About 30 people are gathered in a makeshift sanctuary at St. Anthony of Padua Church.
The service follows the familiar pattern of a Catholic Mass, but
something is different: The worshippers are dressed casually and the
priest speaks directly and informally to them.
Even the words of the
liturgy seem slightly off.
This isn't a typical Roman Catholic
Mass.
The church is barely a year old, and it's part of a new
independent Catholic movement, the American National Catholic Church, and bills itself as for "Contemporary Catholics."
Founded
in 2009 by a bishop and a group of priests seeking a more inclusive
religious experience but not ready to leave the Catholic tradition
completely, the ANCC aims to follow the spirit of reform established by
the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
While
the sacraments and many fundamental beliefs remain identical to those
of Roman Catholicism, the ANCC presents a more progressive version of
Catholicism: divorced members can take Communion, women and gays can be
ordained, and priests can marry.
The movement follows a
"congregational model" of governance, which means that parishes make
decisions largely independent of the national group.
Beginning a religious movement from scratch requires much more than a set of guiding beliefs.
"It's a big undertaking," said the Rev. Matthew Bailey,
who helped launch the breakaway group.
"A number of us had explored
different options, so we sat down and talked about what was really good,
what didn't work, and tried to craft something that addressed it."
'Accepting of others'
According
to Bailey, such movements falter because their standards are too low.
In response, the ANCC founded a seminary that provides distance-learning
courses to candidates, who spend two years in preparation and submit to
background checks.
So far, the ANCC consists of seven parishes
around the U.S., including one in Fargo, N.D.
Few of the priests receive
payment for their work; funding is plowed back into the parish.
And at
this point, lacking a brick-and-mortar home, church leaders are spread
out.
Stuart and Elke Andrews,
both psychologists, found St. Anthony of Padua online and have been
attending for six months.
"I was raised a Catholic and was looking for
that, but something that had an openness and was accepting of others,"
Elke Andrews explained.
The church is led by the Rev. Jason Lody,
one of ANCC's founding priests. A former Franciscan, Lody peppers his
sermons with an emphasis on faith in action and says he's wants to
maintain the egalitarian spirit of Vatican II.
"I
want to create a perception of stability," he said. "The people coming
to us have the option of not going anywhere. We want them to see they
can have a full expression of their faith here. We can be that bridge."