Anglican Church in America

Continuing Anglican church body

Not to be confused with American Anglican Church, Anglican Church in North America, Anglican Province of America, or Episcopal Church (United States).

Anglican Church in America

Coat of arms of the Anglican Church in America

Classification| Christian
Orientation| Anglican
Theology| Anglo-Catholicism
Polity| Episcopal
Leader| Juan Garcia
Full communion| Anglican Province of America and Anglican Catholic Church
Region| United States
Headquarters| Belchertown, MA
Founder| Louis Falk
Origin| 1991
Merger of| American Episcopal Church (AEC) and approximately 1/3 of the parishes of the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC)
Separations| Anglican Province of America American Anglican Church
Congregations| c. 65
Members| 5,200
Official website| www.anglicanchurchinamerica.org

The Anglican Church in America (ACA) is a Continuing Anglican church body and the United States branch of the Traditional Anglican Church (TAC). The ACA, which is separate from the Episcopal Church (TEC), is not a member of the Anglican Communion. It comprises five dioceses and around 5,200 members. In 2025, the church's House of Bishops unanimously voted to reunite with the Anglican Catholic Church and disaffiliate with Traditional Anglican Church. Both actions are still pending.[1]

## History

[edit]

ACA Cathedral of St. John, Quincy, Illinois

The Anglican Church in America [2] was created in 1991 following extensive negotiations between the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) and the American Episcopal Church (AEC). The effort was aimed at overcoming disunity in the Continuing Anglican movement. This was only partially successful. Most ACC parishes declined to enter the new ACA, resulting in a continuing existence for the ACC, while the remainder of its parishes and some of its bishops joined the AEC in forming the new church. In 1995, some parishes which had formerly been part of the AEC, primarily in eastern states and the Pacific Northwest, withdrew from the ACA and formed the Anglican Province of America under the leadership of Bishop Walter Grundorf.

In 2006, Bishop George Langberg, bishop of the Diocese of the Northeast, publicly opposed actions taken at the Convention of the Episcopal Church and held a requiem "in observance of the death of the Episcopal Church."[3][4]

The Traditional Anglican Communion had been seeking unity with the Roman Catholic Church while still retaining aspects of its Anglican heritage.[5] In 2007, in Portsmouth, England, all TAC bishops present accepted the ministry of the Bishop of Rome and the Catechism of the Catholic Church and requested a means of establishing full communion. The petition was signed on the altar.[6] The Vatican has a record of making some accommodations for Anglicans. In 1980, the Pastoral Provision was issued which allowed the creation of the Anglican Use and the establishment of Anglican Use parishes within dioceses of the United States.[7] These parishes were initially composed of former members of the Episcopal Church. [7]

The Vatican answered the requests of various Anglican groups for full communion by issuing the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, thus opening the possibility of corporate reunion with Rome for some Anglicans. On March 3, 2010, in Orlando, Florida, the eight members of the House of Bishops of the ACA voted unanimously to accept the Pope's proposal by formally petitioning the Vatican for a personal ordinariate in the United States.[8][9] The ACA petition to establish an ordinariate in the United States urged it be established "as soon as possible" and indicated that they were establishing an interim governing council.[10]

In September 2010, however, the bishop of the ACA Diocese of the West, Daren K. Williams, announced that the bishops were divided on the matter and that parishes had left the church since the earlier news broke that union with the Roman Catholic Church was anticipated by the bishops. He also stated that talks between the ACA and the Anglican Province of America concerning a possible intercommunion agreement between the two were planned.[11] That agreement was finalized in September, 2011. As of 2016, a reconciliation committee with bishops and priests from the ACA and the APA, under the leadership of Bishop George Langberg, is working on ways to unite the two churches.

On February 5, 2011, the chancellor of the Anglican Church in America issued a statement on behalf of the bishops of the ACA announcing that the church would remain a Continuing Anglican Church. The statement also reported that one diocesan bishop who favored acceptance of the Pope's proposal had submitted his resignation and that approximately fifteen parishes were expected to leave the ACA with him.[12]

Brian R. Marsh was president of the ACA House of Bishops from 2011 to 2020. Since 2020, the Presiding Bishop has been Juan Garcia.[13]

## Organization

[edit]

The ACA consists of five dioceses:

* Diocese of the Northeast (DNE), Bishop Ordinary, The Rt. Rev.. Alexander H. Webb, Amherst, NH[14]
* Diocese of the Eastern United States (DEUS), Bishop Ordinary, The Rt. Rev. William Bower, SSC, Timonium, Maryland[15]
* Diocese of the Missouri Valley (DMV), Bishop Ordinary, The Rt. Rev. Patrick S. Fodor, Quincy, IL[16][17]
* Diocese of the West (DOW), Bishop Ordinary, The Rt. Rev. Robert Murray Hammond, Fillmore, CA[18]
* Diocese of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean (DPRC), Bishop Ordinary, The Most Rev. Juan Garcia, Ponce, PR[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Anglican Church in America Reunites with The Anglican Catholic Church". Anglican Church in America. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
2. ^ "Anglican Churches | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
3. ^ ChallengeOnline.org. "The Christian Challenge - News". www.challengeonline.org. Archived from the original on 2006-08-09. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
4. ^ www.virtuosityonline.org. "VirtueOnline - News - News - TAC/ACA: Traditional Anglicans Mourn ECUSA, Will Hold Requiem Mass". www.virtueonline.org. Archived from the original on 2006-08-06. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
5. ^ Pope "wants personal prelature" for ex-Anglicans. The Catholic Herald. "Pope 'wants personal prelature' for ex-Anglicans - Catholic Herald Online". Archived from the original on 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
6. ^ Article title[usurped] [Full text of the TAC petition to the Holy See.]
7. ^ a b "Home Page". The Pastoral Provision. Office of the Pastoral Provision. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
8. ^ "TAC Formally Requests Personal Ordinariate for USA". Archived from the original on March 7, 2010.
9. ^ Weatherbe, Steve (March 14, 2010). "Anglo-Catholic Bishops Vote for Rome". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-08. The bishops voted to have the ACA become part of the Roman Catholic Church along with 3,000 fellow communicants in 120 parishes in four dioceses across the country. See also: Anglicanorum Coetibus#Anglican Church in America.
10. ^ "Text of Joint ACA/Anglican Use Petition for USA Ordinariate". Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
11. ^ "Article redirect | VirtueOnline – the Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism".
12. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2014-09-01.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. ^ "IAF Directors". Iafellowship. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
14. ^ "Home | Diocese of the Northeast, Anglican Church in America". Diocese of the North. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
15. ^ States, Anglican Diocese of the Eastern United. "Anglican Diocese of the Eastern United States". Anglican Diocese of the Eastern United States. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
16. ^ "Our Parishes – Diocese of Missouri Valley | Catholic Faith in the Anglican Tradition". Retrieved 2023-05-04.
17. ^ McCamick, Shaqaille (2022-11-13). "New Bishop consecrated in Saturday ceremony". WGEM. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
18. ^ West, The Diocese of the. "The Diocese of the West". The Diocese of the West. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
19. ^ Church, St Patrick's Anglican. "St. Patrick's Anglican Church". St. Patrick's Anglican Church. Retrieved 2025-06-13.

## External links

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Continuing Anglican movement

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* Charles F. Boynton
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* Anglican Church in North America[a][b]
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* Evangelical Anglican Church In America

1. ^ a b Part of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches.
2. ^ a b Part of the GAFCON.

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