Anglican Catholic Church
Encyclopedia
The Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) is a body of Anglican
Christian
s in the continuing Anglican movement
, separate from the Anglican Communion
centered on the Archbishop of Canterbury
.
The continuing Anglican movement
, and the Anglican Catholic Church, grew out of the 1977 Congress of St. Louis
. The congress was held in response to the Episcopal Church's revision of the Book of Common Prayer
, which organizers felt abandoned a true commitment to both scripture and historical Anglicanism. The decision to allow the ordination of women
was one part of a larger theological position opposed by the Congress. As a result of the Congress, various Anglicans separated from the Episcopal Church and formed the "Anglican Church in North America" in order to continue the Anglican tradition as they understood it. The name was later changed to the Anglican Catholic Church. Its adherents have therefore claimed that this church is the true heir of the Church of England
in the United States.
The Congress's statement of principles (the "Affirmation of St. Louis
") summarized the new church's reason for being as follows: “…the Anglican Church of Canada and the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, by their unlawful attempts to alter Faith, Order and Morality (especially in their General Synod of 1975 and General Convention of 1976), have departed from Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.”
, and American parishes formed two separate bodies, the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Province of Christ the King
.
In 1984 the five dioceses of the Church of India (Anglican) were received by the Anglican Catholic Church and constituted as its Second Province.
Since 1990 the Anglican Catholic Church has expanded to twelve dioceses in the Americas
, the United Kingdom
and Australia
. Also during this period a number of parishes left the Anglican Catholic Church to merge with the American Episcopal Church
and form the Anglican Church in America. Additional parishes left and formed the Holy Catholic Church (Anglican Rite).
In October 2005 the Most Reverend Mark D. Haverland of Athens, Georgia replaced John Charles Vockler as archbishop
and metropolitan
.
On May 17, 2007, Haverland signed an intercommunion agreement negotiated with the United Episcopal Church of North America
. At the 17th Provincial Synod, October 2007, the Right Reverend Wilson Garang and his Diocese of Aweil in Sudan were received into the Anglican Catholic Church so that today the Anglican Catholic Church (Original Province) has over 250 parish churches and missions worldwide, not including the second province of India.
In October 2008 Bishop Presley Hutchens
of the ACC addressed the United Episcopal Church of North America's ninth triennial convention and discussed uniting the ACC and UECNA.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s in the continuing Anglican movement
Continuing Anglican Movement
The term Continuing Anglican movement refers to a number of churches in various countries that have been formed outside of the Anglican Communion. These churches generally believe that "traditional" forms of Anglican faith and worship have been unacceptably revised or abandoned within some...
, separate from the Anglican Communion
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
centered on the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
.
The continuing Anglican movement
Continuing Anglican Movement
The term Continuing Anglican movement refers to a number of churches in various countries that have been formed outside of the Anglican Communion. These churches generally believe that "traditional" forms of Anglican faith and worship have been unacceptably revised or abandoned within some...
, and the Anglican Catholic Church, grew out of the 1977 Congress of St. Louis
Congress of St. Louis
The 1977 Congress of St. Louis was an international gathering of nearly 2,000 Anglicans united in their rejection of theological changes introduced by the Anglican Church of Canada and by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in its General Convention of 1976...
. The congress was held in response to the Episcopal Church's revision of the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, which organizers felt abandoned a true commitment to both scripture and historical Anglicanism. The decision to allow the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
was one part of a larger theological position opposed by the Congress. As a result of the Congress, various Anglicans separated from the Episcopal Church and formed the "Anglican Church in North America" in order to continue the Anglican tradition as they understood it. The name was later changed to the Anglican Catholic Church. Its adherents have therefore claimed that this church is the true heir of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in the United States.
The Congress's statement of principles (the "Affirmation of St. Louis
Affirmation of St. Louis
The Affirmation of St. Louis is the founding document of the Continuing Anglican Movement churches. It was first presented to the Congress of Saint Louis, the 1977 meeting of former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and the Anglican Church of Canada who approved the...
") summarized the new church's reason for being as follows: “…the Anglican Church of Canada and the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, by their unlawful attempts to alter Faith, Order and Morality (especially in their General Synod of 1975 and General Convention of 1976), have departed from Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.”
History
In January 1978, four bishops (Charles David Dale Doren, James O. Mote, Robert Morse and Francis Watterson) were consecrated. What had provisionally been called the Anglican Church in North America (Episcopal) eventually divided. The Canadian parishes formed the Anglican Catholic Church of CanadaAnglican Catholic Church of Canada
The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada is an Anglican church that was founded in the 1970s by conservative Anglicans.-Affiliation:With 30 congregations in Canada, the ACCC is the third-largest of the Anglican churches in Canada, after the ACC and the Anglican Church in North America.The Anglican...
