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Gosh no! You will find many priests
and laity in the Old Catholic
movement were born and raised, and
even ministered in the Roman
Catholic Church. Saying we are
'better' really isn't correct. Are
we different? YES!
In many places, Old Catholics
minister right along side of Roman
Catholics and other clergy. In
others, they are less welcoming.
The nature of Old Catholicism is
one that respects the catholic
traditions like liturgy, protection
of life and social justice, yet we
are contemporary in how we minister,
and who we invite to full life in
the church, and who is eligible to
be ordained to the priesthood.
So in a nutshell, we are the
same, but different.
It is the similarities that make
us Catholic.:
- The unbroken line of
Apostolic Succession our bishops
share with every Catholic bishop
and pope that ever was;
- Our belief that the bread
and wine become the body and
blood of Christ on the altar;
- That faith, coupled with
works, is the key to salvation;
- That there was no room in
the Inn;
- That the Virgin Mary played
as an important role in our
salvation as her Son Jesus
Christ did;
- That on the third day, He
rose again in fulfillment of the
scriptures;
Likewise, it is our differences
that make us a unique expression of
being Catholic:
- We believe that all of God's
children have the right to
access all the sacraments;
- We believe that women can
and do experience a true calling
to the Catholic Priesthood and
we welcome them to the altar and
the vineyard;
- We strive to reach out and
minister to those who are
forgotten, ignored, and stepped
over as our primary mission;
- We believe that things like
divorce and human sexuality do
not bar someone from marriage.
Love, respect, and commitment
are all that is required to be
married, and we endorse and
offer marriage to any couple who
requests it.
Of course there is more to it. We
invite you to learn more about the
Old Catholic Priesthood, and how we
might work together, assisting you
in answering the call.
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