Old Catholic Church of America

Old Catholic Church of America

Old Catholic Church of America
Founder Bishop Paul Francis Cope
Date Founded 1925
Recognition Recognizes the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church as valid.

Recognizes the sacraments of the Eastern and Oriental churches as valid.

Primate Archbishop Charles Walders
Headquarters Westfield, Wisconsin
Territorial Jurisdiction Parishes in the United States (3)
Clergy 2 bishops, 3 priests/deacons
Liturgical Language English, Latin
Adherents Less than 10,000 worldwide
Website http://www.oldcatholic.org/index.htm

The Old Catholic Church of America is an autocephalous Old Catholic church founded in the United States in 1925 by Bishop Paul Francis Cope. It was founded and incorporated in 1941 by Francis Xavier Resch. Previously called the Archdiocese of the Old Catholic Church in America the name was subsequently changed to the Old Catholic Church in America.[1] The Old Catholic Church of America retains pre-Vatican II liturgical and doctrinal traditions. It is not a member of, or in full communion with, the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches.

History

Resch separated from the North American Old Roman Catholic Church, after being made a bishop of that church by its leader Carmel Henry Carfora. He started his own church, the Diocese of Kankakee, which was centered on the site of his parish in Kankakee, Illinois. The new church quickly grew to establish other parishes in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. These parishes, largely consisting of first generation immigrants from Eastern Europe, became inactive as the children of the congregants adjusted to life in America.[2]

In 1963, Resch made Walter X. Brown a bishop. Brown would later succeed Resch as the archbishop of the church. He was responsible for moving the church's headquarters to Milwaukee, where it now has a seminary and maintains a number of charitable organizations. It also maintains a monastery in the Franciscan tradition in Chicago, and two monastic communities in Milwaukee, one following the Eastern tradition and one following the Western tradition.[2]

The Archdiocese accepts the traditions of Christianity as transmitted by the seven ecumenical councils through the Second Council of Nicaea and the Church Fathers. It practices the seven sacraments, and their official statement of faith, the Statement of Faith of the Old Catholic Church in America, closely resembles the Nicene Creed. The church has also taken a stand on nuclear disarmament, stating that all Christians must be committed to nuclear disarmament, whether multilateral or unilateral.[2] The church opposes abortion and euthanasia, and has stated that the civil laws regarding these matters may not be as effective as they appear to be.[2]

The current church

In 1984, the church reported total membership of 2300 in 14 congregations with 26 clergy. It has churches in Dallas and Brownsville, Texas; Erie, Pennsylvania; Chicago; Racine, Madison, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Brooklyn, New York; and Ottawa. It has affiliated branches operating in Germany, Belgium, and England.[2]

The Church at one point provided care to those with substance abuse issues.[3]

Archbishops

  • Paul Francis Cope 1925 – 1953
  • Francis Xavier Resch 1953-1963
  • Walter Xavier Brown 1963-1997
  • James Edward Bostwick 1997-2009
  • Sherman Randall Mosley 2009-2010
  • Henry Pleau 2010 - 2014
  • Charles Walders 2014 - present

References

  1. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Hm8aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FyoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7190%2C2445306
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Melton, J. Gordon (1987). The Encyclopedia of American Religions (2nd ed.). Detroit: Gale Research Company. ISBN 0-8103-2133-5.
  3. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D3YfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hCgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5038%2C1551447
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