Office of the Presiding Bishop

Bishop Abel is the third child of William and Violet Abel, both deceased, of Fort Madison, Iowa. He was raised and educated in the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop Abel is married to Florentino Factor. Bishop Abel began his priestly training while attending the Seminary for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport, Iowa at Saint Ambrose University where he received his Bachelors of Arts Degree in History in 1975. Bishop Abel left the Seminary and began his career in the secular world in the field of Human Resources. Bishop Abel re-entered the Seminary of Saint Francis of Assisi; the Seminary of the Old Roman Catholic Church, English Rite, receiving his (STL) Letters in Sacred Theology degree in January of 1995 just prior to his ordination to Priesthood by Archbishop Floyd A. Kortenhof, Primate, Metropolitan, of the Old Roman Catholic Church, English Rite at Saint Peters Episcopal Church, Chicago, Illinois. Upon ordination, as a newly ordained Priest, Bishop Abel served as the founding Pastor of Saint Mary Magdalene Parish in Lombard, Illinois, at the facilities of Calvary Episcopal Church for five years, a post he held until he relocated to San Diego in 2000.

Upon his arrival to San Diego in June of 2000, Bishop Abel became the founding Pastor of All Saints Parish which used the facilities of Saint Michael’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Carlsbad, California. All Saint's Parish used the original building (the Chapel) of Saint Michael's, a structure dating from the 1800's. In 2003 he received a Mandate from Archbishop Kortenhof to the episcopate. Bishop-elect Abel was consecrated (press here for pictures of the Consecration) on May 24th of 2003 by Archbishop Kortenhof assisted by Archbishop Karl Barwin of the Evangelical Catholic Church and Bishop Robert Collier of the American Catholic Church-Reformed and Missionary Chaplains, at Saint Michael's By-the-Sea. Bishop Abel continued to serve as Pastor of All Saints Parish, Vicar General of the Church, and Auxiliary Bishop of the Vicariate of Saint Mary Magdalene of the Old Roman Catholic Church, English Rite, with offices located in Elmwood Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, under the leadership of Archbishop Floyd A. Kortenhof.