Statement of Faith and Practice:

The Catholic Apostolic Church

 

The Catholic Apostolic Church (TCAC) is a union of committed Christians living in the Catholic liturgical tradition of the one Undivided Church within apostolic tradition. Our outreach and ministry opportunities are not limited to any because of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, marital status, sexual orientation or identity, socioeconomic status, or ability or disability.

We live out this mission by offering a spiritual home for people who have been rejected or shown disdain by more traditional religious communities. We provide them room to grow and thrive spiritually and nourish them with the sacraments, bringing to them the grace that Christ offers to all.

 
1.    Church Governance
 
A. Territories: TCAC is constituted as a non-territorial jurisdiction, with one Metropolitan Bishop in consultation with the College of Bishops and the Synod of the Church.

B. Leadership: The Metropolitan Bishop is chosen by a vote of the Synod of the Church and the College of Bishops.

C. Unity: The Synod is defined as those nominated by their local parish or nominated by the Metropolitan.

D. Finances: Each clergyperson operates a parish or ministry in a financially independent manner. There will be a fund kept for maintaining our online presence in our website, social media, and seminary program. This fund is managed at the discretion of the Metropolitan Bishop in consultation with (can be edited later).

E. Positions: Offices of the church include but are not limited to Metropolitan Bishop, Vicar General, Chancellor, Director of Vocations/Seminary Rector, and Seminary Administrator/Assistant Director of Vocations. More offices will be added as needs arise for them.

F. Autonomy: Each clergyperson will operate their ministry in a semi-autonomous fashion with regard to liturgical rites, teaching, and preaching under the direction, oversight, guidance, and mentoring of the of the Metropolitan Bishop or the Vicar General on the direction of the Metropolitan Bishop.

2.    Our Founding Documents
 
A. We subscribe to the teachings of the first Seven Ecumenical Councils. We proclaim the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds as foundational. We also proclaim as foundational the Bonn Agreement, the Declaration of Utrecht, and the writings of the Second Vatican Council when not in conflict with the aforementioned documents. We also accept as important the body of literary work of the Fathers, Mothers, and Doctors of the Church which provide us glimpses into our past as we look forward to the future God has for us.

3.    Sacraments
 
A. Following the Apostolic Traditions of the undivided church, we proclaim seven Sacraments as instruments of Grace which God provides for all: Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick.
 
4.    Apostolic Succession
 
A. We declare that the TCAC administers the Sacraments through Apostolic Succession, which is rooted in the traditions of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

 

5.   Education and Holy Orders

A. In pursuit of training and educating future servants of God’s people, we have promulgated the Seminary of Saint Brigid – TCAC to provide instruction in theology, church history, and practical ministry. Our seminary program is a mostly self-paced distance learning curriculum which utilizes a variety of reading assignments, videos, writing of papers and short articles, and discussions over video and text chat.

B. Within TCAC, we acknowledge the three major orders of Deacon, Priest, and Bishop and the five minor orders of Subdeacon, Acolyte, Exorcist, Reader and Doorkeeper. The duties of the minor orders are expounded upon in ancient church custom.

C. Deacon: The call of a deacon is to provide service to the people of God. The liturgical and sacramental responsibilities of a deacon are to read the Gospel in the mass, to assist the priest or bishop with preparing the bread and wine for consecration, to bless those who seek it, and to present the pre-consecrated bread and wine to those unable to attend a eucharistic celebration. A deacon is also given the privilege and responsibility of presiding over celebrations of baptism, holy matrimony without a eucharistic celebration, and funerals.

D. Priest: Whereas a deacon is called to serve the people in more material ways, a priest is called to serve in spiritual ways. The liturgical and sacramental responsibilities of a priest are to interpret and preach the holy word, consecrate the bread and wine in a eucharistic celebration, hear the confessions of the faithful and offer absolution and a path of resolution, provide comfort and sacred dignity in moments of human frailty, as well as preside over baptism, confirmation, holy matrimony with a eucharistic celebration, and funerary services with a eucharistic celebration.

E. Bishop: The call of a bishop is a call to lead as chief servant of the people of God. Bishops have liturgical and sacramental responsibilities to perform all sacraments afforded a deacon or priest but also the privilege and responsibility of ordaining (or arranging for the ordination of) those who have been selected to receive Holy Orders.

F. Qualifications for Holy Orders: Those who seek Holy Orders with TCAC must undergo a rigorous discernment process in which the candidate’s background and temperament are tested and during which they are educated in theology and practical ministry.
  
6. Interfaith Dialogue
 
A. Following the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, we celebrate the diversity of faiths in the world and believe this diversity provides for all a treasure of spiritual wisdom. 
 
7.    Ecumenism
 
A. In line with the teachings of the Second Vatican Convention and a long history of ecumenical relations throughout the one holy catholic and apostolic church, TCAC commits to nurturing a spirit of ecumenical fellowship and goodwill with our fellow believers.

 B. We celebrate the Eucharist with an “open table,” inviting all baptized Christians who seek to find Christ’s presence, to partake in this holy sacrament.
 C. We acknowledge the validity of the sacraments of all Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican liturgical communions with Apostolic Succession. We also acknowledge the shared history, liturgy, and tradition of the undivided church in its many forms and pray that Christ’s commandment that we, “Love one another as I have loved you” would be evident in our words and actions.
 
 
9. Enactment
 
A. This statement of Canons was ratified on the _2_ day of  August , in the year of our Lord _2020_. It is binding on all clergy of this church as a statement of practice.

10. Conclusion
 
A. This statement outlines the distinctions of ecclesiology and practice of TCAC. This is not an exhaustive list as our faith is also informed by a nuanced and graceful interpretation of scripture, a journey into history through the aforementioned documents we accept as binding or important on our faith and practice, the use of science and logical reasoning, and personal experience in our journey as a church and as individual laity and clergy.

B. The Statement of Faith and Practice is supplementary to the Canons of the Roman Catholic Church and supersedes those canons when they conflict with this jurisdiction.

 

                 Initial Edition May 10th, 2020.

                  Second Edition August 2nd, 2020—Change name to The Catholic Apostolic Church