Saint Andrew
the Apostle
Catholic Apostolic Church
How everything started
During the 2020 pandemic, our pastor Fr. Craig was able to collect all sort of information about the birth and first steps of our Parish.
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The full version of the story is available for download
On a snowy Christmas Day 2002, the first Mass of St. Andrew the Apostle, a new mission church of Holy Trinity Diocese of the Catholic Apostolic Church in North America (CACINA), took place at Café Torino in Warrenton, Virginia, where Bishop Tony Santore had long expressed a hope for establishing a parish. In attendance were Bishop Tony Santore, Kathy and Jason Santore, Andrea and Amber Ferrero, Aggie and Rich Kall, Bobby and Janice Barr and their children. Subsequent liturgies were held at the Kall’s home in Lake of the Woods.
On February 15, 2004, our mission church officially became a parish, and we began celebrating Sunday Mass in the conference room of the Comfort Inn hotel in Warrenton with Bishop Ray Kelly, Bishop Tony Santore, Father Michael Meyer and Father Juan Odenwood rotating as clergy.
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On July 25, 2004, St. Andrew’s moved to the music room at Highland School in Warrenton. During this time at Highland School, Father Michael Meyer, Father Peter Smith and Father Ronald “Ron” Stephens served as pastors.
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In 2009, the parish council began exploring alternative locations to Highland School, which would soon be undergoing a major renovation.
In early 2010, Grace Episcopal Church in Casanova (Midland), welcomed St. Andrew’s to share their space and, on September 19, 2010, our new space was dedicated to CACINA’s use by Bishop Anthony Santore with a Solemn Mass of Blessing. We formed an almost immediate collaboration with Grace Episcopal Church, and our two congregations have subsequently conducted numerous liturgical services together, as well as raised tens of thousands of dollars for “Rise Against Hunger” and other worthy causes.
In 2013, the Most Reverend Ronald Stephens was elected as bishop and Gil Brooker was ordained as our deacon.
In 2018, Father David Monroe became our associate pastor and, in 2019, Father Craig Wilt was elected by our parishioners as the new pastor. Incidentally, Father Craig and his wife, Sue, were the first couple to be married at St. Andrew’s in 2004.
In early 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our in-person liturgies at Grace Episcopal were suspended, and Sunday Mass was livestreamed from Bishop Ron’s home chapel, St. Joseph the Worker, in Warrenton.
In late 2021, adhering to CDC safety protocols, we resumed in-person Sunday Mass as well as other liturgical services and fellowship activities at the Grace Episcopal Parish Hall.
In 2022, twenty years after its humble beginning at Café Torino, our parish continues to grow and be blessed by God. St. Andrew’s parish continues to be engaged in numerous spiritual growth activities; in addition, we continue to be actively involved with other parishes and organizations in various social justice and other community outreach activities, and we continue to explore new ways to serve and evangelize.
May God continue to bless our endeavors!