History of the Church of St. Alban

The parish was initially founded in 1917 as the Church of Saint Alban and the Angels, and was the first parish of the Liberal Catholic Church (LCC) formed on the West Coast. During his first missionary journey to the United States, undertaken in order to ordain priests for the LCC and confirm new members, Presiding Bishop James I. Wedgwood ordained Charles Hampton to the priesthood on August 19th, 1917. The service was conducted in the temple of the Krotona colony in Hollywood, the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in the United States. Fr. Hampton was thus the first Rector of the parish. Bishop Wedgwood originally accepted or confirmed 102 members for the parish in 1917, and by 1919 there were over 200 members.

Due to early discomfort on the part of some Theosophists with the perceived too-close association of the LCC with the Theosophical Society, the parish was evicted from the Krotona Temple in November of 1919, holding services in a private residence.

Despite this discomfort, the parish continued to flourish and was quickly designated to be the headquarters of the national church, and the cornerstone of the St. Alban’s Pro-Cathedral, located on Argyle Ave., was laid on December 4th, 1921. The service of consecration was held on May 7th, 1922, before a crowd of over 400, with Bishop Irving S. Cooper presiding. Bishop Cooper was the First Regionary Bishop of the United States, and was resident at Krotona and the St. Alban’s Cathedral during these years. The Cathedral, the first building in the world constructed specifically for the LCC, contained a sanctuary that seated 425, as well as the headquarters complex of offices, a library, and classrooms. There was also an outdoor theater on the property.

Fr. Hampton would become the first bishop consecrated on American soil, on September 13, 1931, the service being held in the St. Alban’s Pro-Cathedral. The consecrators were Bishops Cooper, George Arundale, and Ray Wardell.

Fr. Edmund W. Sheehan of Chicago was also consecrated as a Bishop at St. Alban’s on June 23, 1935.

Pictured above is the consecration of Rt. Rev. Edmund Sheehan in 1935, at the St. Albans Cathedral on Argyle Ave. The top section shows the vested choir in procession. The bottom is the clergy in procession.

Up until the mid-1940s, the St. Alban’s Cathedral was a jewel of the worldwide Liberal Catholic Church. However, at that time a conflict occurred within the Liberal Catholic Church, resulting in the Cathedral parish and property being taken into another religious body. In 1947 a small group of Liberal Catholics decided to form a “new” mission of St. Alban – one which was aligned with the worldwide Liberal Catholic Church. Services were conducted in private homes whenever possible, under the leadership of Fr. John Roine and Fr. Arnold Richardson. With the signatures of 25 original members, the Mission of St. Alban was officially recognized in 1949. In 1951 the Mission was officially granted the status of a Parish.

Starting with little in terms of material abundance, these early years of rebuilding St. Alban’s Parish were filled with much hard work, gathering together the bare necessities for conducting services in the homes of various members and other locations. Most notable of these was the period between 1953 and 1956, when the parish held services in the Chapel at the Hollywood Hotel, which had been a landmark of “old Hollywood,” having, for instance, hosted the wedding of the silent film star, Rudolph Valentino.

In 1957 the Parish was able to attain another rental space on Melrose Avenue, but it was not until 1964 that they could afford a full set of vestments. From that time forward the Parish has held its services in a few locations, most notably on Strohm Ave. in North Hollywood (1973-2003) and the historic Besant Lodge of the Theosophical Society (2003-2015).

Altar of St. Alban’s – early 1980s

Altar of St. Alban’s – Midnight Mass, 2014.

 

Most recently, Fr. Douglas Bess was ordained into the priesthood by the Regionary Bishop of the USA, William Downey, on December 7^th, 2013, at the Provincial Cathedral in Ojai, California.

In 2017 the combination of a lack of an adequate meeting space and Fr. Bess needing to take a hiatus from parish work led the Church of St. Alban to decide to close its doors. The Church’s property and funds were placed in an account administered by the headquarters of the Liberal Catholic Church, Province of the United States.

It is Fr. Bess’ intention and prayer that either the Church of St. Alban will be re-opened in the near future, or a new Liberal Catholic presence in the City of Angels may be established (see the Los Angeles Center page for more information).

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Clergy * note the following lists are under construction, and based on partial information.

Rectors

1951 – 1961 – Ralph Andrews

1962 – 1971 – Earle J. Brenmer

1971 – 1983 – Alfred Strauss

1984 – 1992 – Edward Correll

1992 – 2002 – Willem Wils

2002 – 2015 – Edward Correll

2015 (May) – Present – Douglas Bess

Priests

John Roine (1947 – early 1970s)

Arnold Richardson (1947 – late 1970s)

Ralph Andrews (1950 – 1961)

Earle Brenmer (1953 – 1971)

Alfred Straus (1955 – late 1980s)

Carle Christensen (1960s)

Fred Werth (1960s)

Rolando Garbalosa (1960s)

Willem Wils (1960s 1990s)

Edgar Wylie (late 1960s – 1990s)

Henry Donath (1970 – 1982)

James Tracy (1980 – ?)

Edward Correll (1983 – 2015)

Douglas Bess (2013 – present)