Louis Wahl Falk III (December 30, 1935 – January 23, 2025) was an Anglican bishop who served as the president of the House of Bishops of the

Anglican Church in America The Anglican Church in America (ACA) is a Continuing Anglican church body and the United States branch of the Traditional Anglican Church (TAC). The ACA, which is separate from the The Episcopal Church, Episcopal Church (TEC), is not a member of ...

. Until 2002 he was the primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, an international body of

continuing Anglican The Continuing Anglican movement, also known as the Anglican Continuum, encompasses a number of Christian churches, principally based in North America, that have an Anglican identity and tradition but are not part of the Anglican Communion. The ...

churches. Falk was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. In 1953 he graduated from the

University School of Milwaukee The University School of Milwaukee (often abbreviated to USM) is an independent pre-kindergarten through secondary preparatory school in River Hills and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded as the result of the merger of three schools, Milwa ...

. On September 3, 1955, he married Carol Alice Froemming. In 1958, Falk graduated from

Lawrence College Lawrence College may refer to: * Lawrence College Ghora Gali, a boarding school in Punjab, Pakistan * Lawrence University, a private liberal arts college in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, named "Lawrence College" from 1913 until 1964 * Sarah L ...

(now Lawrence University) with a major in philosophy and a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree awarded ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

''. He was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. In 1962, Falk graduated with a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree awarded ''cum laude'' from

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries ...

, a seminary of the Episcopal Church. On January 23, 1962, he was ordained a deacon, and on August 6, 1962, he was ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. He went on to become a businessman and from 1976 to 1981 he was president of the General Growth Management Company in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

. In the late 1970s, Falk joined the

Anglican Catholic Church The Anglican Catholic Church (ACC), also known as the Anglican Catholic Church (Original Province), is a body of Christians in the continuing Anglican movement, which is separate from the Anglican Communion. This denomination is separate from ...

. He became rector of Saint Aidan's Parish in Des Moines. In 1981 he was elected first bishop of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley. On February 14, 1981, in Des Moines, he was consecrated a bishop by

James Orin Mote James Orin Mote (January 27, 1922 – April 29, 2006) was a founding member of the Continuing Anglican movement. An alumnus of Canterbury College (Danville, Indiana) and Nashotah House Theological Seminary, he was Rector of St. Mary's Church in Den ...

(Diocese of the Holy Trinity), Carmino de Cantanzaro (

Anglican Catholic Church of Canada The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada (ACCC) () is a Continuing Anglican church that was founded in 1979 by traditional Anglicans who had separated from the Anglican Church of Canada. The ACCC has fifteen parishes and missions; with two bishops a ...

), William F. Burns (Diocese of the Resurrection), William O. Lewis (Diocese of the Midwest), and William Dejarnette Rutherford (Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic). In 1983, Falk was elected archbishop and primate of the

. In the late 1980s, under Falk's leadership, the Anglican Catholic Church entered into discussions with the American Episcopal Church to effect a union between the two bodies. A portion of the Anglican Catholic Church and the American Episcopal Church united in October 1991 to form the

of which Falk became the first primate. Falk helped convene and create the Traditional Anglican Communion, of which he also became the first primate. In 2002 Falk resigned as primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion and was succeeded by Archbishop

John Hepworth John Anthony Hepworth (23 March 1944 – 1 December 2021) was an Australian bishop. He was the ordinary of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia and the archbishop and primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, an international body o ...

. In 2005, Falk retired as primate of the Anglican Church in America and as bishop ordinary of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley. The church re-structured itself and decided not to have a primate, but instead a president of the House of Bishops. Falk was elected the first president of the House of Bishops. He was succeeded as bishop of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley by Bishop Stephen D. Strawn.

References

1935 births Religious leaders from Milwaukee Lawrence University alumni American Continuing Anglican bishops Anglo-Catholic bishops 20th-century Anglican archbishops Primates of the Traditional Anglican Communion American Anglo-Catholics 21st-century Anglican archbishops 20th-century American clergy 21st-century American bishops {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub