About Us

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Within the Catholic Religion, there are different denominations such as the Old Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church or Latin Rite, the Orthodox Catholic Church and others.

Our denomination specifically, is the same church founded by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, developed by the Benedictine Saints Willibrord and Boniface, in the Netherlands, in the 7th Century, and passed on to our present generations by St. Mathew of South Mimms, (Arnold Harris Mathew) Metropolitan Archbishop of the United Kingdom and Ireland, in 1910, after his separation from the Old Catholics of the Union of Utrecht. The Church was established in the United States of America in 1916, by Archbishop Prince de Landas Berghes et de Rache, who consecrated to the Episcopacy Henry Carmel Carfora, who was later elected as the first Archbishop of America. For several decades our Church continued to grow and expand to other countries under the leadership of archbishops Resch, Brown, Bostwick and Angarita.

Unfortunately, the reasons why Archbishop Harris broke away from the Union of Utrecht, (see the Declaration of independence and autonomy) continue to persist today.

On 13 January of 2012, with the intention of preserving and perpetuating the Old Catholic Church of Archbishop Mathew, our branch was reestablished in in the United States and Africa, and in 2010 in the United Kingdom, all within his apostolic succession.

The Old Catholic Church or TOCC and all its affiliated communities, are totally autonomous, independent and autocephalous, subordinate to any other jurisdiction or Prelature outside of TOCC.

As a member of the Universal Church founded by Jesus Christ, TOCC has jurisdiction anywhere that individuals or communities of faith are established and affiliated with TOCC globally. The jurisdiction of TOCC may be coincidental with the jurisdictions of other denominations, churches or communities of faith. 

When there is such jurisdiction, TOCC claims right of jurisdiction only on persons or communities associated with our faith. 

TOCC is a tax-exempt organization under the federal Act on the Internal Revenue Code 501 (c) (3) in the United States and classified as a public charity or a private foundation, our church also has the legal registrations or licenses in compliance with the respective governments of the counties where we are established. Our denomination exists with the purpose to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to all people, while living our profession of faith, preserving the vision and intent of our founder and conferring the sacraments of the church according to the Catholic faith for the sanctification of God's people in our spiritual care. 

Every day, more people leave the Catholic faith as they feel marginalized, discriminated against, judged and insignificant, from a church that excludes them for being imperfect or because they have made mistakes. 

We provide a legitimate and valid Catholic alternative, our motto is, "The perfect Church, for imperfect people", following the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and imitating the primitive Church from Apostolic times, where the very same disciples of Jesus, were called to serve God, as He created them, fathers to their children, husbands to their wives and heads of families worth of emulating by their communities, celebrating the Eucharist around the table in the intimacy of their homes and congregations. 

Our Church is a perfect fit for the Catholic who wish to regain or maintain their faith, without having to leave the catholic religion, or resorting to other religions where they have to change their spiritual essence. In our Church, we adhere more to the word of God and the Gospel of Christ, which calls us to His love and mercy, and where He waits to be reconciled with all; not based in institutional laws that judged and marginalize people for being human and imperfect, diminishing any sign of hope for a new beginning, denying an opportunity for learning, reconciliation and salvation.

Our Church is ideal for those who have been away from the beauty of Catholicism or have been prevented to participate fully in the life and the sacraments of the Church. 

TOCC, is governed by the College of Bishops, which is presided by the Archbishop Primate. Having valid apostolic succession, practicing our faith, liturgy and sacred tradition (legitimacy) and being duly registered according to the respective laws with our name and identity as The Old Catholic Church, in all the countries and places where we are (legality), we can offer the seven sacraments to persons who wish to receive them. 

Regardless of where you are in life, or where you are in your spiritual journey, we offer you the support of our communities and ministers for your spiritual and personal growth, we invite you to explore our pages and learn more about us.

THE CREEDS, SACRED SCRIPTURE AND SACRED TRADITION

Our denomination conforms to that of the undivided Catholic Church of the first millennium of its existence. It is expressed in the ancient Symbol of Faith of the Nicene Creed, promulgated by the Council of Nicaea in AD.325 and enlarged by the Council of Constantinople in AD.381.

