We are Anglo-Catholic in our liturgy and our doctrinal beliefs.
This means that we have our roots in the English Reformation of the 16th century.
We are neither Protestant nor Roman Catholic.
We preserve the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church up until the 6th century, as reformation for us was retaining the beauty of the Roman Catholic Church while disposing of its corruptions from the middle-ages. We believe that "the baby should not be thrown-out with the bathwater!"
The leader of our Anglican Province of America is a Presiding bishop in the Atlanta, Georgia area. We have two dioceses: The Diocese of Eastern States (DEUS) and the Diocese of the West (DOW). Holy Angels is part of the DOW.
We have no connection with the Church of England other than our roots from the 16th century.
We are catholic or universal in the sense of being the continuing Church that Jesus Christ founded some 2000 years ago. However, we have no connection with the Roman Catholic Church or the Pope in this day and age.
Our Belief
Holy Angels Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and a member of the Anglican Province of America (APA), which is part of the worldwide traditional Anglican movement.
Our tradition is often called the "Continuing Church." We profess the continuing Christian Faith as revealed to the Apostles, recorded in Holy Scripture, enshrined in the three Creeds and the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the ancient undivided Church, and received through the Church of England.
Our traditional Anglicanism faithfully maintains the Catholic and Apostolic liturgy as expressed in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer and our liturgy for Holy Communion service follows the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Our Church believes in the fullness of the Christian Gospel and we offer the same Seven Sacraments of the historic Catholic Church. We have the Eucharist in all of its fullness, asserting the real presence of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
We are one of several continuing churches in America. Ours’ is the Anglican Province of America (APA). Our Presiding Bishop is Chandler Holder Jones. His holy see is located outside Atlanta, Georgia. There are two dioceses in the APA: the Diocese of the Eastern U.S. (DEUS) and the Diocese of the West (DOW).
The APA was established in 1995, as a break-away from the Episcopal Church. This was part of the schism that resulted from the decision to ordain women. Since that decision conflicts with Sacred Scripture, several Episcopal bishops left the church.
Continuing churches are those Anglican Churches that maintain the dogmatic principles of the “churchmen” of the English Reformation who wished to maintain the good liturgy, and doctrinal truths of the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages. They understood that one should not “throw-out the baby with the bath water”, just because there was corruption in the Roman Church during the Middle Ages. These are the Anglo-Catholics. We are the reformed Catholic Church.
We are liturgical in that we closely follow the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the American Missal in our Holy Communion service and Morning and Evening Prayer services. We regularly use incense and bells during our Holy Communion service. Priests and bishops wear vestments during these services.
While Anglo-Catholic, we are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Neither are we part of the world-wide Anglican communion of the Church of England. We have no connection with the Church of England, except that our roots are in the English Reformation of the 16th century.
We are sacramental. We have all seven sacraments. Our priests and bishops are validly ordained to administer these Sacraments. We do not ordain women and we do not allow sacramental marriage of gays or lesbians. However, we encourage LGBTQ+ to come to our services seeking a new life of holiness in the teachings of Christ.
Our priests are ordained in the unbroken Apostolic line of succession.
Priests and bishops are permitted to marry and be married.
The foundations of our faith are in Sacred Scripture ➙ the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church (including the first seven church councils) ➙ reason. In that order.
We believe that everything necessary for salvation is to be found in Sacred Scripture, as authentically interpreted by ordained ministers.
We believe that the bread and wine truly and really becomes the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist at the consecration during the Mass. How this comes about is a mystery. And we believe in the spiritual presence of Christ united with our souls after receiving Holy Communion as we are, “made one body with him, that he may dwell in us, and we in him” (1928 BCP p.81).
We believe that Holy Communion is not a mere representation, but rather a re-presentation of the one and only sacrifice of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. And that we are made present for that one and only sacrifice in a mysterious way known as anamnesis whereby the past is made present. Jesus is NOT repeatedly killed at our Holy Communion services!
Our services are live-streamed on YouTube Sunday mornings at 10 A.M. Pacific time from our home church in Aloha, Oregon. Internet access may be gained through YouTube ➙ holy angels aloha.
Our current address is: 8950 SW 190th Ave., Aloha, OR 97007. My telephone number is: (503) 356-8852 (home) or (503) 421-3581 (cell). My email address is: frvvarnas@gmail.com.
Our Leaders
Rector: The Rev. Father Vincent J. Varnas (Fr. Vince)
Anglican Province of America (APA) and the Diocese of West (DOW)
APA Presiding Bishop is The Most Rev’d Chandler H. Jones, SSC
DOW Ordinary vacant
APA website is: anglicanprovince.org
Our History
Historically, we started-out as St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Wilsonville, Oregon and as a home church at the residence of the then Rector, The Very Rev. Canon Robert Hawkins (Fr. Bob) in 2004. As the congregation rapidly grew, rental space at a local church was found and then re-located to the Frog Pond Grange Hall on Stafford Road in Wilsonville. St. Michael’s remained there until 2022, when a dwindling congregation forced a decision to relocate to a home-church in Aloha, Oregon. Now we have returned to the Frog Pond Grange Hall in Wilsonville, Oregon, in hopes of re-building the congregation to what is once was many years ago, as St. Michael's Anglican Church.
We joined with St. Michael's in 2022, as one church and are praying for new vitality and growth as we continue to focus on worshiping Our Lord. We are not here to entertain, but to offer praise and thanksgiving to God. However, several of our members have commented that they feel a joy and sense of fulfillment in themselves emanating from our services, that transcends any other church service they have experienced in the past, as they sense God’s presence among us and the peace that brings about knowing that God and his angels are with and among us here at Holy Angels Anglican Church.
We invite you to come and join us in worship and prayer every Sunday at 10:00 A.M., as we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.