What Happened to St Aidan’s Des Moines?

Posted on Thursday, 6 December, 2012 by Fr Anthony Chadwick

The article By The Way, What Happened To St Aidan’s Des Moines? asks a question about the continuing existence of this parish of the ACA Diocese of the Missouri Valley. Archbishop Louis Falk was there, but is he still there? Is this parish still a part of ACA / TAC jurisdiction? It is not on the Diocese’s official list of parishes. Do any of my American readers know what has happened?

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25 Responses to What Happened to St Aidan’s Des Moines?

  1. Michael Frost says:
    Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    Having attended every Sunday liturgy at St. Aidan’s (Des Moines, Iowa, USA), except one, going back to April 15, 2012, I can assure you that this wonderful community is both alive and well. His Grace continues to preach magnificently and joins in the lively discussions downstairs during coffee hour. The organ music is beautiful and we do our best to sing joyfully. Visitors are welcomed. And a most beautiful liturgy is celebrated with reverence and dignity on Sundays (9:30 am and Wednesdays 6 pm, CST).

    Earlier this year the parish officially voted 15 No and 3 Yes to the Ordinariate. Their former priest (and his family) joined the Ordinariate, so they are no longer there. It doesn’t appear to me that anyone else (including the 3 Yes voters) left. When Archbishop Falk is absent, Fr. Brad celebrates. St. Aidan’s appears to have essentially just naturally reverted back to the ACA, Diocese of the Missouri Valley (Bishop Strawn). During liturgy St. Aidan’s prays for the appointed “Diocesan Intentions” and are so prayed for by their fellow parishes.

    St. Aidan’s is old school on technology, not being on Facebook nor having an active current web site. Their former priest had re-started a web page but it went down with his exit.

    Reply
  2. John Bruce says:
    Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 5:44 pm

    So I’m curious. Mr Frost says St Aidan’s “appears to have just naturally reverted back to the ACA”. But in its January 12, 2012 resolution, the ACA House of Bishops quoted in my current post at http://stmarycoldcase.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-story-of-st-aidans-looks-to-be.html said that parishes had to make a specific contact with their area bishop to get back into the ACA. Has St Aidan’s done this? The question is less whether the parish can afford a web site, which it apparently can’t, than whether it actually is affiliated with the ACA. I did leave a phone mail message with the parish asking the same question, so I would assume it’s familiar with telephone technology — can someone get back to me with a specific answer to the question?

    Also, on November 23, 2010, Fr Seraiah, the previous rector, posted on his acceptance of that position at St Aidan’s. In that post, he mentioned that the parish had already voted to join the Ordinariate. What changed? But whatever the situation, the ACA does not list St Aidan’s as a parish on its web site. I would suggest Mr Frost have His Grace do whatever is in his power to clarify this. Meantime, I’m still curious as to what’s going on.

    Reply
    • Michael Frost says:
      Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 6:20 pm

      Mr Bruce,

      Since you asked and since St. Aidan’s is so refreshingly outgoing…

      – I have talked to the (retired) Metropolitan about the ACA & DMV web sites. St Aidan’s is aware, but it apparently has nothing to do with St. Aidan’s. (I wonder if the ACA-DMV are a bit…slow with technology? Anyone know their tech person? 🙂 )

      – After the vote, St. Aidan’s did get in official contact with the ACA-DMV. It appears, based on what they’ve told parishioners, that St. Aidan’s is “back into the ACA” and DMV. (When I asked about an ACA/DMV episcopal visit, I was told there likely will be one in 2013, as would be done in accordance with that process and their parishes. I don’t believe there was one in 2012 and not sure about 2011.)

      – St. Aidan’s Vestry meets at least monthly and from what I’ve heard, their finances appear to be just fine. (Same for the building and grounds, which are very nicely maintained!) So the “technology” is more a question of will and desire? Not a huge priority for them? Like I said, they appear to be pleasantly old school. (So if you visit, please sign the Guest Registry, introduce yourself to everyone, and stay for coffee and some fine food.)

      – I only attended St. Aidan’s once while their former priest was there. If memory serves me, the parish didn’t take an official, legal vote about the Ordinariate? Was more a “preliminary” one, like gauging interest? (I remember talking with Archbishop Falk about the Ordinariate back in late 2010 after their then former priest had left and before the Ordinariate-bound priest arrived.)

