What’s Going on in Hollywood at St Mary of the Angels (ACA)? A Siege?!
June 21, 2012 20 Comments
[For something of a background to the messy situation, go here, here, or here.]
HOLLYWOOD, CA: The Siege of St. Mary of the Angels. Inhibited Priest Occupies Divided Parish.
Fired Anglo-Catholic rector breaks locks into church. Building now occupied by two factions.
Virtue Online has it as an exclusive:
In what could prove to be a made for TV miniseries, an inhibited Anglo-Catholic priest has broken into and illegally occupied his former church, defied a court order, allegedly taken tens of thousands of dollars of church funds, been accused of stealing parish financial records, lying, deception, gossip, character assassination and dividing his small congregation by wanting to join the Roman Catholic Church through the Pope’s offer of an Ordinariate.
It is being described by onlookers and observers as a “bizarre drama” involving a bishop, a Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church in America (ACA), the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, the Los Angeles Police Department, a frustrated woman judge and a priest, Fr. Christopher P. Kelley who along with his family and a handful of followers, has taken over the lower portion (downstairs area) of the church, covered the windows refusing to leave the parish and rectory, rejecting an inhibition and must now face a trial and possible defrocking.
The end of the siege, now its fifth day, seems nowhere in sight, with no court order demanding his removal currently in effect and a reluctant Los Angeles Police Department to cross church/state lines.
The history of this parish and its priest began in April when VOL first broke the story http://tinyurl.com/d74o6vp that Fr. Kelley had been inhibited. Financial improprieties were alleged and the IRS threatened to seize the church’s property. Kelley was inhibited by Bishop Stephen D. Strawn of the Anglican Church of America (ACA) Diocese of the West on multiple charges of financial mismanagement and “conduct unbecoming a priest.” Kelley said he would not comply with the inhibition “because God told me” and because he did not recognize Bishop Strawn as his bishop. He said Archbishop Louis Falk was his bishop. Bishop Falk later stated he was not asked nor did he offer Episcopal oversight to Fr. Kelley or St. Mary of the Angels. However, St Mary’s appealed to Falk but was never under Falk, as Falk merely facilitated St. Mary’s to go to the Patrimony under then TAC Bishop David L. Moyer. Kelley has not just claimed the Patrimony continues on under Moyer, but another time before has claimed that St. Mary’s was under Archbishop Falk…
At the heart of the matter is the issue of who has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over St. Mary of the Angels at the time this all began with the inhibition…
… On Saturday, June 16, just before 2am, Fr. Kelley’s, former senior warden Alan Trimpi, and others engineered a break in at St. Mary of the Angels, they contacted a locksmith whom they were able to convince they had a right to access the building. The locksmith cut out a lock on the external door leading to the downstairs parish library, directly adjacent from the small cottage in which Kelley and family have been living since he took over as rector. (The reason the removal of the lock was necessary on their part was because all external and a few internal locks were changed by vestry members the day after the temporary restraining order was issued by Judge Ann Jones against Fr. Kelley on 25 May.)
Kelley and company then made their way through the library and into the rest of the downstairs parish hall. They made their way upstairs and were headed towards the parish office when they were confronted by both a private security guard (hired by the vestry) and a parishioner who had voluntarily been sleeping on site to help provide additional security. The police were called but reportedly did not arrive for nearly three hours. In the meantime, the guard, parishioner, and a vestry member who was also on site prevented Kelley and company from taking over the parish office.