, and American parishes formed two separate bodies, the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Province of Christ the King
Anglican Province of Christ the King
The Anglican Province of Christ the King is a Continuing Anglican church with traditional forms both of doctrine and liturgy. It is considered one of the more Anglo-Catholic jurisdictions among Continuing Anglican church bodies.-History:...
.
In 1984 the five dioceses of the Church of India (Anglican) were received by the Anglican Catholic Church and constituted as its Second Province.
Since 1990 the Anglican Catholic Church has expanded to twelve dioceses in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Also during this period a number of parishes left the Anglican Catholic Church to merge with the American Episcopal Church
American Episcopal Church
The American Episcopal Church was a conservative Anglican denomination that existed in the USA between 1968 and 1991.Its growth was temporarily slowed by the relative success of the Continuing Anglican movement of 1977 and 1978 which culminated in the creation of its own version of an alternative...
and form the Anglican Church in America. Additional parishes left and formed the Holy Catholic Church (Anglican Rite).
In October 2005 the Most Reverend Mark D. Haverland of Athens, Georgia replaced John Charles Vockler as archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
and metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
.
On May 17, 2007, Haverland signed an intercommunion agreement negotiated with the United Episcopal Church of North America
United Episcopal Church of North America
The United Episcopal Church of North America is a traditional Anglican Christian church that is part of the Continuing Anglican movement...
. At the 17th Provincial Synod, October 2007, the Right Reverend Wilson Garang and his Diocese of Aweil in Sudan were received into the Anglican Catholic Church so that today the Anglican Catholic Church (Original Province) has over 250 parish churches and missions worldwide, not including the second province of India.
In October 2008 Bishop Presley Hutchens
Presley Hutchens
Bishop D. Presley Hutchens is a bishop in the Anglican Catholic Church. He is known for being a staunch conservative and orthodox supporter of Roman Catholicism but not of the reforms made under the Second Vatican Council. In 2008, he was almost excommunicated for allegations of smoking in the...
of the ACC addressed the United Episcopal Church of North America's ninth triennial convention and discussed uniting the ACC and UECNA.
Province I
- Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic States
- Diocese of the Midwest
- Diocese of New Orleans
- Diocese of the Holy Trinity
- Missionary Diocese of the Resurrection
- Diocese of the South
- Diocese of the United Kingdom
- Diocese of the Aweil (Sudan)
- Missionary Diocese of Australia and New Zealand
- Missionary Diocese of the Caribbean
- Missionary Diocese Of New England
- Missionary Diocese of New Grenada
- Missionary Diocese of Southern Africa
- Missionary Diocese of the Eastern Cape (Africa)
Leadership
- Metropolitan and Acting Primate: The Most Reverend Mark Haverland, Athens, GeorgiaAthens, GeorgiaAthens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
- Episcopal Visitor, Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic States: The Right Reverend William McClean, Charlotte Hall, MarylandCharlotte Hall, MarylandCharlotte Hall is a census-designated place in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,214 at the 2000 census. The Maryland Veterans Home for disabled veterans, including a U.S. Veterans Affairs clinic, is located on the site of the former Charlotte Hall Military Academy...
- Bishop Ordinary, Diocese of the Midwest: The Right Reverend Rommie Starks, Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
- Bishop Ordinary, Diocese of New Orleans: The Right Reverend Presley HutchensPresley HutchensBishop D. Presley Hutchens is a bishop in the Anglican Catholic Church. He is known for being a staunch conservative and orthodox supporter of Roman Catholicism but not of the reforms made under the Second Vatican Council. In 2008, he was almost excommunicated for allegations of smoking in the...
, Natchitoches, LouisianaNatchitoches, LouisianaNatchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February... - Bishop Ordinary, Diocese of the United Kingdom: The Right Reverend Damien Mead, LyddLyddLydd is a town in Kent, England, lying on the Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger towns on the Marsh, and the most southerly town in Kent. Actually located on Denge Marsh, Lydd was one of the first sandy islands to form as the bay evolved into what is now called the Romney Marsh...
, Romney MarshRomney MarshRomney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about 100 mi ² .-Quotations:*“As Egypt was the gift of the Nile, this level tract .....
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of... - Bishop Ordinary, Missionary Diocese of Australia & New Zealand: The Right Reverend Brian Iverach, SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
- Bishop Ordinary, Diocese of Aweil (Sudan): The Right Reverend Wilson Gerang
- Bishop Ordinary, Diocese of the South: The Most Rev. Mark Haverland
- Episcopal Visitor, Diocese of the Holy Trinity: The Rt. Rev. Presley Hutchens
- Bishop Ordinary, Missionary Diocese of Southern Africa: The Right Reverend Allan Kenyon Hoare
- Episcopal Visitor, Missionary Diocese of the Resurrection: The Right Reverend Rocco Florenza
- Episcopal Visitor, Missionary Diocese of New England: The Right Reverend Rocco Florenza
- Bishop Ordinary, Missionary Diocese of Australia and New Zealand: The Right Reverend Brian Ivarach