      – Msgr. Steenson, from the Ordinariate, did visit St. Aidan’s on July 7th, before the July 22nd completion of the vote. I did not attend his presentation, but was told by many who did that he was most pleasant and they had every opportunity to ask him questions and get whatever information from him they so desired.

      – Archbishop Falk, his lovely wife Carol, and family appear to be in great spirits. I believe he and she just went out east recently for a child’s (son’s?) wedding, and they apparently had a most enjoyable trip. [Being EO, I thoroughly enjoy my discussions with His Grace on Sundays; he, as well as Fr. Brad and they, the congregation, warmly respond to my questions, comments, and jokes. Like I’ve said, they are a most friendly and welcoming group. And anyone who has the chance to have a theological discussion with His Grace will come away much the better for it. His erudition on so many, many things is most impressive, but even more impressive is his simple, polite, decent personal touch. Guess that would make him a wonderfully “pastoral” Archbishop?]

      I’ve been blessed to have periodically attended St. Aidan’s over the decades since 1981, when I first attended as part of a Comparative Christian Denominations class I was taking. This was while they were at a temporary home and shortly after then his Grace had been elevated to bishop. I’ve tried to attend at least annually when I lived outside of Des Moines but returned home.

      Hope this helps. (I suspect someone might only normally answer the phone and respond to the answering machine on Wednesdays and Sundays, tied to liturgy.)

      Reply
  3. ed pacht says:
    Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    I don’t know the details of what has occurred in this parish, and, frankly, am content that things there become resolved outside my knowledge. However, I think a few comments as to why I’m undisturbed at this point might be apropos. The whole ordinariate affair did manage to produce a great deal of confusion and uncertainty, a great deal of that coming from a widespread misperception of just what was involved. Many of us, myself included, had received the impression that the quest was for an intercommunion without absorption. Some were more willing to believe that Rome would change enough to allow such a thing to come to be than were others. Most in ACA would have been willing, even anxious, to embrace this kind of unity, and some even managed to believe that it was near. I tried to convince myself that it was as near as pronouncements we heard [seemed to be telling us. That, of course, never was so. When Rome made the offer it finally presented, it was widely seen as much closer to an acceptable intercommunion than it actually has proved to be, and many, given the chance, voted to apply to the Ordinariate under a misapprehension as to what that meant. One parish in my diocese did so vote – actually, to “try” the Ordinariate, a formulation Rome certainly would not have found acceptable, but thought better of it later. Since they had not withdrawn from the Diocese, the ultimate result of the two votes was one of no change in status.

    I don’t know much about St. Aidan’s, but if they did vote to join the Ordinariate and did withdraw from the diocese (perhaps to join with the “pro-diocese”) that would have left them officially not part of the diocese, and therefore not on the list of parishes. Apparently realization of just what the move to Rome would entail brought about a rethinking of the earlier decision and a contrary vote. If diocesan status had been interrupted, restoration would not occur automatically, but would require application to the bishop and a vote of acceptance at diocesan synod. Parishes not yet accepted often act as part of the diocese until that process has been completed

    Reply
    • Michael Frost says:
      Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 6:46 pm

      Mr. Bruce & Mr Pacht, I’m looking at my copy of the St. Aidan’s Sunday bulletin for December 2, 2012 (1st Sunday in Advent). On the fourth and last page, after “Intercessions” and “Anniversary” there is “Diocesan Intentions”:

      “St. John Quincy IL Bp. Strawn, Fr. Sacket, Dcn. Fodor”

      head the list of 8 ACA-DMV parishes so remembered. Looking at the bulletin from the week before, 4 such parishes/missions were so commemorated. And so on, so…

      Now maybe it is just me being EO, but I’ve always taken most seriously which bishops are (and are not) prayed for publicly during the liturgy. A big deal to us EOs! When I hear them praying for ACA-DMV & Bp. Strawn and announcing that the ACA-DMV & Bp. Strawn are praying for them, then I think I’ve got the organizational relationship down pat. Even if the ACA-DMV web sites haven’t yet been updated.

