A Short Detailed History
Spirit of Hope Independent
Catholic Community
Short History of the Old Catholic Church

Introduction: The Catholic Family

Today the Catholic (universal) Church is made up of sister congregations:
- Roman Catholic
- Old Catholic
- Eastern Uniate and Eastern Orthodox
- “Oriental” Churches, such as Coptic, Syrian and “Nestorian” Churches.

Relating to each other in love, these sister Churches hold that by baptism, we are
each made members of the one Body of Christ. In addition, we are nourished by
the Body and Blood of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine
consecrated in the Liturgy. Moreover, according to the faith handed down to us
from the apostles (Apostolic Tradition) there are other sacraments for special
occasions in our life’s journey, such as Marriage, Ordination, Confirmation,
Penance, and Healing of the Sick. The sister Churches interpret God’s plan of
salvation essentially the same. But like all sisters in a family, there are differences,
most of them administrative and disciplinary, but some theological. Certain
differences are expected and accepted. Nevertheless, the universal Churches
remain united by means of the closest bonds: Baptism, Eucharist, and apostolic
succession.

Who are the Old Catholics?

The Old Catholics are a body of Christians committed to the Person of Jesus Christ
and His teaching. We accept and believe the testimony of the apostles,
eyewitnesses of His life, death, and resurrection from the dead. The apostles
passed on to succeeding generations their own testimony about Jesus Christ and
His life. By proclaiming the Gospel and giving their own testimony (called the
Apostolic Tradition), the Church developed worldwide. Historically, Old Catholics
are part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and have their origins in
the Catholic Church of the Netherlands.

The Great Schism

While the division of Christendom into two great categories, Protestant and
Catholic, is familiar to all, fewer people are aware of the jurisdiction
(administrative) and disciplinary divisions within the universal Churches. Since the
earliest times of Christianity, the local bishop determined local liturgical practices.
Periodically local synods (convocation of bishops) were called by local bishops to
determine larger issues of beliefs and disciplines. When Christianity was tolerated
as a religion in the Roman Empire in 313, “General Councils” of bishops from all
areas of the Roman Empire were called by the leading political leader, the emperor
Constantine and his successors, to decide uniformity of dogma based on the Greek
language. At these General Councils, all five Patriarchs (Jerusalem, Antioch,
Alexandria, Rome and Constantinople - Constantinople being a political, not an
apostolic based See) were equal in jurisdiction. With the collapse of the Roman
Empire and the rise of the Papacy in Rome, the Patriarch of Rome ascertained
himself to have jurisdiction over all Christianity. Because of this, around 1054 both
the Eastern Churches (known as the Orthodox Churches) and the Western Church
(known as the Roman Catholic Church) mutually declared each other in schism and
mutually excommunicated each other.


The Beginnings of the Old Catholic Movement

St. Willibrord evangelized the area of Europe known as the Netherlands in the
seventh century. Utrecht eventually became the archiepiscopal See. Assenting to
a petition made by the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III and Bishop Heribert of
Utrecht in 1145, Blessed Pope Eugene III granted the Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht
the right to elect successors to the See in times of vacancy. The Fourth Lateran
Council confirmed this privilege in 1215. The autonomous character of the Church
in the Netherlands was further reaffirmed by a second grant in 1520 by Pope Leo
X, Debitum Pastoralis. This meant that, unlike anywhere else in the Roman Catholic
Church, the archbishop of Utrecht could consecrate bishops without permission or
approval from the Pope, just as the Orthodox and Oriental Churches have always
done.

Modern Times

Following the First Vatican Council in 1870 (to which the bishops of the
Netherlands Church were refused admittance), considerable dissent arose among
the Catholic bishops, especially in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, over the
proposed dogma of papal infallibility. The dissenters held the Church in General
Council to be infallible (as the earliest Church believed), not the Pope acting alone
in matters of faith and morals. Many of the dissenting bishops formed independent
communities that came to be known as Old Catholic because they sought to
adhere to the beliefs and practices of the Catholic (universal) Church of the
apostolic era existing prior to 1054 (see Declaration of Utrecht). The Old Catholic
communities collaborated with the Archbishop of Utrecht, who consecrated the
first bishops for these communities. Under the leadership of the Church of Holland,
these Old Catholic communities joined together to form the Utrecht Union of
Churches. The Old Catholic Church expanded rapidly in Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, and Holland. Old Catholic communities were also established in Poland,
France, and throughout the world. In 1990 there were about 500,000 Old Catholics
in the United States and about 15 million world-wide.


In the United States

The establishment of Old Catholic Churches in the United States occurred very
soon after the Utrecht Union of Churches. The Belgium Old Catholics were led by
Bishop Joseph Rene Vilatte in Wisconsin; the Czech Old Catholics were lead by
Bishop Jan Francis Tichy in Cleveland, Ohio; and the Polish Old Catholics were led
by Bishop Anton Kozlowski in Chicago, Illinois. All these national Old Catholic
Churches were thriving before 1915. In 1917 an additional Old Catholic bishop,
Prince Rudolph Edward de Landes-Berghes, was appointed by the Utrecht Union of
Churches for the English speaking people of the United States. Bishop de Landes-
Berghes’  consecrated several other Bishops to carry on the mission and
encouraged the various ethnic groups to accept diversity in their own Churches.

With the passing of these original organizers from the ecclesiastical scene, the Old
Catholic Church in the United States has evolved from a fairly centralized
administration with structured oversight of ministry to a local and regional model of
administration with self-governing dioceses and provinces. This local model more
closely follows the ancient tradition of the early Christian Churches as a
communion of communities each laboring together to proclaim the message of the
Gospel.  The sister churches of today in North America have diverse liturgical and
ministerial styles.  The leadership and representatives of the Churches of the
European (Utrecht) Union meet on a regular basis in collegial dialogues to work on
pastoral and theological issues of common concern.  The ACOC maintains friendly
communications with the Union and works closely with other churches with whom
the Union is in intercommunion, especially the Episcopal (ECUSA) and Evangelical
Lutheran churches.  The autonomous North American churches of the Old Catholic
heritage relate to one another by such means as conferences of churches,
concordats of intercommunion and cooperative outreach in ministry.

What Old Catholics Believe

Like the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, the Old Catholics accept
the first seven General Councils of the Early Church without apology or excuse.
Thus, Old Catholics, tracing their apostolic succession through the Roman Catholic
Church to the apostles, participate in the full sacramental ministry of the Church.
The “Rule of Faith” of Old Catholics is faithful adherence to Sacred Scripture and
Apostolic Tradition.

How Do Old Catholics Differ from Roman Catholics?

1. Papal infallibility defined by Vatican Council I is a non-issue for Old Catholics,
since we are independent of papal jurisdiction. Like the various Eastern Orthodox
Churches, all Old Catholic communities accord the Holy Father respect due him as
Patriarch of the West and “First among Equals,” but not having ultimate jurisdiction
over all Christian Churches. Old Catholics adhere to the teaching from apostolic
times that the Church in General Council is infallible.

2. In some matters of discipline (non-dogmatic issues). For example:
- Clerical celibacy is optional
- Married men may be ordained
- Deacons and priests are selected based on their individual
suitability for ministry
- In some Old Catholic jurisdictions, members participate in the
ministerial priesthood in response to a genuine vocation regardless
of gender, sexual orientation or physical disability
-Sexuality and orientation are seen as a gift from God
- Divorced Catholics may remarry within the Old Catholic Church, as
divorced Orthodox may remarry within the Orthodox Churches
- EVERY person, as a participant in the Royal Priesthood of Christ,
plays an important and prominent role in the government and
ministry of the Church.

3. There is some diversity in liturgical expression.  Spirit of Hope and many other
Old Catholic communities have adopted the liturgical renewal promulgated following
the Second Vatican Council (as used in most current Roman Catholic communities),
while others maintain the Tridentine Mass in Latin and others use direct
translations into classical or modern English.

4. Because Old Catholic communities are usually smaller in comparison to
mainline churches, they are able to successfully implement the Apostolic
model of the Church referred to earlier. This model views the faithful
with their clergy and bishop as a community (or family) in loving
concern for each other and each working together to live the
Scriptural commands in their daily lives as Christians bringing
the love of Christ to others. Old Catholic communities - because of a
less hierarchical structure - are promptly able to implement decisions
affecting the sacramental life of the faithful, doing so always within
the authority of Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition.

Special thanks to Bishop Diana C. Dale - D.Min - A.C.O.C. and Bishop James Judd - Heartland Old Catholic Church
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