Chapter XIV
The Anglican Catholic Church In Australia
In the 1980’s, Anglicans in Australia were moving toward creating a Continuing Church. In 1987, an alliance of the Anglican Church of Australia's “liberal bishops and the most aggressive elements of the feminist movement seemed determined to achieve the ordination of women.” [1] That same year, the Primate of the Anglican Catholic Church, Archbishop Louis W. Falk “went to Australia” [2] to speak with traditionalists within the Anglican Church of Australia (ACA).
He was informed by these Anglo-Catholics that they were ready to establish a new church but were in need of consecrators. Falk’s advice was to not repeat the fractious American model, but “go to Canada where things were calmer” [3] and disunity had never been an issue.
At its beginning, Australian Continuers were an “association of clergy and lay Anglicans”[4] under the protective jurisdiction of the Rt. Rev'd. Alfred Woolcock (1910-2003), Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada, but that changed on June 9th, 1988, when the Diocese of Australia was formed.
Archbishop Falk’s advice was taken and Fr. Albert Naunton Haley went to Ottawa where, on October 8th, 1988, he was consecrated by Bishop’s Robert Mercer, Alfred Woolcock, William Lewis, and Archbishop Louis Falk. On November 4th 1988, he was enthroned as Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia (ACCA).
With the creation of an Australian Continuing Church, Anglican Catholic identity was beginning to take on a new character. The possibility of an international traditional Anglican Communion was being seriously considered.
[1] David Chislett, The Anglican Catholic Church in Australia http://www.northernbishop.com/anglicancatholics.htm, 2009 [2] Falk [3] ibid [4] Chislett
This article was taken from the Doctoral thesis Recognizing Anglican Catholic Identity: An Historical Review of the Anglican Catholic Movement, the Affirmation of St. Louis and the Traditional Anglican Communion, which has been added to the database for scholarly works by Acadia University. For anyone interested in the complete thesis, it can be found at:
© Dr. Charles Warner 2010
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