      Reply
  4. John Bruce says:
    Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 7:08 pm

    Mr Frost, I’m a little confused about the chronology in your posts. You say you’ve attended St Aidan’s every Sunday but one since April, but on the other hand, you say you attended only once during the tenure of the former rector (I assume you’re referring to Fr Seraiah). Fr Seraiah posted about the Ordinariate no-vote and his departure in July 2012, but it sounds as if he’d left the parish prior to April. Is this correct? If so, can you confirm the dates, or the approximate dates, when Fr Seraiah served as rector of St Aidan’s? I’m doing this only to establish a chronology of events relating to the Patriomony, and confirmation of employment dates is something any private employer provides. If you don’t wish to do this, can you put me in contact with someone who could speak for the parish? (As I say, there’s no parish contact other than a phone mail number, which in fact is highly unusual.) By the same token, I’m interested in the dates when the prior rector, Fr Nicholas Taylor, served at St Aidan’s.

    On the other hand, Mr Frost, if you’ve attended St Aidan’s only since April of this year, and had not attended (except for one Sunday) since November 2010, when the prior rector came in, I wonder if this even would make you a member in good standing of the parish, and whether you’re that much of an authority on it.

    Reply
    • Michael Frost says:
      Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 7:35 pm

      Mr. Bruce, You’d have to get the full details about Fr. Seraiah’s time at St. Aidan’s from him or them, as well as his predecessor.

      You might check out the records from the RC Des Moines Diocese. See their Catholic Mirror publication (July 20, 2012). Small story with photo of Fr. Seraiah being ordained a RC priest by RC Bishop Pates. Ordination to RC priesthood on July 8th, 2012. In that same issue, there was an official announcement from Bp. Pates about priest assignments. It states that Fr. Seraiah “…to temporary Catholic Chaplain for the Central Iowa Health System effective July 1 through December 31, 2012.” (I believe Fr. Seraiah was ordained to the RC diaconate in June, 2012. He had been received into the RCC as a layman (along with his family) some time before that (probably at Pascha 2012?)

      When I attended St. Aidan’s in April 2012, I was told they had just recently started celebrating the Anglican liturgy on Sundays. I believe with the recent Palm Sunday. I was told that prior to that, as part of the Ordinariate process, they had ceased celebrating liturgy and were doing mainly morning prayer and catechesis.

      Keep in mind that they are a small parish. If you wanted to know a lot more, you might ask to speak with their Vestry. They’ve always been most cooperative and forthcoming with me. (This past summer, when I asked their Sr. Warden for a copy of their By-Laws, he was happy to supply me with a copy. They’re dated, “As amended at the Annual Parish Meeting: January 19, 2003.”)

      Reply
    • Michael Frost says:
      Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 7:58 pm

      Mr. Bruce, Forgot to mention that I do have a copy of the official letter, dated July 1, 2012, from Sr. Warden about St. Aidan’s and the Ordinariate vote. You might be interested in this specific part:

      “As you know, a more informal vote was taken last autumn which seemed to indicate a strong majority in favor of seeking such admission [i.e., to the Ordinariate]. However, during the period of catechesis associated with such a move, it became clear that the mind of the Parish was not so definitively positive, and the decision was taken to seek a clarifying vote. That is the vote we are now taking. … Ballots will be opened and counted on July 22nd upcoming. By Vestry action, a majority of xity (60%) of ballots cast will determine the outcome.”

      This letter was sent out prior to Msgr. Steenson coming to St. Aidan’s on July 7th. I was at St. Aidan’s on July 22nd. I listened attentively (and took notes–esp. while Archbishop Falk spoke about the outcome).

      I hope this helps. I hope you visit St. Aidan’s some day. A lovely church with friendly people. 🙂

      Reply
    • Michael Frost says:
      Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 3:48 pm

      Mr Bruce, A final thought from me to you… I can’t say enough kind words about the friendly congregation and its clergy. They are most welcoming and kind. And, as is made clear by St. Aidan’s weekly bulletin, they practice a very limited form of open communion (would that be “semi-open communion”?). Per their bulletin, “We welcome those Confirmed by a Bishop in the Anglican, Roman and Orthodox traditions to receive Holy Communion.” So even though I am EO, and as per my Church’s canons don’t receive communion at St. Aidan’s, they have been nothing but kind and welcoming to me. I look forward to worshipping with them on Sundays.

      Reply
  5. Michael Frost says:
    Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    Mr Bruce, I saw these comments over on your blog:

    – “The reason, of course, is money. There wasn’t any money to be had from St Aidan’s in its prefab mock-tudor building with the IKEA-style reredos.”