The source of the Catholic Faith expressed in the Nicene Creed is Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The Old Catholic Church  believes that Sacred Scripture (the Bible), which comprises the Old Testament (including the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books) and the New Testament, contains God’s revelation to us, particularly that concerning His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and that in matters essential to our salvation it is inerrant. 

The Old Catholic Church  does not consider the Bible to be a source of information concerning science or any other human discipline. Its purpose is to teach us about God and about His Son Jesus Christ. It does that within the cultural environment of its time and place, hence the need for careful study to understand its message correctly.
Sacred Scripture itself is part of Sacred Tradition, that process by which God’s revelation is passed on to us from the Apostles, and unto the Church Fathers and to the unbroken succession of Bishops through the centuries.

This handing on occurs through the prayers and liturgy of the Church, through preaching, teaching, catechesis, devotions, doctrines, and the Bible itself. Church Tradition is a collection of orthodox practices and beliefs, from the earliest of days, which makes Sacred Tradition an inerrant source of God’s revelation in matters essential to our faith and our Christian life. A very important part of Sacred Tradition is the teaching of the Ecumenical Councils. The Old Catholic Church  believes that the doctrinal definitions of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, that is those which took place within the undivided Catholic Church, were guided by the Holy Spirit and it accepts them as part of its faith. Those seven Ecumenical Councils are the Councils of Nicaea in 325AD, Constantinople in 381AD, Ephesus in 431AD, Chalcedon in 451AD, Constantinople II in 533AD, Constantinople III in 680AD, and Nicaea II in 787AD.

These Councils were concerned essentially with defining the true Catholic faith, in the Holy Trinity and in Jesus Christ the Son of God made man: God is triune, a single God in three Persons, Whom the Saviour Himself named as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, uniting in His single Person both the divine and the human natures.
Equally important in Sacred Tradition are the seven Sacraments. The Old Catholic Church  believes that these Sacraments, which are Baptism and Eucharist, both of which are particularly attested to in Sacred Scripture; and Confirmation (or Chrismation), Penance (or Reconciliation), Matrimony, Holy Orders and Unction (or Anointing of the Sick and dying), are effective signs of the Lord’s continuing presence and action within His Church and efficacious channels of his Grace. Among the Sacraments, the Holy Eucharist holds prominence of place. The Old Catholic Church  believes that the Lord Jesus Christ is really and truly present, in His humanity and in His Divinity, in the species of bread and wine that have been consecrated in the Eucharistic Liturgy of the Holy Mass, and that in Holy Communion we receive Him into ourselves to nourish the very life of the soul: 

‘Those who eat My Flesh and drink My Blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day’ , (John 6:54).

In the Lord Jesus’ plan for his Church, the Apostles and the Bishops hold a special place. The Old Catholic Church believes that the Bishops, duly consecrated in the unbroken line of Apostolic Succession, which the Old Catholic Church  possesses, are the successors of the Apostles and that they are responsible, as were the Apostles, for the ministry of service to the Church, consisting of preaching and teaching, of sanctifying and of governing, but most of all, for the safeguarding and the handing-on intact, of the Deposit of Faith and Sacred Tradition of the Church under the divine command. Under the leadership and direction of the College Bishops headed by the Archbishop Primate, Priests and Deacons, empowered by the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and with the assistance and prayers of the Religious Congregations, minister to all those who approach The Old Catholic Church for Sacramental ministry.

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AND THE SAINTS
Mary, the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church and the Queen of Heaven and earth, holds a special place in the faith, the lives and the liturgy of The Old Catholic Church . The doctrines (teachings) of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady into Heaven, are held by The Old Catholic Church in accord with Sacred Tradition, the Church Fathers and the Sacred Liturgy from the earliest of times; and in oneness with the Orthodox Church of the East. The Saints also are honored in a special way within the Liturgy and in the Church’s Calendar. Both of these beliefs and devotions form part of the reason for the historical split with the Union of Utrecht and our specific denomination of Old Catholic Churches.
The Old Catholic Church believes in the Communion of Saints, and the fellowship of the whole Church in Glory, the Church Militant and the Church Suffering. It holds to the honoring of Saints, and the prayers for their intercession for both the Church Militant and Suffering.

