| Orthodox-Catholic Church of America | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Christian syncretic (Eastern Orthodox/Oriental Orthodox/Western Catholic) |
| Orientation | Western Christianity (Latin Rite)/Eastern Christianity (Byzantine Rite/East Syriac Rite) |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Primate | Vacant |
| Associations | Communion with Catholic Apostolic Church in North America[1] |
| Region | United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Cameroon, Australia |
| Language | English |
| Origin | 1892 United States |
| Separated from | Syriac Orthodox Church (1910) |
TheOrthodox-Catholic Church of America (OCCA) is an independent and self-governing Christiansyncretic (Eastern Orthodox/Oriental Orthodox/Western Catholic)jurisdiction based in theUnited States (including the territory of theUS Virgin Islands), with clergy also in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Africa, and Australia.[2]
The church celebrates predominantly a version of theWestern Liturgy (Roman Rite) though some priests also celebrate theDivine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (Byzantine Rite) or theLiturgy of Addai and Mari (East Syriac Rite).[3] The OCCA is not associated with the Eastern Orthodox churches whose bishops are members of theAssembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.
The OCCA is governed by asynod ofdiocesan bishops, currently six. The ecclesial purpose of the OCCA is to be a loving, welcoming and inclusive community where all people can attain the fundamental goal of the Orthodox Catholic faith, summed up by St.Maximos the Confessor (580-662 CE) as "All that God is, except for an identity in being, one becomes when one is deified by grace". This is effected through the worship of God in theHoly Trinity and the proclamation and living of the faith as taught inHoly Scripture, theApostolic tradition, and the first threeecumenical councils of theAncient church. The church recognizessacramentalordination of women to the clergy andhomosexual marriage.[4]
The OCCA is one of a number of churches practicing Orthodoxy in an American setting. Its worship and beliefs are influenced by Oriental, Eastern, and Western traditions, and considers itself to be one "self-governing" church out of many in the Orthodox tradition.[3]
The clergy ordained by the OCCA operate theirministries independently from the OCCA . According to a statement on the OCCA website:
The relationship between the Church and thecongregation, consisting of its priests, deacons and members, is based upon their shared beliefs. There is no legal relationship between the Church and the congregation.[5]
The Orthodox-Catholic Church of America was established in the United States in 1892 under the mandate of theSyriac Orthodox Patriarch,Ignatius Peter IV. The founding archbishop,Joseph René Vilatte (ordained as Mar Timotheus), had been ordained as a priest by BishopErnst Herzog of theOld Catholic Church in Bern, Switzerland on June 7, 1885.[6] Working in the Great Lakes area, predominantly in Wisconsin, Vilatte sought to bring about the return of a Western Rite of Orthodoxy. Fr. Vilatte received both support and opposition in this attempt, but eventually he was consecrated as archbishop for North America, in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) by Archbishop Francis Alvarez with the permission of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch in 1892.[7]
The OCCA has canonized two saints: St. David Edwards, a former priest of the OCCA, and St. Fr.Mychal Judge, O.F.M., a Catholic Franciscan friar and firehouse chaplain who was the first identified victim of theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001.[8]
