SANTA MONICA : St. Augustine by-the-Sea Rector Moving to Baton Rouge

The Rev. Fred Fenton, a prominent clergyman known for addressing such issues as AIDS and homelessness, has held his last Mass at St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. He leaves at the end of the month for a church in Baton Rouge, La.

Fenton, rector at St. Augustine for 23 years, will be rector at St. James Episcopal Church,

“It’s such an exciting thing to get a fresh start at 59,” he said. “(Louisiana) is a glorious area of the country. The people are warm and wonderful, and the food is the best in the world.”

The Santa Monica church, with 600 parishioners, has not named a new rector.

Fenton was well-known for his community service and for taking on sensitive issues.

In 1985, he held one of the first Masses in the country devoted to AIDS patients and those who have died of the disease. He also helped establish the Turning Point Shelter, a transitional shelter for the homeless in Santa Monica.

As founder of the Westside Interfaith Council, an organization of more than 50 Westside synagogues, churches and temples, Fenton had emphasized the importance of communication and tolerance among the faiths.

In a recent Holocaust remembrance service held by Fenton in Santa Monica, worshipers dismantled a symbolic death camp fence.

“He represented the ideal clergy-person to many people,” said Janet Bregar, executive director of the Interfaith Council. “He was involved with interfaith groups that asked for his support, and tried to teach compassion and justice.”

At Fenton’s final service Sunday, attended by public officials including Santa Monica Mayor Judy Abdo, he received the Fred Fenton Award, created by the Interfaith Council board in honor of his service to the community. The award will be presented yearly to clergy committed to social justice and fostering relationships across religious lines.

At St. Augustine’s, church officials said Fenton’s departure will be strongly felt. “We’ll miss him a great deal. He has done marvelous things here in the parish. But we’re glad for him to begin a new ministry,” said Barbara Stewart, assistant to the rector at St. Augustine’s, which was founded more than 100 years ago.