The Battle for control of St Mary of the Angels Church in Hollywood Awaits the Judge’s Decision

    On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, September 23, 24, and 25, Father Christopher Kelley and his parish of St Mary of the Angels in Hollywood finally had its days in court.   After 14 hours of testimony over 3 days,  Kelley’s congregation  and a small group of dissidents who are affiliated with a small group known as the Anglican Church of America (A.C.A.) await  Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel’s decision on the case which will determine the future direction of the church.   Testimony shows the dissenters used  fraud, intimidation, extortion, impersonation, identity theft and physical violence to control the property and keep the Courts from hearing from the Parish Corporate Board of Directors.  The dissenters also  kept official church documents out of Court that proved that the dissenters were purposely misleading the Court.   The Court  decision should be handed down any day now.

    This battle for control of the property started 40 months ago on May 25, 2012  when a small minority  revolted against the vote of more than 80%  of the parish members, to take then Pope Benedict’s  invitation in 2010 to leave the Episcopal and Anglican Churches in the United States and become members in the new Anglican Ordinarite, a new branch of the Roman Catholic Church.  This branch  will allow the Anglican churches to use their favored 1927 Book of Common Prayer and the 1942 Hymnal as the ritual tools, but becoming subject to the rule of the Pope over Moral Authority and  will be the Primate or leader of  all Catholics.  The parish members of St Mary of the Angels have a history of wanting unity with Rome, for in 1977, the parish voted for the first time  become part of the Roman Catholic and petitioned both the Los Angeles Archdiocese, and the  Vatican as well.  In 2012, the parish again voted to do so by more than 80% .  While outnumbered 4 to one, the dissidents decided to form a coup and wrestled control of the church property from the rightful board of directors.  This was done because the church owns some commercial property that generated over $20,000 a month in real estate income.  

    Founding Parish Priest Father Neal Dodd started the church in 1918.  As an Elizabethian style Anglo-Catholic Priest, Father Dodd started this Episcopal Church proclaiming the Catholic Faith in the Anglican Tradition.  While Father Dodd founded and built the church, he had no financial support from the Los Angeles Episcopal Dioceses or any part of the Episcopal or Anglican Church.  To earn a living, Father Dodd worked as a laborer and later an actor and film consultant in Hollywood.  He actually appeared in more than 300 films.  His most famous role was as the Senate Chaplain in the film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”  Due to internal politics of the Episcopal Church, Father Dodd formed a nonprofit organization to own and care for the actual church and income property.   The Battle for Control of St Mary of the Angels is really a fight to control the church and commercial income property.  

    While locked out of their beloved church, the Parish of St Mary of the Angels has been having Sunday Mass in various locations.  At first, the parish members met at a specific location in Griffith  Park. When the weather got colder, the  parish  started to meet in various member homes, still having Sunday Mass at the same time every Sunday.  Several parish members also gather by the entry gate at St Mary of the Angels at 4510 Finley Ave in the Los Felix neighborhood  of Los Angeles every Friday at 6:00PM  for a special vigil to pray for the return of the church to their care.  This vigil started in June of 2012. 

    To advance their cause, the dissidents made Father Christopher Kelley and his family target of their  wrath.  They accused Kelley of being a rogue unmarried priest who was taking the church and his parish in a direction contrary to the dictates of the Anglican Church of America, stealing precious art work and funds from the treasury, and acting in a manner contrary to the conduct of a religious leader.  They even entered into a 18-month conspiracy  to defraud the Internal Revenue Service for not paying any payroll  withholding taxes, forcing the IRS to attempt to foreclose on the property.   If it had not been for swift and decisive action by Kelley and some of the members of the Church Vestry (a.k.a. the Board of Directors), the foreclosure was adverted.  

    Kelley is married with both a son and daughter who were living at home in the rector’s residence.  The dissidents forced the Kelleys’ eviction.  Under threat of violence, the Kelley’s now reside in a sequestered safe home at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles.  

    Now that the cases have been heard, Kelley has been found innocent of all charges by Los Angeles  Court Judge Ann Jones.  But the dissidents have refused to vacate the property and continue to occupy it despite any court order.   Once Judge Mary Strobel rules, the air can be cleared on this issue.    

    Whoever loses will file an appeal.  If that occurs, we will continue into year four of this battle.

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Steve Hawkins

Junior Warden of the Church

Steve Hawkins

(1) 626-831-1920

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