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Mission statements are important, but they don't always offer a full image of an organization because they must encompass a wide range of information in a very short space.
So this is where we enter into a plain and honest conversation about who we are and what it is that we do, in real language for real people. |
Our RootsThe AAOCC grew out of a religious-spiritual movement commonly called the ISM (or Independent Sacramental Movement). This movement's infancy can be traced to a "reform issue" rather than individual communities or groups. The issue was the church's sudden movement towards a single authoritarian leader (the Bishop of Rome) after the Pepin saved the Papacy from destruction in the 9th century. As the Bishop of Rome took power of the Western church, various monarchs and bishops pushed back, demanding what is called "conciliarism". This push against the Papacy to return to the original ruling structure of the church of the first 700 years of its existence received its theological foundation in canonist theories of the 12th and 13th century. Conciliarism is a style of leadership within the Roman Catholic Church that requires leaders throughout the entire church to agree upon a teaching or policy rather than having all power centralized in a single man, the Pope of Rome.
Conciliarism was the original model of the infant Christian Church as seen in the First Ecumenical Council in Jerusalem recorded in Acts chapter 5. All the apostles spoke; they chose lots so the Holy Spirit had a say; then they confirmed the choice through two leading apostles, connecting the decision to scripture and tradition. Six more councils (called Ecumenical Councils) were held by the entire church and its leading Sees . "Sees" are geographic locations ruled by a church leader. The Pope is the Bishop of the See of Rome. However, until the 9th century AD, Rome was a minor see compared to Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, etc. These first seven councils decided important church teaching, like which books went into the bible; whether Jesus was God; whether Jesus was fully human and fully divine; that there was a Trinity; Mary as the Mother of God; etc. The Pope in Rome did not call these councils, nor would the councils obey his demands for copies of their decisions in his native Latin (the council decisions were held in Greek). The fall of the eastern patriarchates to invasions and the rescue of the Bishop of Rome financially and militarily by the King of France (Pepin I) is what consolidated the power of the Roman Catholic Church into one single figurehead (of course, our eastern orthodox brothers and sisters would beg to differ, as do we). The idea that all major decisions of the church should be made by all bishops, who are the heads of their regions or diocese, instead of the Pope alone continued to be a political struggle within the church. The Franciscans and Dominicans preached total submission to the Bishop of Rome and the popularity and massive spread of these orders continued to contribute to popular piety surrounding the Chair of Peter. In the 16th century, the diocese of Utrecht in the Netherlands was either given autonomy from the Roman Catholic Church or divided from them (depending on whose side you are). Known as The Old Catholic Church (because it accepted conciliarism and the teachings of the First Seven Ecumenical Councils from the 1st through the 7th century), the "Union of Utrecht" sought to re-establish Roman Catholicism without what it deemed as "innovations" added after the council of Nicaea in 787 A.D. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Union of Utrecht was joined by the Roman Catholic churches of other nations, such as Poland and Yugoslavia. In 1870, the Roman Pontiff, through the Vatican I council, declared himself infallible even when speaking alone, apart from the other bishops of the church. The foundations for Papal Infallibility are nonexistent in scripture. In addition, no theologian (Church Father) of the first ten centuries interpreted any of the New Testament verses now used to justify the doctrine of infallibility in that way. The scriptural justifications are later innovations and suffer from major problems in interpretive accuracy. |
The Roman Church was in an uproar over this declaration. Droves of priests and some bishops wanted to leave Rome over the teachings of Vatican I (which also took issue with political democratic structures, freedom of religion, and modern democratic rights of citizens--all teachings that were reversed during Vatican II). This Mass Exodus led to many Roman Catholics joining the Union of Utrecht, created in 1889, to gain apostolic authority. Others went to the Eastern Orthodox Churches to seek apostolic authority so they could practice their beloved Catholicism without the error of infallibility.
The churches of the Union of Utrecht have since signed the Bonn Agreement, an intercommunion with the Church of England in which both groups recognize the other. Since the Bonn Agreement (1932), the Church of Utrecht and the other Independent Catholic Churches typically identify with their specific countries of origin (like the National Polish Catholic Church and the churches of Switzerland and Holland). However, these churches typically do not recognize those who left Rome and sought apostolic authority from the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Churches. In America, Utrecht does not recognize churches inspired or broken off from the Vatican I exodus, particularly those churches who received apostolic lines through the Church of England and/or the Eastern Orthodox Churches. For a more detailed academic account of the history of the Old Catholic Church, we recommend: C.B. Moss. The Old Catholic Movement: It's origins and history. (Apocryphile Press: Berkley, 2005). A few online resources: https://pages.ucsd.edu/~bslantchev/courses/ps143a/readings/Boogman%20-%20The%20Union%20of%20Utrecht.pdf https://www.utrechter-union.org/page/152/appendix:_the_declaration_of_utr https://www.lrcatholic.org/pdf/oldcatholic/Visser-TheOldCatholicChurchesoftheUU.pdf https://www.utrechter-union.org/page/148/a_preamble:_the_ecclesiological_ |
The ISM and the AAOCCSince the 1960s, the number of "jurisdictions", which is what ISM folk call individual ISM groups, has waxed and waned significantly. However, in 2023, there are easily 200 completely independent groups in the United States. True numbers are very difficult to maintain because a "jurisdiction" might contain a single bishop and jurisdictions might be spawned and/or disappear in the span of a year.
This brings us to the paradox of the ISM: its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: a lack of an organizing, centralized authority. The lack of such an authority offers us the legal freedom to serve Christ without manmade laws or restrictions. While the ability to be inclusive of the LGBTQIA community, allow birth control, free people from annulment requirements, etc. is vital to rejuvenating the church, the fact that groups with valid bishops can ordain whomever they please with impunity is dangerous. This creates "Ordination Mills" which seek numbers as legitimacy and quantity of clergy over quality of service. Some jurisdictions will have eleven bishops and twelve priests, but no parishes or physical ministries. It is important to understand that any jurisdiction, bishop, or clergy you meet is one among many who have the same freedom to welcome all. Seekers must do proper research on the groups they approach for membership. All good groups will answer your questions, invite you to speak to clergy and members, and point you to resources to assist you. Good groups will also avoid cultish activities such as "love-bombing" or immediate invitations to ordination. The ISM is properly classed a "movement" because it is a type of spiritual renewal, like the Charismatic Movement in the Roman Church or the Jesus Movement in 1960s culture. It does not have an over-arching structure or authority, but is practiced on a localized, populist level. However, there are some in the ISM who do not accept the LGBTQIA+ community, do not ordain women, and do not allow priests to marry. The American Apostolic Old Catholic Church was initiated in winter of 2016 when a group of 12 seminarians and clergy found themselves afloat in this sea. Not seeing a jurisdiction that matched our belief in our place within the Universal Church, we forged our own identity. The seminarians and clergy voted then Auxiliary Bishop Kristina Rake as the Archbishop and Primate of their group and, in 2017, we began our ministry together in earnest. Since that time, we have grown together in leaps and bounds, mostly in the amount of service we offer to the poor. The AAOCC's self-definition is much different from what you will find elsewhere in the Independent Sacramental Movement. We do not view ourselves as a self-contained "church" existing independently of Rome (much like the polity of Evangelical Protestant Churches). Many jurisdictions view themselves this way, like an evangelical-free church in an American town: they are their own denomination. We do not think this way. According to our own Statement of Faith, our defining foundational document, we consider ourselves a "protesting schismatic" group--valid but illicit--only temporarily separated while we fight for the soul and the future of the Roman Catholic Church. Should the Roman Catholic Church ever accept our three unconditional, non-negotiable beliefs, we would shutter up our church and all apply for incardination to Rome, even if it meant we were demoted from the episcopacy to the diaconate. |
These 3 non-negotiables are:
1. The ability to be considered for ordination to the diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopate, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, health, or marital status; 2. Full participation in all the sacraments of the church, including ordination and marriage, of the LGBTQIA+ community; 3. Greater decision-making by the laypeople of the church and systematic oversight of ecclesial structures by lay people; 4. Infallibility only within the context of ecumenical conciliarism, as originally envisioned by Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:12-19). These principles make us unique within the ISM, as we do not believe we are theologically different or independent from Rome and even pray for the Roman Pontiff in our Sunday Masses. We are "juridically independent" from the Pope. This means that any law passed by Rome that is not theologically justified by the beliefs of the church as expressed in the First Seven Ecumenical Councils is not binding on us. Without ecumenical conciliarism, legalities and disciplines are not sealed with the Holy Spirit nor grounded in the pronouncements of the church before Kings became embroiled in the Papacy. We also view ourselves as in union with the Anglican Churches, whose apostolic lines we accept and are partially descended from. To read our Statement of Faith, click here. |
St. Hildegard
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LGBTQIA+ Ministry in Kenya the Rainbow Siblings'
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Ministries to the Poor and disenfranchisedIn addition to our parish and educational ministries, the AAOCC funds an orphanage and a young mother's occupational training ministry in Kenya & trans-youth and homeless ministries in the U.S. through our Franciscan and Benedictine Communities.
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