We are a mission of the American Independent Catholic Church, who like the Eastern Orthodox Churches, is a sacramental church that is not directly under the Roman Catholic Church's administration and ecclesiastical control, but is part of the larger catholic (universal and full) mystical body of Christ by faith. We are catholic in our faith,
orthodox in our theology, orthopraxis in our way of life, liturgical in our worship,
self ruled (autocephalous) in our ecclesiastical polity,
and american indicating our mission location, rejecting any form of phyletism (nationalism).
We are believers in the ancient One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, so our bishops have valid line of Apostolic Succession and therefore a valid priesthood with valid sacraments.
We are committed to the Person of Jesus Christ, his teachings and the unity of the faith. Our mission is to be a community sharing the love of Christ by living life patterned after the Good Samaritan:
Luke 10:25-37.
Most people are familiar with the Second Vatican Council in 1962 that, among other things,
did away with Latin in the Mass. Catholics that still say the Mass in Latin are pre-Vatican II Catholics.
Fewer people are aware of the First Vatican Council in 1870 which adopted the doctrine of Papal Infallibility and Primacy of the pope, which was not believed by the early church fathers. Though honor should be give to the Roman Catholic Church as one of the original churches of apostolic times, there are other Churches, like the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Oriental Churches, that have a similar apostolic history. These churches do not hold to the same interpretation of Matthew 16:18 that the Roman Church does in its support of the Primacy of the pope over all other bishops.
The Catholic Churches that did not accept Papal Infallibility are pre-Vatican I churches. These pre-Vatican I churches called themselves "Old Catholics" because they felt that they were the repository for traditional catholic beliefs. In the United States they are also referred to as Independent Catholic Churches.
The Old Catholic Church was brought together by the Union of Utrecht in 1889 and the Bishop of Utrecht still serves as the President of the Old Catholic Congress which was established at that time. The union produced a document called
Declaration Of Utrecht which explained the issues that caused the separation from Rome.
The Old Catholic church in the United States traces it's Apostolic Succession through
the Old Catholic Church in Utrecht, Holland (which is in communion with the Church of
England as a result of the Bonn Agreement of 1931). Some of these churches have Apostolic Succession through Eastern Orthodox lines as well, as is the case of our church. Old Catholics are an historic part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
with a valid line of Apostolic Succession, a valid priesthood and valid sacraments.
For more history on the Independent Sacramental Movement follow this link: Why Independent Catholic?.
Our statement of belief is presented here as a starting point for spiritual dialog, keeping in mind that Christianity is not a system of belief as much as it is a mystery of faith. Through this faith Christianity is to be lived and experienced, knowing that the greatest of all mysteries, God, has revealed himself to us through his Son in the mystery we call the Incarnation. Because of the Incarnation, we are able to live the faith through the power of the Holy Spirit that is given to us when we join this family of love: The One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church!
