North American Old Catholic Church

From CatholicWikipedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Bishop Thomas H. Hooker Jr celebrates the Eucharist at St. Mychal Judge
Eucharist: at the "second censing" – Archbishop Wynn Wagner, Regionary Bishop of the Southern Province USA, is the celebrant

The North American Old Catholic Church is the national Latin Rite church in the United States.

Contents

[edit] Background

The North American Old Catholic Church (NAOCC) was founded in January of 2007 at a meeting in Louisville, KY. Currently, the church focus remains on vocations and training men and women to be Old Catholic Priests, and on planting churches/ parish ministries.

As of September 2009, the church operates parishes in New Port Richey, FL, Amherst, NH, Providence, RI, New York, NY, Bear, DE, Memphis and Athens, TN, Baltimore, MD (3), Dallas, TX, Ontario, CA, Wakefield, VA, and Washington, DC.[1]

[edit] Liturgical life and expression

The North American Old Catholic Church recognizes the Old Catholic Mass as its official liturgy, however it allows local parishes to use traditional Western liturgies, that are regularized in other churches, such as the Tridentine Mass the Anglican Books of Common Prayer, and the Novus Ordo from the Roman Catholic tradition.

[edit] Theological beliefs

Theologically, the church stresses the inclusive character of the Gospel, and welcomes the disabled, gays and lesbians, and persons of all classes and political affiliations as adherents. Those who are married, women, and gays and lesbians are admitted to holy orders at all levels.

[edit] Organization

Leadership of the church is vested in the Congregation of Bishops, which consists of diocesan bishops, retired bishops, the rector of St Wolbodo Seminary and the superiors of religious Orders.

The chief executive of the church is the Presiding Bishop, Archbishop Michael V. Seneco, who was elected to the post in January of 2007 in Louisville, KY. The Very Rev. Hal Barkley is his Vicar General, and the Rt. Rev. Wynn Wagner III is the Coadjutor.

[edit] Relation to the Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church offers variety in its response to the Old Catholic Church.

The NAOCC has no objection to the Roman rite or to the bishop of Rome. The Pope is held to be one of the great patriarchs of Christianity, who is to be respected but not submitted to, and decisions made by Rome without consultation with the church catholic are not accepted. The most recent ecumenical council was at Nicaea in the year 787.

The NAOCC encourages Roman Catholics to consult their Canon Law, chapter 844 §1 - §4 with regards to the validity of Old Catholic sacraments for Roman Catholics. The NAOCC believes that these canons permit Roman Catholics to receive sacraments from NAOCC clergy, whenever genuine necessity or spiritual advantage demands, in the same way valid sacraments can be received from other non-Roman ministers.[2] [3]

The official teachings in custom essay of the Roman Catholic Church and the validity of Old Catholic clergy and sacraments were addressed by the late Pope John Paul II issued the document "Dominus Iesus", which was also signed by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, (now pope Benedict XVI) on 6 August 2000, which states:

"Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsets in the [Roman] Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in Communion with him. The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the [Roman] Catholic Church remain united to her by means of closest bonds, that is, by Apostolic Succession and a valid Eucharist, are true in particular Churches. Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the [Roman] Catholic Church, since they do not accept the [Roman] Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church."

[edit] References

  1. ↑ http://www.naoldcatholic.com/parishes.html
  2. ↑ http://www.geocities.com/theocacna/RC_Canon844.htm
  3. ↑ http://sspx.agenda.tripod.com/id60.html

[edit] Elsewhere in the Catholic Wiki

Category:North American Old Catholic Church

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://www.oldcatholicchurch.com/North_American_Old_Catholic_Church"
Personal tools