On October 26, 2015, Judge Mary H Strobel issued a decision in the retrial of the St Mary of the Angels case, which had been returned to the trial court in September 2014 following a successful appeal by Fr Christopher P Kelley and the elected vestry of the parish. In her decision, Judge Strobel ruled, “Following the directions of the Court of Appeal to resolve the question of the validity of the August 2012 vote, the court finds the proposal to amend the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws of St Mary['s] of the Angels Parish in Hollywood to disaffiliate itself from the Anglican Church in America was approved by a 2/3 majority and thus is effective. Based on the stipulation of the parties that the other elements of Plaintiff's cause of action for forcible detainer are deemed proven, the court finds in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendants on the cause of action for forcible detainer.”Both Mr Virtue and "Father" Stephen Smuts covered the initial trial in 2012 with some glee. We'll see if either gives this development any play: at the time, in their comment sections, they both happily provided an ostensibly neutral platform for virulently anti-Kelley rants from Anthony Morello and other unbalanced individuals. I note that Smuts, the de facto public relations voice of the "worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion", has resumed blogging, although the quality of his current effort may be reflected in a recent post, "Priest Builds Ministry One Lego At A Time".Since you covered this matter extensively in 2012, I feel you should cover its resolution on your site now. Fr Kelley and the elected vestry are completing the legal motions necessary to regain physical possession of the property within the next several weeks. So far, I’m not aware of any statement from the ACA on this matter, although it amounts to a major setback for them.. However, Presiding Bishop Marsh’s e-mail is spiritstage@yahoo.com The ACA’s attorneys are Lancaster & Anastasia LLP www.lancaster-anastasia.com/ although when I checked, the site was not available. The number listed for it was (213) 232-1352.
I will be happy to provide any additional information you may need, although while I’m a knowledgeable and interested party, I am not a spokesman for either the parish, its vestry, or Fr Kelley.
By the way, I checked several times today, and Lancaster & Anastasia's web site isn't available.
