the United States and England have left the Anglican Communion for Roman Catholicism over the past two decades. (The Episcopal Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.) In recent days, there have been about 1,000 priests in England who have threatened to seek communion with Rome over their opposition to the ordination of female bishops.
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