General Question
The Old Catholic Churches International is a Christocentric, Christian, Liturgical Denomination founded on the principles of biblical and apostolic worship and doctrine. Our parishes utilize the Novus Ordo as well as many of the Orthodox and Anglican liturgies. Though we are not Roman Catholic or any form of Mainstream Orthodox, we are catholic in the sense that we try to be universal. We are a part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. Our Bishops have valid lines of Apostolic Succession traced all the way back to the Apostles.
The Old Catholic Churches International is an Old Catholic Church in the true sense of the word Catholic–one universal church under Jesus Christ. We are not a Roman or Greek Orthodox denomination, nor are we related to any of these. Our foundation is Liturgical and that is a shared attribute of the various liturgical churches, such as the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Episcopal, Lutheran and some parts of the Methodist Churches, but we pay allegiance only to God and His Son Jesus Christ.
As patristic is defined as the study of early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers, and the early Church Fathers as being those fathers of the church that lived in a period considered to run from the end of New Testament times (around 100 AD) until around the 8th century, the answer is yes.
The Old Catholic Churches International does have a Clerical Hierarchy. The head of our Church is the Presiding Bishop. He is chosen from among the Bishops of the church as “First among Equals” and is the Spiritual father of the Old Catholic Churches International. He is not infallible, but serves as Vicar to all of the Clergy. Beneath him are the Bishops over Dioceses, which may be geographical or organizational divisions. Churches are served by a priesthood and Bishops are assisted by the Diaconate. While this hierarchy is similar in nature to some other liturgical denominations, the important difference here is that all are equal in the sight of God, and decisions are made after much deliberation and without political influence. As you may see by reading our Canon Law, posted elsewhere on this web site, decisions are made by the entire body of the church, not a small group of unreachable leaders locked behind closed doors. The newest parishioner has access to the Presiding Bishop and all other members of the clergy.
A list of our parishes is on our website under Our Communities.
Ours is an independent denomination. We are solely supported by the donations of our members. Our clergy are currently a “worker priesthood” with many of us holding a secular position as well as carrying out the duties of Deacon, chaplain, priest, or Bishop. Our donations currently go entirely to the growth and support of the church, for the benefit of its members. If you are looking for a paid position, you have come to the wrong place. Like Saint Paul, we do not feel a priest should be a financial burden to his church (1 Thessalonians 2:9).
We are mindful that there are times that continuing in a marriage is either detrimental to one’s physical well being or that serious defects in the marital relationship exist and thus divorce is necessary (1 Corinthians 7:15). It is for this reason that we allow divorced persons to remarry in our churches. Divorced people are also allowed access to all the Sacraments of the church.
Homosexuality is part of the human condition and gay men and women are encouraged, along with their heterosexual brothers and sisters, to live full creative lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. All the sacraments are open to those who are homosexual.
We aspire to work with other churches in all aspects of ministry and regards ecumenism as a way of manifesting that ‘diversity in unity’ that should characterize the Body of Christ. We believe that all Christian churches have an element of truth in them and that their members are no less worthy of eternal life than we are. We further deplore the practice of churches declaring that only their members will obtain eternal life.
All the great religions of the world are expressions of God’s graceful presence. The Old Catholic Churches International therefore looks to that presence, wherever it may be, that its understanding of the Christian tradition may be strengthened and deepened. We further deplore those religions or churches that seek to promote the doctrine that their members will exclusively receive eternal life while other churches and religions will not.
Essentially, nothing. But, because of the emphasis given to the above factors, both the Old Catholic Churches International and its members tend, perhaps, to be rather more open and free. In this we try to bear witness to Saint Paul’s promise that ”Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is perfect freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
We believe that good Christian parenting requires loving parents to make the determination on the size of their family. We do not oppose pre-conception means of birth control. We do encourage natural methods of birth control over artificial ones. However, under no circumstances should abortion ever be considered a permitted method of birth control.
We do not condone any form of assisted suicide. However, we do not believe it is immoral to remove artificial life support systems with the informed consent of the patient.
We hold to the historical and Scriptural position of the catholic and orthodox tradition. The fetus is a part of their mother from the moment of conception. Making a decision to terminate a pregnancy is a very difficult situation that should be approached by the pregnant individual with her family and doctor.