The Police eventually arrived…
At some point it was announced that Brian Marsh, presiding bishop of the ACA, had agreed to come to St. Mary’s from his home in Massachusetts and was due to arrive later that evening around 9pm. The reason Marsh was asked and agreed to travel cross-country to be physically present at St. Mary’s was because one of the reasons cited by LAPD officers just after they arrived in response the break in was to verify Kelley’s letter of inhibition as well as Marsh’s letter explicitly firing/removing him from St. Mary’s. Following verification the LAPD still declined to forcibly remove Kelley from the property citing their department’s policy not to intervene internal religious disputes…
It was decided the night before that given the occupation of the downstairs parish hall by Kelley and his supporters that it would be too great a risk to hold Mass in the church on Sunday morning. The church was closed on Sunday. Despite this, Kelley invited several of his supporters and other parishioners to attend services down in the occupied parish hall…
On Monday June 18, Kelley and lawyers appeared in court on an Ex Parte Application to “restore the status quo” that existed before the TRO was granted on 25 May…
ORDINARIATE
Kelley has publicly stated that the issue is his and the majority of St. Mary’s who want to go to Rome through the Pope’s offer of Anglicanorum Coetibus an Ordinariate under the purview of Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson a former Episcopal Presiding Bishop. They had written to him asking for such spiritual sanctuary.
On May 3rd Steenson wrote to St. Mary’s expressing some misgivings over unresolved disciplinary charges against him and them. “Until these internal issues have been resolved, Fr. Kelley’s candidacy for ordination under the terms of Anglicanorum Coetibus and the particular law of the Ordinariate cannot move forward.
“We are not in a position to make determinations regarding the authority of the canons of the ACA, the status of the Patrimony of the Primate, or determining who has canonical oversight of St. Mary’s. We have no jurisdiction in this matter and no authority over the rector or the parish. This issue must be determined within the jurisdiction and structures of the ACA before Saint Mary’s can move forward as a parish,” wrote Steenson, the Ordinariate’s delegate to supervise the transition process. The issue of the parish’s move to Rome came to a grinding halt…
On May 3 the Rector of Saint Mary of the Angels, wrote an “Open Response” to Msgr. Steenson’s admitting there have indeed “been obstacles in our path, and these are being overcome.”
They said that all Vestry members signed the letter to Cardinal Wuerl on December 11, 2011, expressing the stated will of the Parish (by over 80%) to join the Ordinariate soon after its formal erection in 2012. This was also acknowledged by the Cardinal’s office. Ironically it was December 2011 when the vestry voted 5 to 4 in vote of ‘no confidence’ in Kelley. They demanded his resignation then. He refused, and Bp. Moyer refused to inhibit and remove him as he had promised.
They also said the nine points in Bishop Steven Strawn’s April 2 “Notice OF Inhibition” (sic) were all falsehoods. “They rest only on slander, gossip, or speculation. Some of them are actually impossible, as does appear to any careful examiner. Bishop Strawn has never had legitimate jurisdiction over St .Mary of the Angels,” they concluded.
ACA Presiding Bishop Brian Marsh
Concerned that the parish temperature was reaching an incendiary level, now that the courts and police were involved and the priest and his family had taken over the church basement, ACA Presiding Bishop Brian Marsh dropped everything and travelled last Saturday from his home in Massachusetts, arriving late in the evening and went straight to the church.
“I saw a parish in considerable conflict, a church under siege. I went immediately downstairs where Father Kelley, his family members and a few supporters were holed up. I wanted to talk with him, but he talked on his cell phone the entire time. I waited approximately 20 minutes, then left. I was concerned that he refused to speak to me. All I wished to do was get his perspective and see what could be done to defuse the situation. Some priests, and indeed some congregations, create conflict between people. I have asked that the Los Angeles Police Department implement its conflict resolution program. I have also asked the police department to ensure that church services may be held without disruption.”
Bishop Marsh noted that the issues underlying this conflict appear to be about money and the control of church property. St. Mary’s is an extremely wealthy congregation. The rental income from outside sources alone is reported to be $20,000 a month. According to ACA procedures, a parish priest may not control parish funds other than a discretionary account. Father Kelley has reportedly taken money from church funds.
Marsh said that the Ordinariate was a complicated issue for this parish. Some parishioners stated that they wanted it in order to get rid of Kelley, as the Roman Catholic Church would assign a priest and Kelley would be replaced. “Some members have backtracked because the Roman Catholic Church would take the property and the rental income.” The Ordinariate now seems to be off the table.