    – “St Aidan’s apparently did contact Bishop Strawn and ask to be readmitted to the ACA. Fine. But if St Mary’s never did this, why does Bishop Strawn give a different story and say St Mary’s somehow automatically reverted back to the ACA? The ACA-DOW/DMV under Strawn put St Mary of the Angels right back onto its list of parishes very quickly after someone pointed it out, so contra Mr Frost, they’re pretty quick with the tech stuff when it suits them. Again, I think it comes back to money. They’ll deal with St Aidan’s when they get around to it.”

    Please keep in mind that I’m EO. I’m not a formal member of the ACA, DMV, or St. Aidan’s. My words are entirely my own, based on what I’ve heard and read while worshipping there this year, and are not anything directly tied to, sanctioned by, or part of St. Aidan’s, their Vestry, Archbishop Falk, Fr. Brad, and the wonderful congregation. I’ve never met or communicated with Bp. Strawn.

    So if you want the full, official story about St. Aidan’s and the ACA-DMV & Bp. Strawn, then you’d have to get in touch with them. If you were to stop by St. Aidan’s, I’m sure Archbishop Falk would be happy to share what he knows.

    I hope you get to visit St. Aidan’s some day. It is a nice church. Lovely, large grounds. Decently sized parking lot. Good neighborhood. Pretty easy to get to. Gorgeous bell tower. Theere is an elevator and ramp, for disbility accessibility. Beautiful interior. Lovely altar. Communion rail and pulpit. Stained glass windows. Nice pews, with kneelers (those Anglicans love to kneel on Sundays!) furnished with BCPs and Hymnals. Finished basement with kitchen, kids area, and office. Nice bathrooms. The whole nine yards?

    When I looked at their Vestry minutes back in 2010, their finances seemed quite sound, indeed. (I say this having served as Parish Council President for my former local church (St. Vincent of Lerins, Omaha, NE, Antiochian Orthodox, Western Rite).)

    Reply
  6. John Bruce says:
    Friday, 7 December, 2012 at 10:38 pm

    I’ve addressed the points Mr Frost raises here at http://stmarycoldcase.blogspot.com/2012/12/craziness-at-st-aidans-first-look.html Several things concern me about Mr Frost’s remarks. He indicates he’s Eastern Orthodox and did not attend St Aidan’s much prior to April 2012. However, he says the catechesis took place in 2011 (apparently he did not attend), and he reports an impression that the parish had not celebrated the eucharist prior to Palm Sunday 2012, perhaps when Fr Seraiah left. As someone who did go through the “Ordinariate process” and catechesis during 2011, I can say first hand that there was no restriction against an ACA priest (which Seraiah was) saying Anglican mass in an Ordinariate bound parish, so there appears to be some level of confusion here — whether from Mr Frost or the parish, I can’t say. In addition, Mr Frost urges me to consult with someone on the vestry at St Aidan’s — something he probably should have done in his first comment here, and acknowledged that he is not a member himself. However, he provides no e-mail to ask such questions. Fr Seraiah has subsequently supplied me with Abp Falk’s e-mail, and I have addressed some questions to him, though frankly I don’t expect a reply, and in view of his position, I don’t feel comfortable in pressing him very hard personally.

    One thing that puzzles me about continuing Anglicanism is the level of defensiveness and insistence that in spite of the fact that a parish has all of 25 members, it has a kitchen and a beautiful service. The ACA and the TAC are tiny and corrupt. The eagerness of people who aren’t even members and who aren’t really familiar with life there to insist that they aren’t is puzzling to me.

    Reply
    • Michael Frost says:
      Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 1:10 am

      Mr. Bruce, Fr Chadwick posted the topic here. I had some relevant information. I shared what I know. All I know is what I know. And what I know has nothing to do with me being EO or anyone else being RC or Anglican/ECUSA. You appear to want immediate answers to all sorts of questions involving a lot of people over a lengthy period of time. I doubt any one person has the plethora of information you seek. (I hope you looked over the Sr. Warden letter excerpt I provided earlier.) My personal knowledge is just based on me sitting in the pew and having coffee downstairs talking with people. From all I’ve seen these past months, St. Aidan’s as a church, its clergy, and congregation, appear to be doing fine, worshipping with reverence and welcoming those who worship with them.

