The Ancient Catholic Church of the Netherlands
St. Willibrord missionized the area of Europe known as the Low Countries in the Seventh Century firmly establishing the
Catholic Faith and Tradition in the Netherlands and other countries in that region. Early on, three principal dioceses were
established in the cities of Utrecht, Deventer and Haarlem to administer the affairs of the Church in the territory. Utrecht
eventually became the archiepiscopal see with supervision over Deventer and Haarlem. Assenting to a petition made by
the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III and Bishop Heribert of Utrecht, Blessed Pope Eugene III, in 1145 A.D. granted the
Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht the right to elect successors to the See in times of vacancy. The fourth Council of the
Laterian confirmed this privilege in 1215. The autonomous character of the Ancient Catholic Church in the Netherlands
was further demonstrated when a second grant by Pope Leo X, Debitum Pastoralis, conceded to Philip of Burgundy, 57th
Bishop of Utrecht, that neither he nor his successors, nor any of their clergy or laity, should ever, in the first instance,
have his cause evoked to any external tribunal, not even under pretense of any apostolic letters whatever; and that all
such proceedings should be, ipso facto, null and void. This papal concession, in 1520, was of the greatest importance in
defense of the rights of the Church.
The Church in the Netherlands and the Reformation
Armed with the protection of the papal concessions, the Church in the Netherlands continued to minister even through the
Reformation. During this period of strife, the Church in the Netherlands, as in many other countries, was forced to "go
underground" in order to survive. But survive and remain extant, it did. Eventually, the Archbishop of Utrecht and other
Church leaders reached an informal agreement with the civil government, whereby it could again function openly without
interference from the Reformers.
The Move from Isolation
Following the First Vatican Council in 1870 (at which the hierarchy of the Church of Holland were refused admittance), a
considerable dissent among Catholics, especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, arose over the dogma of papal
infallibility. The dissenters, while holding the Church in General Council to be infallible, could not accept the proposition
that the Pope, acting alone, in matters of faith and morals is infallible. Many formed independent communities that came to
be known as Old Catholic. They are called Old Catholics because they sought to adhere to the beliefs and practices of the
Catholic Church of the post-Apostolic era. The Old Catholic communities appealed to the Archbishop of Utrecht who
consecrated the first bishops for these communities. Eventually, under the leadership of the Church of Holland, these Old
Catholic communities joined together to form the Utrecht Union of Churches. The Utrecht Union of Churches approbated,
in 1908, the establishment of a mission in Great Britain. Archbishop Gerardus Gul of Utrecht consecrated Father Arnold
Harris Matthew, a resigned Roman Catholic priest, Regionary Bishop for England. It was Bishop Mathew's charge to
minister among Anglo-Catholics and Roman Catholics impeded from full participation in the life and sacraments of the
Church. Toward this end, Bishop Mathew consecrated Austrian nobleman, Prince Rudolph Edward de Landes Berghes, in
1913 for work in Scotland. Prince Rudolph (1873-1920) left England for the United States at the onset of World War I.
In the United States
Bishop de Landes Berghes, in spite of great difficulty and isolation from the Utrecht Union of Churches, due to Bishop
Mathew's hasty action in withdrawing from the Union, was able to plant the roots of an independent expression of
Catholicism in America. He elevated to the episcopacy two priests, Carmel Henry Carfora and William Francis Brothers.
Each of these bishops, in his own manner, continued the mission begun by Bishop de Landes Berghes. 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 more closely following St. Ignatius of Antioch's concepts of the Church as a communion
of communities each laboring together to proclaim the message of the Gospel.
Recent Developments
At the suggestion of the Archbishop of Utrecht, the Old Catholic bishops in the United States established the Council of
Independent Catholic Bishops as a means to more closely coordinate ministry and serve as a forum for better
communication and exchange of ideas and planning. Since it’s founding in 1982, the Council has achieved some success
in bringing a greater sense of unity and purpose and action to the Old Catholic hierarchy in the United States.
What Old Catholics Believe
The faith of Old Catholics is simply that of the Catholic Church as taught by the Church from apostolic times to the present
day. The ecumenical Councils clearly express what Old Catholics believe without the need for apology or excuse. In 1823,
Archbishop Willibrord van Os of Utrecht reiterated adherence to the unchanging doctrine of Catholicism in the following
words:” We accept without any exception whatever, all the Articles of the Holy Catholic Faith. We will never hold nor teach,
now or afterwards, any other opinions than those that have been decreed, determined and published by our Mother, Holy
Church..." Thus, Old Catholics, tracing their Apostolic Succession through the Roman Catholic Church to the Apostles,
participated in the full sacramental ministry of the Church. The Rule of Faith of Old Catholics is faithful adherence to
Sacred Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition.
How Do We Differ?
In matters of discipline, administration and procedure, Old Catholics differ from the Roman Catholic Church. For example,
clerical celibacy (which is a matter of discipline) is optional among Old Catholics. Married men and women may be
ordained and in many of our dioceses clergy may, with prior Episcopal consent, enter into Holy Matrimony after ordination.
Liturgical expression is also a matter of discipline determined by the local bishop. Consequently, many Old Catholic
communities have adopted the liturgical renewal promulgated following the Second Vatican Council while still maintaining
Tridentine liturgy, in Latin or direct translation into classical or modern English, in those parishes that desire it. Eastern rite
Old Catholic parishes exist as well, which follow the ancient liturgies of that rich tradition. Because Old Catholic
communities are small, they are able to success fully implement the Ignatian model of the Church referred to earlier. This
concept 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 utilize their size and lack of highly detailed structure to the very best advantage organizationally by
their ability to expedite decisions affecting the sacramental and community life of the faithful, within the revelation and
authority of Holy Scripture and Apostolic Tradition.
Other Distinctions
There are other distinctives by which Old Catholic communities are differentiated from Roman Catholic parishes. The
matter of papal infallibility defined by Vatican Council I is a non-issue for Old Catholics, since we are independent of papal
jurisdiction. All Old Catholic communities accord the Holy Father that respect due him as Successor of St. Peter, Prince of
the Apostles and Patriarch of the West. Old Catholics adhere to the teaching from apostolic times that the Church in
General Council is infallible. Another difference is that divorced people who remarry are treated in a pastoral manner and
not excluded from the sacramental life of the Church. Further, the matter of contraception is treated as a matter of
personal conscience between husband and wife. Old Catholic theology recognizes that the Church's teaching magisterium
has no less than two objects: the formation of conscience, in which case authority has an instructive quality; and the
nurturing of an informed conscience to full maturity, in which case authority is guiding but not directive.
Old Catholic Ministry
By developing new methods and ideas with an emphasis on community, and Catholicism, which expresses a warmth and
interest in the total person, Old Catholic communities are able to address the needs of today's society in the waning years
of the Twentieth Century. For the contemporary Catholic searching to maintain his/her Faith but desiring to do so without
excessive institutionalism that often loses contact with the individual; for those with a Catholic background who feel
impeded from full participation in the life and Sacraments of the Church; for the many unchurched who desire the joy and
peace of Our Lord's Word and His Holy Sacraments, Old Catholic communities provide available alternative and allow a
person to be a part of Christ's Church, and beat peace with his/her conscience. Old Catholic communities, because of
their size, can give individual attention to the individual spiritual needs of the faithful and, where necessary, develop
unique ministries to meet those needs.
Encyclopedia Article on Old Catholics
Christian denomination organized in Munich in 1871 by Roman Catholics who protested the dogma, proclaimed the
previous year by Vatican Council I, of the personal infallibility of the pope in all ex cathedra pronouncements (see
Infallibility). The Munich protest, by 44 professors under the leadership of the German theologians and historians Johann
Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger and Johannes Friedrich, was directed against the binding authority of the Vatican Council. To
this protest a number of professors at Bonn, Breslau (, Freiburg, and Giessen declared their adherence. At Cologne in
1873 the German theologian Joseph Hubert Reinkens was elected bishop of the Old Catholics in the ancient fashion, by
“clergy and people,” that is, by all the Old Catholic priests and by representatives of the Old Catholic congregations. He
was consecrated at Rotterdam by the bishop of Deventer, the Netherlands, and acknowledged by the German states of
Prussia, Baden, and Hessen. Döllinger refused to become involved in organized schism and eventually broke with the
movement, but he never returned to the Roman Catholic Church.
Old Catholics conduct church services in the vernacular. Priests are allowed to marry. Intercommunion with the Church of
England was accomplished at a conference in Bonn in July 1931; the concordat was ratified later by the Vienna congress
of the Old Catholic church and by the convocations of Canterbury and York of the Church of England. According to recent
figures, the Old Catholics number fewer than 250,000, with fewer than 70,000 in the U.S. [1]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]"Old Catholics," Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
St. Willibrord missionized the area of Europe known as the Low Countries in the Seventh Century firmly establishing the
Catholic Faith and Tradition in the Netherlands and other countries in that region. Early on, three principal dioceses were
established in the cities of Utrecht, Deventer and Haarlem to administer the affairs of the Church in the territory. Utrecht
eventually became the archiepiscopal see with supervision over Deventer and Haarlem. Assenting to a petition made by
the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III and Bishop Heribert of Utrecht, Blessed Pope Eugene III, in 1145 A.D. granted the
Cathedral Chapter of Utrecht the right to elect successors to the See in times of vacancy. The fourth Council of the
Laterian confirmed this privilege in 1215. The autonomous character of the Ancient Catholic Church in the Netherlands
was further demonstrated when a second grant by Pope Leo X, Debitum Pastoralis, conceded to Philip of Burgundy, 57th
Bishop of Utrecht, that neither he nor his successors, nor any of their clergy or laity, should ever, in the first instance,
have his cause evoked to any external tribunal, not even under pretense of any apostolic letters whatever; and that all
such proceedings should be, ipso facto, null and void. This papal concession, in 1520, was of the greatest importance in
defense of the rights of the Church.