Following Monday’s court appearance, Kelley requested to receive the property, but the court dismissed the claim. Kelley then purportedly called the Roman Catholic Church archbishop and told him: “we are ready to join the Ordinariate.” The majority of the parish seems to be in favor of removing Kelley. A source said he took $75,000 from the church, but he has a law firm working for him pro bono, though it is suspected by some that the firm was retained under false pretenses when Kelley misrepresented the nature of the legal action against him. There is a level of desperation in the man. The threat is about control. There is only a small cult left that have basically glommed on to Kelley and they have seized the church. The majority of the parish seems to be in favor of removing Kelley.
Kelley Supporters
Kelley does have his supporters. The Rev. Fr. Lawrence B. Wheeler, priest-in-charge, Holy Cross Church, Honolulu who is under the ACA, Diocese of the West, waiting to go into the Ordinariate said the attempt to oust Fr. Kelley and the vestry by taking them to court was “lawless”. He wrote an ‘Open Appeal’ to Bishop Marsh urging him to be magnanimous and just let St. Mary’s go before there is even more suffering from divisions in the body of Christ. Layman John Bruce is also a vigorous supporter of Kelley as is Susan Aldrich.
VOL was told that a canonical presentment may soon be brought against Fr. Kelley and that an ecclesiastical court will likely be convened to decide on possible defrocking.
END
Wow… It reads more like a soap opera! The whole report is here. Very sad, unbecoming, and so unchristian.
One particular Scripture does come to mind:
5 You should be ashamed of yourselves! Don’t you have at least one wise person who is able to settle disagreements between believers? 6 Instead, one believer goes to court against another believer, and this happens in front of unbelievers.
7 You are already totally defeated because you have lawsuits against each other. Why don’t you accept the fact that you have been wronged? Why don’t you accept that you have been cheated?
- 1 Corinthians 6:5-7
UPDATE: Deborah Gyapong reflects:
The situation at St. Mary of the Angels in Los Angeles… makes me think of our former cathedral parish in Victoria, B.C. When conflict developed over entering the Ordinariate with the rector of the cathedral, then Bishop Peter Wilkinson and four clergy left the building behind though they did arrange to take some vestments and other articles so they could do “church in a box” for a while. I am glad they did not stick around and try to fight for their “rights” to the property. I am glad they surrendered all to lead us into the Catholic Church. I am grateful for their example…
In retrospect, though it may have been hard for Wilkinson to walk away from the building and his cathedral chair, the whole works, I thank God that he quietly did so. What an example of holy self-offering he has been through out this process.
Which is not to say I understand what is going on in Los Angeles. It just seems there is a lot more money at stake and a much, much more valuable piece of real estate. It is sad the Patrimony of the Primate instituted by Archbishop Hepworth to protect those wishing to enter the ordinariates was obliterated and the Anglican Church in American is trying to lay claim to the property and the priest in question.
Sometimes when we encounter injustice, the right thing to do is to turn the other cheek. Sometimes the right thing to do is walk away. Sometimes the right thing to do is stand up for your rights. I do not know the cast of characters in Los Angeles at all and therefore I cannot say what is right for them. I am just glad our bishops led us into the Catholic Church without conditions.
About Fr Stephen Smuts
Well… My entire interest in the Ordinariates began at St. Mary’s. Maybe my interest started for the wrong reasons; too much about externals to hide how rotten my insides are. I didn’t know what kind of a man that rector was, but a really unpleasant picture is being painted. I don’t know whether or not this is true, but I guess I should give up on any hopes of having any Ordinariate churches in my area. This is a lesson for me. God’s will be done, not mine. I am a Roman Catholic, and it shouldn’t be my business what anyone else does, I suppose, because I already have a church. I should stop trying to insist tradition out of pride and start to receive communion by hand, and do as everyone else does and not be so enthusiastic about anything about church, because that will only lead to disappointment. God bless the Ordinariate, and everyone.
@Ioannes – The Ordinariates are for the long term and the concept is certainly bigger than any one particular parish. Futher, the Holy Father sees this as preserving a spirituality and tradition which will be of benefit to the whole Church.