      Reply
    • Stephen K says:
      Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 2:01 am

      Dear John, it sounds to me that you are trying to prove something that is either unproveable or not worth proving! Michael has explained very fully what he thinks he knows and I don’t understand why anyone could not be satisfied with that. Why not simply speak to St Aidan’s personally to resolve any genuine questions you have?

      As it stands, never having heard of St Aidan’s before and never likely to be in the happy position of visiting it, I think it sounds like a very lovely community with a very lovely church. And agape, fully appreciated, positively demands “a kitchen and beautiful service”!

      Reply
      • Michael Frost says:
        Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 3:25 pm

        Stephen K, Thanks for the kind words! And wise words (“trying to prove something that is either unproveable or not worth proving!”). But I do think we should be praying for those churches and their members whose lives were seriously disrupted in a negative way by the Ordinariate-Patrimony of the Primate/TAC process. One wonders if there couldn’t have been a…better…way? I’m sure St. Aidan’s is thankful that they didn’t experience a “civil war” over it. Their vote appeared to be conducted respectfully, peacefully, fairly, and in a dignified manner. The result was decisive. I heard no complaints about the voting processs or final result. And, most importantly, they moved on from it and continued their mission as a church.

    • Fr Anthony Chadwick says:
      Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 4:32 am

      I have a very open attitude about comments on this blog, and there is a very wide diversity of opinions, which is most welcome. I have extended hospitality for the discussion of matters on your blog which has no provision for comments. I think your blog would be much richer if it were opened to comments and a diversity of opinions and criticisms could be expressed.

      Reply
      • Michael Frost says:
        Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 3:17 pm

        Amen, Father! I’m not exactly sure what the real point is of any blog that is closed to comments. (Made me laugh for a second and wonder… was there a “Letter to the Editor” section of the old Soviet newspapers like Pravda? 🙂 )

  7. Dale says:
    Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    Mr Bruce stated the following about continuing Anglicanism that “This denomination is tiny. It’s corrupt. It’s flaky.”

    Perhaps one could just as easily say of the Roman Catholic Church: “This denomination is huge. It’s corrupt.It’s flaky.”

    Reply
    • ed pacht says:
      Saturday, 8 December, 2012 at 10:10 pm

      Since every “denomination” is composed of fallible, fallen human beings, it can certainly be said of any such assemblage that, humanly speaking, it is corrupt and flaky. We can only do the best we can with what we’ve got, trusting that, in spite of our own grievous failings, He will preserve and guide His Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

      Reply
  8. Michael Frost says:
    Tuesday, 11 December, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    Maybe we should thank Mr. Bruce for getting the ACA/DMV to update its web page? Went there today. To the DMV list of parishes. St. Aidan’s is clearly there:

    Iowa
    St. Aidan’s Anglican Church
    4911 Meredith Dr.
    Des Moines, IA 50310
    (515) 987-0124
    The Most Rev. Louis W. Falk, Bishop in Charge
    The Rev. Fr. Bradford Johnson, Assistant Priest
    E-Mail: lwfalk@q.com

    Reply
  9. Michael Frost says:
    Tuesday, 11 December, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    Sadly, over at his 1-way blog, Mr. Bruce appears to have turned his ire on Archbishop Falk. My only thought after reading Parts 1 & 2 against His Grace…is this the 2102 equivalent of lay ecclesiastical McCarthyism? (The words there certainly don’t describe the Metropolitan I know!)

    Reply
    • Fr Anthony Chadwick says:
      Tuesday, 11 December, 2012 at 10:12 pm

      What can I say, other than the fact I am not American or concerned with churches over there. I met Archbishop Falk in Portsmouth in October 2007 and found him to be a very pleasant fellow and worthy of respect. I don’t know what happened to make him not go through with application to the Ordinariate. I suspect he smelled a rat. Who knows?

      Reply
  10. Michael Frost says:
    Saturday, 22 December, 2012 at 6:53 pm

    The former Anglican priest at St. Aidan’s who joined the Ordinariate earlier this year and was re-ordained into RCC (deacon then priest) this summer posted on his blog earlier this week that he has been temporarily assigned by the Des Moines Diocese to be the acting pastor at two rural area churches about 60-70 miles due west of Des Moines, Atlantic & Anita. He’ll be using the current RC New Order liturgy but reportedly has permission from the bishop to say private Anglican-derived liturgy while there (just not during their usual liturgy schedule). Doesn’t appear that the Ordinariate has or is taking off in Iowa?

    Reply

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