The Church in the Netherlands and the Reformation
Armed with the protection of the papal concessions, the Church in the Netherlands continued to minister even through the
Reformation. During this period of strife, the Church in the Netherlands, as in many other countries, was forced to "go
underground" in order to survive. But survive and remain extant, it did. Eventually, the Archbishop of Utrecht and other
Church leaders reached an informal agreement with the civil government, whereby it could again function openly without
interference from the Reformers.
The Move from Isolation
Following the First Vatican Council in 1870 (at which the hierarchy of the Church of Holland were refused admittance), a
considerable dissent among Catholics, especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, arose over the dogma of papal
infallibility. The dissenters, while holding the Church in General Council to be infallible, could not accept the proposition
that the Pope, acting alone, in matters of faith and morals is infallible. Many formed independent communities that came to
be known as Old Catholic. They are called Old Catholics because they sought to adhere to the beliefs and practices of the
Catholic Church of the post-Apostolic era. The Old Catholic communities appealed to the Archbishop of Utrecht who
consecrated the first bishops for these communities. Eventually, under the leadership of the Church of Holland, these Old
Catholic communities joined together to form the Utrecht Union of Churches. The Utrecht Union of Churches approbated,
in 1908, the establishment of a mission in Great Britain. Archbishop Gerardus Gul of Utrecht consecrated Father Arnold
Harris Matthew, a resigned Roman Catholic priest, Regionary Bishop for England. It was Bishop Mathew's charge to
minister among Anglo-Catholics and Roman Catholics impeded from full participation in the life and sacraments of the
Church. Toward this end, Bishop Mathew consecrated Austrian nobleman, Prince Rudolph Edward de Landes Berghes, in
1913 for work in Scotland. Prince Rudolph (1873-1920) left England for the United States at the onset of World War I.
In the United States
Bishop de Landes Berghes, in spite of great difficulty and isolation from the Utrecht Union of Churches, due to Bishop
Mathew's hasty action in withdrawing from the Union, was able to plant the roots of an independent expression of
Catholicism in America. He elevated to the episcopacy two priests, Carmel Henry Carfora and William Francis Brothers.
Each of these bishops, in his own manner, continued the mission begun by Bishop de Landes Berghes. 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 more closely following St. Ignatius of Antioch's concepts of the Church as a communion
of communities each laboring together to proclaim the message of the Gospel.
Recent Developments
At the suggestion of the Archbishop of Utrecht, the Old Catholic bishops in the United States established the Council of
Independent Catholic Bishops as a means to more closely coordinate ministry and serve as a forum for better
communication and exchange of ideas and planning. Since it’s founding in 1982, the Council has achieved some success
in bringing a greater sense of unity and purpose and action to the Old Catholic hierarchy in the United States.
What Old Catholics Believe
The faith of Old Catholics is simply that of the Catholic Church as taught by the Church from apostolic times to the present
day. The ecumenical Councils clearly express what Old Catholics believe without the need for apology or excuse. In 1823,
Archbishop Willibrord van Os of Utrecht reiterated adherence to the unchanging doctrine of Catholicism in the following
words:” We accept without any exception whatever, all the Articles of the Holy Catholic Faith. We will never hold nor teach,
now or afterwards, any other opinions than those that have been decreed, determined and published by our Mother, Holy
Church..." Thus, Old Catholics, tracing their Apostolic Succession through the Roman Catholic Church to the Apostles,
participated in the full sacramental ministry of the Church. The Rule of Faith of Old Catholics is faithful adherence to
Sacred Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition.
How Do We Differ?
In matters of discipline, administration and procedure, Old Catholics differ from the Roman Catholic Church. For example,
clerical celibacy (which is a matter of discipline) is optional among Old Catholics. Married men and women may be
ordained and in many of our dioceses clergy may, with prior Episcopal consent, enter into Holy Matrimony after ordination.
