Saint Francis Anglican Church was established as an Anglo-Catholic Parish in 1970. As Anglicans, we claim our Catholic identity and heritage of the Church in England.

What is Anglo-Catholicism? To answer our question, we must go back almost one hundred and seventy years. A group of Anglican scholars, priests, and bishops began what would eventually become known as the Oxford Movement. Having studied the Ancient Fathers of the Church, they determined that the Church of England, in all of its essentials, was One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

First Among these truths was that Anglicans are Catholics. Secondly, Anglo-Catholics understood that Apostolic Succession had been preserved in the English Church, thereby insuring the validity of the Sacraments. Thirdly, they cherished the Book of Common Prayer and in particular the 1549 Book of Common Prayer written by Thomas Cramner, Archbishop of Canterbury. The 1928 American Book of Common Prayer is based on the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. Thus, the basis for our own liturgy is shaped by the liturgy of the Ancient Church.

The English Reformation, unlike the movements led by Luther, Calvin, and others on the Continent, did not seek to replace the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but to reform it. The standard of this reform was the teaching of Holy Scripture as understood and applied by the tradition of the Church. It has looked at the example of the undivided Church. Its goal was simply to restore the Catholic Faith and practice which, for the thousand years before the division of East and West, had been held by all, at all times, and in all places. We are Anglo-Catholic because we honor God with the profound belief that He demands and deserves our best effort, and that faith and worship within the Church has come down to us unchanged in its essentials.

In short, Anglo-Catholics believe and worship as we do because we are heirs of the very sacred trust. As Saint Peter said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Our Clergy:

• The Rt. Rev. Timothy B. Farmer, Rector
• The Rev. Canon Paul W. Pritchartt, D.D., Assisting
• The Rev. Dennis Boan, Deacon