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."