Liturgical expression is also a matter of discipline determined by the local bishop. Consequently, many Old Catholic
communities have adopted the liturgical renewal promulgated following the Second Vatican Council while still maintaining
Tridentine liturgy, in Latin or direct translation into classical or modern English, in those parishes that desire it. Eastern rite
Old Catholic parishes exist as well, which follow the ancient liturgies of that rich tradition. Because Old Catholic
communities are small, they are able to success fully implement the Ignatian model of the Church referred to earlier. This
concept 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 utilize their size and lack of highly detailed structure to the very best advantage organizationally by
their ability to expedite decisions affecting the sacramental and community life of the faithful, within the revelation and
authority of Holy Scripture and Apostolic Tradition.
Other Distinctions
There are other distinctives by which Old Catholic communities are differentiated from Roman Catholic parishes. The
matter of papal infallibility defined by Vatican Council I is a non-issue for Old Catholics, since we are independent of papal
jurisdiction. All Old Catholic communities accord the Holy Father that respect due him as Successor of St. Peter, Prince of
the Apostles and Patriarch of the West. Old Catholics adhere to the teaching from apostolic times that the Church in
General Council is infallible. Another difference is that divorced people who remarry are treated in a pastoral manner and
not excluded from the sacramental life of the Church. Further, the matter of contraception is treated as a matter of
personal conscience between husband and wife. Old Catholic theology recognizes that the Church's teaching magisterium
has no less than two objects: the formation of conscience, in which case authority has an instructive quality; and the
nurturing of an informed conscience to full maturity, in which case authority is guiding but not directive.
Old Catholic Ministry
By developing new methods and ideas with an emphasis on community, and Catholicism, which expresses a warmth and
interest in the total person, Old Catholic communities are able to address the needs of today's society in the waning years
of the Twentieth Century. For the contemporary Catholic searching to maintain his/her Faith but desiring to do so without
excessive institutionalism that often loses contact with the individual; for those with a Catholic background who feel
impeded from full participation in the life and Sacraments of the Church; for the many unchurched who desire the joy and
peace of Our Lord's Word and His Holy Sacraments, Old Catholic communities provide available alternative and allow a
person to be a part of Christ's Church, and beat peace with his/her conscience. Old Catholic communities, because of
their size, can give individual attention to the individual spiritual needs of the faithful and, where necessary, develop
unique ministries to meet those needs.
Encyclopedia Article on Old Catholics
Christian denomination organized in Munich in 1871 by Roman Catholics who protested the dogma, proclaimed the
previous year by Vatican Council I, of the personal infallibility of the pope in all ex cathedra pronouncements (see
Infallibility). The Munich protest, by 44 professors under the leadership of the German theologians and historians Johann
Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger and Johannes Friedrich, was directed against the binding authority of the Vatican Council. To
this protest a number of professors at Bonn, Breslau (, Freiburg, and Giessen declared their adherence. At Cologne in
1873 the German theologian Joseph Hubert Reinkens was elected bishop of the Old Catholics in the ancient fashion, by
“clergy and people,” that is, by all the Old Catholic priests and by representatives of the Old Catholic congregations. He
was consecrated at Rotterdam by the bishop of Deventer, the Netherlands, and acknowledged by the German states of
Prussia, Baden, and Hessen. Döllinger refused to become involved in organized schism and eventually broke with the
movement, but he never returned to the Roman Catholic Church.
Old Catholics conduct church services in the vernacular. Priests are allowed to marry. Intercommunion with the Church of
England was accomplished at a conference in Bonn in July 1931; the concordat was ratified later by the Vienna congress
of the Old Catholic church and by the convocations of Canterbury and York of the Church of England. According to recent
figures, the Old Catholics number fewer than 250,000, with fewer than 70,000 in the U.S. [1]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]"Old Catholics," Microsoft® Encarta® 98 Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
| The Old Catholic Church of North America |
Old Catholic History
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Who We, As Old Catholics, Are
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 His Apostles, eyewitnesses
of His Life, Death and Resurrection from among the dead.
They passed on to succeeding generations their own
testimony about Jesus Christ and His life. By the
proclaiming of His Gospel and the giving of their own
testimony (called the Apostolic Tradition), the Church,
which the Lord instituted, was built up. Old Catholics are
an historic part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church and have their origins in the Ancient Catholic
Church of the Netherlands.
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 His Apostles, eyewitnesses
of His Life, Death and Resurrection from among the dead.
They passed on to succeeding generations their own
testimony about Jesus Christ and His life. By the
proclaiming of His Gospel and the giving of their own
testimony (called the Apostolic Tradition), the Church,
which the Lord instituted, was built up. Old Catholics are
an historic part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church and have their origins in the Ancient Catholic
Church of the Netherlands.
 |
 |