PURGATION
The Old Catholic Church believes the doctrine of the purgation in line with the Early and Undivided Church.  

THE POSITION OF THE POPE AND THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE CHURCH
Another historical reason for the Old Catholic Church declaring independence from the Union of Utrecht in 1910, was the continued acknowledgement of the Old Catholic Church that the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, remains the Patriarch of the West, and is considered, and honored as, Primus inter Pares; as such he always continued (and continues) to be remembered, and prayed for, within the Canon of the Mass.
Regarding the doctrines and dogmas of Infallibility, The Old Catholic Church holds that inerrancy of dogma and doctrine rests with:

1. Sacred Scripture (actual historical texts, and/or faithful and accurate translations)

2. Sacred Tradition (in the spirit of the teachings of St. John Chrysostom’s wisdom: ‘Is it Tradition? Ask no more’)

3. The declarations/dogmas of a validly held General Ecumenical Council of the whole Catholic Church.

4. To a substantial degree, with the ancient Augustine doctrine of Lex Orandi Lex Credendi with regard to the most Ancient of Sacred Liturgies which form part of the above mentioned Sacred Tradition.

5. The Patriarchs of the West (Rome) and East (Constantinople): should they declare Ex Cathedra upon faith and morals, speaking as the mouthpiece and arbiter of the whole Catholic Church, having consulted fully with the Bishops of the whole Church, and when what is declared upon is already firmly established (explicitly or implicitly) within Sacred Scripture and/or Sacred Tradition, and does not contradict, or is confirmed (either explicitly or implicitly) by, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

6. The Filioque position: The Old Catholic Church maintains, as does the whole Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, the solid and unquestioning beliefs as set out in the Creed of Nicaea/Constantinople of 381. We maintain that, whilst theological debate may continue regarding the Filioque clause, no Church and no Bishop or Bishops, nor successive Synods or Councils may change, alter, add to, or take away from, a Creed once it is proclaimed by a legitimate General Ecumenical Council, and that such Sacred Tradition is held as absolute by The Old Catholic Church.

THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH AND DIVINE LITURGY
The authorized Eucharistic liturgies used in TOCC are:  

In the administration of the Sacraments The Old Catholic Church uses exclusively the rites authorized, and of universal acceptance, as The Old Catholic Missal also known as the "Mathew Rite", that is, Archbishop Arnold Mathew’s 1909 English translation of the Tridentine Rite; a Rite which goes as far back as the early 4th Century, and which traces its history to the ancient Eastern Rites of Ss. Basil, Gregory the Great and John Chrysostom; and which is rightly termed The Immemorial Mass of Ages, and the Liturgy used by the Latin Church, contained in the liturgical works known, and the Rituale Romanum, the Missale Romanum and the Pontificale Romanum. TOCC permits the use of accurate translations of these works, where the vernacular is preferred and held to be desirable. 

The Seven Sacraments:
TOCC recognizes and affirms the seven Mysteries or Sacraments of the Church: Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), Communion (the Holy Eucharist), Holy Orders, Penance, Anointing of the sick (Holy Unction of the sick and Extreme Unction of the dying) and Marriage.

The Eucharist:
This central mystery of the Church, Holy Mass, is seen as being performed by the Prayer of the Church, and through: the Offering, the Invocation of the Holy Spirit (epiclesis) and the Words of Consecration. An ultimate mystery and miracle occurs in the bread and wine which produces sacramental change, thus leaving upon the altar, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, verily and indeed. This mystery, this miracle, is accepted without the necessity to produce explanations or terms, rather, we follow the wisdom of St. John Damascene (c. 675 - 749): ‘It is truly that Body, united with the Godhead, which had its origin from the Holy Virgin; not as though that Body which Ascended came down from Heaven, but because the bread and wine themselves are changed into the Body and Blood of God. But if thou seekest after the manner how this is, let it suffice thee to be told that it is by the Holy Spirit; in like manner as, by the same Holy Spirit, the Lord formed flesh to Himself, and in Himself, from the Mother of God; nor know I aught more than this, that the Word of God is true, powerful, and almighty, but its manner of operation unsearchable’.