St Thomas More is reported by Willam Roper as having observed to his chidren: “We cannot go to heaven in featherbeds.” and in his Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation he said:
“Every tribulation which ever comes our way either is sent to be medicinal, if we will take it as such, or may become medicinal, if we will make it such, or is better than medicinal, unless we forsake it.”
I am always comforted when I enter the Royal Courts of Justice in London and see that (in officially protestant England one of the buildings in the complex is named the Thomas More Building. To me, his recognition as a great man by the state is in some perhaps illogical way a vindication of the sentiment in a now not so fashionable English Hymn:
“Faith of our fathers, Mary’s prayers
Shall win our country back to Thee;
And through the truth that comes from God,
England shall then indeed be free.”
So think of this sad episode as one of those tribulations to be put to good use – be not downheated.
Thank you, Mourad. It’s hard for me not to feel scandalized with someone who told me personally that he, along with a majority of the parish, are headed somewhere I can be a part of, only to read a disillusioning article about him, feeding the doubts I already had about that church. I trust that St. Thomas More is right in how to deal with this.
If one goes back to the establishment of the Church of England out of the ruins of the Church in England, one of its characteristic features was the state grabbing the property of the church. In a funny way, the establishment of the Church of England by law and the legal status of its churches has been of benefit to the OLW Ordinariate. In effect it simply meant that no group moving from the CofE to the Ordinariate was able to retain its church property.
That was a great wrench and sadness for many, particularly those who had tithed and fundraised for years to improve their parish churches. But on the other hand, the non-material benefits may be considered: the groups came into the Church in Apostolic Poverty, as pilgrims. Catholic parishes afforded them a place of worship and Ordinariate and Diocesan Catholics have been encouraged to get to know one anothers, to socialise and to co-operate with many benefits to both.
The litigation in the USA between the Episcopal Church and other continuing Anglican bodies has been a running sore for quite some time. Some cases are now being considered by the US Supreme Court. As a lawyer, I suppose that this will have done no harm to the revenues of colleagues in the USA, but Fr Smuts is quite right to make reference to the words of St Paul to the Corinthians on the subject of disputes. Arbitration is better – but that is a consensual process and the lady (if that is the right term) who is TEC Presiding Bishop does not seem to be consensus minded.
However, do not think that the Catholic Church is without its problems in terms of temporalities. Canon Law provides a means of dispute reolution within the Church, but there is always a necessary interface with the secular justice system. Most Catholic Church property is either held in the name of a diocesan bishop as a corporation sole or better in the name of trustees on the terms of a trust. But then, litigation aganst the church leaves temporal assets vulnerable to seizure to satisfy civil claims in damages. So there is more manoeuvering to seek to insulate Church assets from civil claims.
The approach of the US Ordinary to those groups wanting to bring a church property with them into the Ordinariate has been very wise. A parish must have undisputed title to any property it iwshes to bring with it. Likewise there are wise rules in relation to the assessment of clergy who are candidates for ordination. It is desirable that a candiate has testimonials from his former religious superior. It is also desirable that there is a positive votum from the diocesan where the individual resides. There have been great outcries over the one or two cases where one or the other endorsement has been withheld. But the prudential nature of the exercise is entirely justified even though it may be hard on both a candidate and his parishioners as these latest sad developments demonstrate.
My only remark on this issue is to say that Bishop Marsh is purposely misleading in his statement: “Some members have backtracked because the Roman Catholic Church would take the property and the rental income.”
This isn’t true, the parish would retain it within the Ordinariate, and he surely knows it. I continue to be dismayed at the sheer hardfacedness of the man.
I will keep the people of St Mary’s in my prayers.
Actually – I replace that with ‘brassneck’.
Leaving aside the shivers that one gets when reading about this undoubtedly awful situation, I was rather interested to observe the use of language in the report.
The first paragraph conflates established fact with allegation and supposition. The article then goes on to treat ALL as established fact, with only an occasional nod to the rather more important fact that this case of claim and counter-claim has yet to be adjudicated. I further note that allegations of civil, possibly criminal impropriety are being mixed with suggestions of immorality. Virtue Online isn’t normally this transparent. The reporter must be having an off-day.
