St. Mary of the Angels
Anglican Church

Hollywood’s historic "Little Church Around the Corner"

A Traditional Anglo-Catholic Parish
in the Heart of Hollywood

The Rev. Fr. Christopher Kelley, SSC: Rector
The Rev. Canon E. Beau Davis, SSC, Diocesan Liturgist, Curate
The Rev. Deacon Erik Routh: Director of Sunday School and Youth Programs
The Rev. Deacon John Yeager, Pastoral Assistant

The Sacraments


The Baptism of Haven: Fr Davis, Fr Kelley, and Dcn Routh


Baptism


"In Baptism," the prayer book teaches us, "I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven."  We became Christians at our baptism, through the sacramental action of the Holy Spirit. 

Holy baptism is normally administered during Solemn High Mass on Sunday, by arrangement with the rector. A period of application (three months in the case of adults) and participation in the life of the parish are required before the sacrament is administered. Sponsors (in the case of adult baptism) and godparents (for the baptism of an infant or child) must meet with the rector for instruction prior to their approval. 


The Holy Eucharist

The Eucharist, commonly called the Mass, is the sacrament of God's presence with His people and their continual participation in His sacrifice. On the cross, Christ offered Himself to His Father for us; in the Holy Eucharist, the Church continues to hold up before God that same offering. The body and blood of Christ, the fullness of His humanity united to His divinity, are sacramentally present in the transfigured bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist. The Mass is the continual offering of Christ's one sacrifice and we participate most fully in this sacrifice when we receive the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion.

We welcome all baptized and practicing Christians to join us in the reception of Holy Communion. Anglican practice and Catholic tradition teach us that baptism and confirmation by a bishop in succession to the apostles are among the requirements for a regular and frequent reception of Holy Communion. We should not only be free from serious sin (the remedy for serious sin is a sincere confession--see Penance, below), but be "in love and charity with our neighbor."

Canon law requires all communicants to receive Holy Communion at least three times a year, at Christmas, Easter, and Whitsunday. The norm should be a "regular and frequent" reception of the sacrament; the ideal is daily Communion.


Personal prayers before and after receiving Holy communion, as well as instruction on how to partake, are found in our parish Mass booklet (in the pew racks). For those who are able to do so, ancient practice directs us to receive the Blessed Sacrament fasting.

If you are unable through sickness to come to Sunday Mass, you are ill enough for a priest or deacon bring you the Sacraments. Please let us know; call the church at (323) 660-2700. It is never an imposition, the clergy are here to serve and it is their pleasure to do so.


Penance (Confession)

The sacrament of Penance, commonly called Confession, is one of Christ's greatest gifts to His Church. Though it, we receive complete forgiveness of our sins, and the gifts of grace to help us grown more deeply in our spiritual lives. Breathing His Spirit on His apostles, Christ said, "Receive the Holy Ghost; whatsoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven." This power he left to His Priests.

Participants in the sacrament of Penance are protected by what is called the seal of the confessional. This means that what passes between the priest and penitent is confidential and may not, under any circumstances, be divulged to another person.

We benefit more from Penance when we prayerfully prepare our confession beforehand and participate in the sacrament regularly. Various guides are available to assist in your preparation. St Augustine's Prayer Book has an excellent section on the subject with a thorough list to aid in self-examination. Our own parish publishes a pamphlet entitled, "How to Make a Confession," another very good source. Many people find it helpful to make a list of their sins before coming to Confession to assist their recollection. If you have any questions regarding confession, speak to the rector and he'll be happy to help you.

The sacrament of Penance is open to any baptized person. Confessions are heard at St. Mary's on Friday evenings at 6:45, Saturday afternoons at 5:00, or anytime by appointment with the rector or curate.


Marriage

The sacrament of Holy Matrimony is given by God as the basis for the Christian family.  In the sacrament, God joins a man and a woman as "one flesh," and from their loving union a family is born. Marriage is intended as a lifelong, indissoluble bond and, with this in mind, the Church requires that her children enter into the sacrament "reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God." 

The Church's sacrament is open to all baptized persons who have not yet contracted a valid marriage. Upon application of both priest and an active communicant to the bishop, is is possible that a dispensation may be granted when one of the contracting persons is not baptized. 

A divorced person not sacramentally married may seek an annulment to allow for a marriage by the Church. Petitions for both dispensations and annulments must be presented to the bishop for his decision, and neither should ever be taken for granted.  Canon law requires preparation for marriage before the sacrament may be licitly ministered. This takes the form of instruction with a priest over a period of several months. 

No wedding may take place at St. Mary's with less than three months' notice. The banns must be posted by the rector and read on the three Sundays preceding the marriage. The Book of Common Prayer must be used without alteration, and only a clergyman appointed by the rector may officiate (clergy from other traditions may assist at the rector's discretion). 

Because of the sacramental character of Christian marriage, only those desirous of entering into a lifelong, sacramental union will be married at our parish. Anglican priests are forbidden from officiating at civil weddings.

Holy Unction

The sacrament of holy unction is the sacrament of God's healing presence and power among us when we are sick or dying. Any baptized person may receive it. An illness serious enough to cause us to stay home in bed and miss Mass on Sunday or take time off from work is serious enough to summon a priest and request holy unction. 

The sacrament is not the sacrament of death, but of health, salus. A small card, "Preparing for a Sick Call," is available in the tract rack in the narthex with instructions on what to expect when a priest comes to administer the sacrament.  After Mass on the second Sunday of the month, the sacrament of holy unction is administered in the chapel to all who desire to receive it.

Requiem Masses

It is customary to offer a cycle of requiem Masses for the repose of the souls of our beloved dead on the day of their death or burial, as well as three, seven, and thirty days afterwards. A requiem is traditionally offered also on each anniversary of their death. This monthly cycle is offered for each member of our parish at their deaths.

If you'd like a memorial or anniversary Mass to be said for anyone else, please contact the rector to make arrangements. Remembrance sheets are provided on the narthex table for any names you would like remembered at Mass. Please leave your completed lists in the basket beside the large crucifix near the altar rail.


Holy Orders


"It is evident unto all men, diligently reading Holy Scripture and ancient authors," begins the preface to the ordinal at the back of the Book of Common Prayer, "that from the Apostles' time there have been these orders of ministers in Christ's Church: bishops, priests, and deacons." Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders the priesthood of Christ is present and active in His Church.

In common with other Catholic Christians, Anglicans hold the doctrine of apostolic succession: that the authority, presence, and practice of Christ's priesthood is transmitted thorough the continuous line of bishops who trace their ordinations back to the apostles themselves. The doctrine denotes not simply a succession of ordinations but a succession of Faith and Practice. Apostolic succession is a guarantee that our faith is a continuation of the Faith and Practice of the apostles, the Faith "once delivered to the saints."

Years of preparation are required before ordination. The process is one of discernment, wherein the Church examines the candidate and the candidate examines himself, to see if he does indeed have a "vocation," a calling, from God.

The canons require that anyone interested in pursuing the possibility of ordination be baptized and confirmed, at least 21 years of age, and active communicant of his parish for at least one year, and have the written support of both the rector and vestry before he can be considered for studies.

St. Mary's Theological College, founded in 1992, has, until recently, provided a three-and-a-half year program for the priesthood. The bishops of the international Traditional Anglican Communion have chosen the program as the standard for theological education in the traditional Anglican church. The program is currently in hiatus, pending some curricular restructuring under direction of the bishop ordinary and new rector. Plans are also in development for an enlarged consortium of participating academic institutions and parochial sites. Classes have traditionally met at St. Mary's, but other sites may be assigned by the bishop, rector and faculty.