Holy Orders:
TOCC recognizes three sacred major Orders: the Diaconate, the Priesthood, and the Episcopate (Bishop), as well as the minor orders of the Lectorate and the Subdiaconate. All ordinations are performed by a Bishop and always during the Eucharistic liturgy. The consecration of a Bishop requires the participation of at least two or three other Bishops.

Penance:
The Sacrament of Penance in the early Church was a solemn and public act of reconciliation, through which an excommunicated sinner was readmitted into Church membership. It has evolved into a private act of confession and absolution through which every Christian's membership in the Church is periodically renewed. This Sacrament may also be performed as General Absolution to a group following a General Confession (eg. the Confiteor), as within the Mathew Rite of Holy Mass.

Anointing of the Sick:
Anointing of the Sick is a biblical form of healing by prayer and anointing with Holy Oil, and traces its history back to the earliest days of the Church.

Marriage:
Marriage is celebrated through a rite performed (usually within the Mass) with great solemnity, and signifies an eternal, sacramental union between a man and a woman. TOCC theology of marriage insists on its sacramental eternity rather than its legal indissolubility. Thus, second marriages, in certain cases, are celebrated through a more subdued and penitential rite. Remarriage after divorce is tolerated on the basis of the possibility that the Sacrament of Marriage was not originally received with the consciousness and responsibility that would have made it fully effective; accordingly, re-marriage can be a second chance and is granted as part of the Church’s mercy. In all cases of second marriage, there is a specific recognition of, and lamentation for, the ending of the first marriage. The Order of the Second or Third Marriage is somewhat different than that celebrated as a first marriage and it bears a penitential character. Second or third marriages are performed by economy, that is, out of concern for the spiritual wellbeing of the parties involved and as an exception to the rule rather than the norm. Divorced and re-married men may still be considered for Holy Orders at the discretion of the Sacred College of Bishops.

THE SACRED COLLEGE OF BISHOPS AND GOVERNANCE
TOCC is governed by Its Synod College of Bishops presided by the Patriarch, and, with the assistance of their various advisors, maintain an open and transparent means of governing the Church.

DISCIPLINES WITHIN THE PRIESTHOOD
TOCC does not impose the discipline of Priestly Celibacy upon Its clergy, and both Priests and Bishops are at liberty to marry before Ordination or remain celibate if they choose to do so.  However, the already-married may voluntarily choose to practice continence after Ordination. All Deacons, Priests and Bishops, and Religious are bound by a strict Code of Conduct which is set within the Church’s Cannons.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE CHURCH
TOCC maintains the ancient beliefs and Sacred Tradition of the Church for an all-male clergy. In the Celebration of Holy Mass Christ is the real Priest and Sacrifice, but He makes His Sacrifice through the visible, that is, the Ordained human Priest. In his Priesthood, the human Priest embodies no other Priesthood than the Priesthood of Christ Himself; he executes Christ's invisible Priesthood in a visible manner, being completely and fully dependent on the High Priest, whose instrument and surrogate he is. The priesthood is not viewed by TOCC  as ‘right’ or a ‘privilege’; it does not see the clergy as a caste apart from the People of God. It does not understand Ordination to the Priesthood as a matter of justice, equality, political correctness, or human rights. No one, not even males, have the ‘right’ to Ordination, and no one ‘chooses’ Ordination; we believe that it is God Who does the choosing, even if His Will in this instance seems completely contrary with the understanding of the world, the culture or the era. The clergy do not stand above the People of God, rather, they stand in their midst, just as Christ stands in the midst of His People. Those who carry out essential ministries without being ordained, either as Religious or as lay-folk, also stand in the midst of God’s People, for the ministries they pursue in the Name of Our Lord also share in His work.