Well, if Fr Kelley were innocent of any and all charges, truth would “out” eventually, as the saying goes. However, I think it says a great deal about this priest that instead of treating the opposition with charity and humility, he picked the church locks and hired armed security guards to keep them out. Whether you are right or wrong, those things are certainly not the right course of action!
Tate writes: “Well, if Fr Kelley were innocent of any and all charges, truth would “out” eventually, as the saying goes.”
When disputes arise people often say and do things which are not wise or which upon refection they might later regret. “It seemed like a good idea at the time” is an assertion I hear all often. Foolish behavior by the parties to a dispute is all too common but it should not be taken as automatically indicative of moral turpitude.
I don’t know what procedure is to be employed to resolve these disputes, Personally, I’m rather attached to a little legal maxim known as “the presumption of innocence until the contrary is proven”.
So let’s give Fr Kelly the benefit of the doubt until a fair and impartial tribunal has decided the rights and wrongs of the matter Your first line: “If Fr Kelly were innocent…”. seems to reverse that process.
You will recall that ‘Sentence first – verdict afterwards.’ was the procedure of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland.
I was commenting upon the reportage, rather than the story. There are ways of reporting serious allegations without being partial (or, metaphorically, capering from foot to foot whilst cackling gleefully). This is a poor piece of journalism.
About the story, I have naught to say, so I won’t.
St. Marys’ has already gone through this over 30 years ago when TEC tried to claim the property and lost.
Many walked away and became Catholic or Orthodox. This is different as the majority of the parish members voted to enter the Ordinariate and the property as before does not belong to ACA.
I see no difference in ACA than in TEC in trying retain control of the property. As far as Fr. Kelley goes, he is not showing Christian behavior, nor are others will will break into the church and defy the majority. Just as the minority walked away years ago, it is time he walked away instead of making those involved look like they have severe emotional problems.
Anyone in charge of a business or parish should have no problem showing the financial records if all is on the up and up. Why not let all see the books if there is nothing illegal being done?
Please, please, please don’t be fooled. The present legal fight against Kelley has nothing, NOTHING to do with the Ordinariate. That is a prevarication he and his supporters have been spreading since this mess began. Many of those now actively opposing him LONG for the day when their parish will be received into the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter! The simple fact he is a priest-gone-rogue with total disregard for any authority other than himself. He should have had the good sense to resign in December 2011 when his vestry voted 5 to 4 that he do just that. Instead, he has only dug in even deeper to the great detriment of a once-thriving parish. His tenure at St. Mary of the Angels has been one of dishonesty, partisanship, alienation, fraud, you name it. He is not a good. For the health, peace, and healing of this parish he must go. Now.
The history here is long, but the recent events are fairly clear, and the Virtue Online piece says almost nothing about what really happened.
The Patrimony of the Primate was set up by TAC in late 2010 to accommodate the parishes that intended to go into the Ordinariate. St Mary of the Angels was listed among early members of that group, and in January 2011 the parish voted at its annual meeting to go into the Ordinariate.
However, the Ordinariate became very controversial in the ACA, and in March 2011, the Chancellors of the ACA Dioceses made a report that in their opinion, those parishes had abandonded the ACA for another denomination (strictly speaking, of course, true). In April 2011 the ACA House of Bishops met and basically softened this position, but set up the Patrimony to dissolve once the Ordinariate was erected.
By mid-2011, though, a group of vocal dissidents at St Mary of the Angels began to allege various improprieties by Fr Christopher Kelley. A majority of the parish never really bought into these allegations, and it’s worth pointing out that when they finally reached a court of law in June 2011, a judge ruled that they had no basis.
But in 2011 and 2012, the dissidents were extremely persistent. By December 2011, the parish had voted (in May of that year) to enter the Ordinariate, and the vestry had unianimously petitioned Cardinal Wuerl to enter the Ordinariate as soon as possible after its erection oN January 1, 2012. However, the dissidents made a last-ditch appeal to ACA Bishops to intervene, and in the last days of 2011, retired ACA Abp Falk apparently forwarded a list of allegations against Kelley to RC Church authorities. This effectively stopped the process of St Mary’s admission. It’s worth repeating that once the allegations did reach a court of law, the judge ruled them without merit. However, the questions have continued to poison St Mary’s and Fr Kelley’s eligibility.
