Our Communion
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” -John 17:20-23
We are a small but intimate and intradependent ecumenical, free, catholic, communion of autocephalous jurisdictions in the tradition of the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht. Our bishops are validly consecrated within the historic Apostolic Succession of Catholic tradition and through that we ordain priests and deacons to serve God’s people in God’s one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We are a varied communion with each jurisdiction, diocese, or religious order answering a local call to ministry and worship, deciding on who is ordained, how they worship, and what canons if any, they follow; keeping the decision making local as did the early church. Because of that, our communion offers a great variety of diversity from one associate jurisdictional member to another. Our commonality is found not in some blind observance to national canons but rather in the acceptance of the 7 historical Sacraments and particularly within the Holy Eucharist itself, in the sharing of the Body and Blood of Christ. This is where we become a redeemed and united people, “because there is one Bread, we who are many are one Body, for we all partake of the one Bread.”
If you and or your worship group feel led to inquire about joining our communion please contact one of the Convening Bishops and feel free to ask any questions you might have. We would be delighted to contemplate sharing our communion with you. Affiliation draws us closer to one another as worshiping bodies, but offers the autonomy indigenous to most Independent or Old Catholic bodies. Affiliation is offered in three distinct and different ways, a concordat of intercommunion, an associate jurisdictional membership, or a simple ministerial alliance:
- Associate Jurisdiction - An associate membership offers a more formal affiliation whereby the inquiring jurisdiction becomes an actual member of Christ’s Catholic Church while still maintaining their local autonomy but joining together in a larger communion for fellowship, shared ministry, ecclesiastical endorsement, structural support, and shared governance. Christ’s Catholic Church and the affiliating member sign off on The Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion and The Code of Canons.
- Concorat of Intercommunion - A concordat of intercommunion is a process whereby bishops accept one another’s ministries as valid and similar enough to share clergy and offer one another the Sacraments. Christ’s Catholic Church and the affiliating member sign off on the Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion.
- Ministerial Alliance - Embracing our ecumenical nature we also offer a less formal avenue of affiliation in simply allying ministries for mutual support, fellowship, and edification where no papers are signed, no agreements reached but rather affiliation through a natural acceptance of recognition, fellowship and support.
If you and or yours feel called, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ page. Also be sure to familiarize yourself with our two foundational documents: The Code of Canons and The Declaration of Common Faith, Purpose, and Intercommunion. If you still feel called to make application to join Christ’s Catholic Church you may do so by downloading the application packet and following the enclosed instructions. Thank you again for your interest in Christ’s Catholic Church!
Associate Member Jurisdictions & Dioceses
Diocese of the Epiphany
The Rt. Rev. David Cronan – Chicago, Illinois
Diocese of the Road to Emmaus
The Rt. Rev. Mary Ann Croisant – Asheville, North Carolina
Diocese of Saint Brendan the Navigator
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Eugene Kyle, OSH – Cambridge, Ohio
Diocese of the Shepherd’s Heart
The Rt. Rev. Brian Ernest Brown, OSH – Hollister, Missouri
The Episcopal Ministries of Saint John the Evangelist
The Rt. Rev. Dave Pflueger – Tacoma, Washington
Missionary Diocese of Christ’s Church Fellowship
The Rt. Rev. David Holdridge – Roswell, New Mexico
Associate Member Religious Orders & Societies
Order of the Friends of Jeshua
The Rt. Rev. Lee Allen Petersen, OFJ – Weatherford, TX
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Linda Marie Nelson, OFJ – Nashville, TN
Order of the Shepherd’s Heart
The Rt. Rev. Brian Ernest Brown, OSH – Hollister, Missouri
Society of the Servants of the Prince of Peace
The Rev. Deacon Bruce Davison, OSH SSPP – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Associate Member Schools & Seminaries
Whithorn School of Theology
The Rt. Rev. Brian E. Brown, OSH – Hollister, Missouri
Ministerial Alliances
Progressive Christian Alliance
Rev. Melissa McClellan – Leadership Council
Rev. Roger McClellan – Leadership Council
Rev. Terry McGuire – Leadership Council
Rev. Jarrod Cochran – Leadership Council
