Hochkirchliche St. Johannes-Bruderschaft (SJB) (High Church Brotherhood of St John) is a GermanHigh Church Lutheran religious society for men and women under thepatronate ofJohn the Apostle within theHochkirchliche Vereinigung. It has about 100 members inGermany,Netherlands,Austria andCzech Republic. It is headed byApostolischer Vorsteher +Innocenz Konrad Schrieder.
The aim of the confraternity is "the sacramental renewal of the Church, restorement of theapostolic succession in the Church and recovery of the unity of the christendom".
The Brotherhood is headed byApostolischer Vorsteher, who is a bishop inapostolic succession. He is assisted byvicar apostolic, likewise bishop in apostolic succession. Brotherhood elects thevicar capitular andApostolischer Vorsteher with more than 66,6% majority.
The Rule contains for example following:
St. Johannes-Bruderschaft's predecessor "Evangelisch-Katholische Eucharistische Gemeinschaft" (Evangelical Catholic Eucharistic Society)was founded 1929 in Germany. It was forbidden 1937 inNazi Germany because of its resistance toAryan paragraphs and Internationalism, but was founded again in 1947 as "Evangelische-Ökumenische St.-Johannes-Bruderschaft".
The firstApostolischer Vorsteher of the confraternity wasFriedrich Heiler (1929-1967). He arranged to receive the episcopal consecration from a bishop of the independent Gallican Church (Petite L'Eglise) in Syrian-orthodox tradition. On August 25, 1930, Heiler received from the hands of the Gallican Bishop Petrus Gaston Vigué, using theRoman Ritual, all theHoly Orders including theepiscopate.