ACA PB Marsh posted a letter on the ACA House of Bishops web page saying that the Patrimony had been dissolved with the erection of the Ordinariate as of January 1, 2012. Parishes wishing to stay with the ACA would need to reapply. This clearly showed that the ACA regarded Patrimony parishes, clergy, and laity as no longer in its authority if they didn’t apply to rejoin the ACA. St Mary’s never reapplied, and it clearly showed its intent via several votes by both the parish and the vestry to join the Ordinariate instead.
Nevertheless, the dissidents (whose numbers by this time were in the neighborhood of 8-12 out of a parish of about 65 members in good standing) persisted, and they got ACA Bp Strawn to inhibit Kelley in April 2012, with the immediate pretext being an IRS threat to seize the property for unpaid payroll tax withholding for 2011. The payroll tax had been wrongly calculated by the parish’s then accountant (also the ACA Diocese of the West accountant), and payments had not been properly made by the then-Treasurer, who was a member of the dissident group.
It is the parish’s position that Strawn’s inhibition, coming after the dissolution of the Patrimony, was invalid, as he and the rest of the ACA, by its own admission, no longer had authority. I believe the court also eventually agreed with this position. However, on May 25, the ACA got a temporary restraining order against Kelley and the elected vestry, putting the ACA in charge. Following a hearing on June 13, the judge reversed her position, dissolved the restraining order, and denied the petition for injunction, placing Kelley and the elected vestry back in charge. This of course was a major defeat for the ACA and the allied 8-12 dissidents.
However, the dissidents refused to leave the building or to surrender the keys. The judge and the LAPD declined to enforce the court’s decision at that point, however, saying that it was a church issue and first-amendment problems kept them from doing so. Thus Kelley and the vestry have had to hire security guards to do what can be done to enforce the order. At the same time, they’ve given David Virtue a highly slanted version of events, which Virtue has unfortunately swallowed whole. That in a nutshell is where things stand.
John Bruce has the timeline right. Check out the new opinion piece in VirtueOnline’s As Eye See It section. Martha Eischen tells the truth.
1) Majority in the parish office so called “dissidents” are PRO-ORDINARIATE! 2) June 18th “Ex Parte Application” by Kelley was denied by Judge Ann Jones. In the “Ex Parte Application,” Kelley asked for keys, corporate seal, computer, and the comany CAR. — DENIED — 3) John Bruce, so called “Interim Treasurer” appointed illegally by Kelley and Trimpi, did not pay the 3rd/4th quarter taxes. Guess that’s why the IRS sent St Mary’s letters. Look at yourself in the mirror before slandering anyone else.
Kelley and Trimpi talking points are getting old.
I said “when the finally reached a court of law in June 2011 a judge ruled they had no basis”, I meant June 2012.
I should also say that when the IRS notice was finally received, the parish acted immediately to resolve the issue, and the IRS is satisfied with the resolution.
All I have to say about this whole sordid affair is that I will never, ever step foot in St Mary’s again. The place is a breeding ground for sickness, and for some reason it keeps collecting people who are not well. This is not the first time a rector has totally destroyed the place, splitting the congregation down the middle; there are those who still refuse to believe the previous rector committed any wrong-doing, and I’m sure it will be the same this time.
Well, I’ve learned my lesson. Fool me once, as the saying goes…
I’m done with the place forever.
Whatever the rights and wrongs may ulimately be, it’s a mess. A TRO decides very little because it is a mere preliminary motion. This is not for decision by blog post here or anywhere – least of all via Virtue On-Line. What one tends to get is (i) bold assertion, followed by (b) flat contradiction, followed by (c) sequential exchanges of vulgar abuse. I pity the Judge.
June 23, 2012:
It was inevitable, but “Lights, Camera, and Action!”
“Rally for Kelley” protest on Hillhurst & Finely. As always, with a smile telling reporters his side of the story.
Charming and congenial