Catholic Apostolic Priesthood
in the Church of Antioch
CATHOLICISM
OF THE CHURCH OF ANTIOCH
The word Catholic means "universal" in the earliest
traditions of the church. Within the Church of Antioch we hold that our role within Catholicism is to perform the liturgy and distribute
the sacraments, while promoting individual freedom of choice and conscience. Our Catholicism encourages people to investigate
virtually all possible avenues of spiritual fulfillment and growth.
Our form of Catholicism
promotes traditional sacramental worship, while counseling individuals to seek to discover divinity within. We hold that no
one should stand between the individual and God, "in Whom we live, move, and have our being." The Church of Antioch is non-creedal and non-dogmatic,
therefore we encourage the freest possible interpretation of those teachings which are handed down to us, consistent with
the revelation of conscience.
We distinguish
between spirituality and religion. Spirituality is openness to transcendence. Religions are means of rendering divine worship.
Thus, we distinguish between priests, whose function is to perform the sacred rites, and spiritual guides, whose own personal
experience qualifies them to assist others on the path they have successfully trod.
THE
CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC PRIESTHOOD
In both the Western Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions,
priests are ordained by bishops who have been consecrated by other bishops, in an unbroken line, going back to the original
apostles, and through them to Jesus Christ. This is known as "apostolic succession."
Churches are justified
in calling themselves Catholic when their orders are valid with respect to apostolic succession and their liturgies conform
to the essentials of tradition. Because of our well-recognized apostolic succession, and liturgies that accord with accepted
tradition, the Church of Antioch
can claim to be truly Catholic in virtually every sense of the word. Our priests and bishops therefore validly administer
the traditional Catholic sacraments.
OPEN HOLY ORDERS
Holy Orders are open, regardless of gender, marital
status, or sexual orientation. While we sympathize with the concept of the priesthood of the laity, we put great stock in
the importance of apostolic succession. Our solution is to make Holy Orders available to qualified candidates who wish to
serve Christ. Such candidates are required to have a level of academic achievement and prior life experience which demonstrates
potential for successful completion of a program of priestly formation and for the professional practice of religion. Spiritual
and priestly formation is supervised by the church's seminary, Sophia
Divinity School.
Men and women are equal spiritually. We do not believe
that the traditional bias against women in the priesthood can be justified any longer. The Church of Antioch has been ordaining women
priests, as well as consecrating women bishops for many years. Before the Patriarch's death he assigned the church to the
Matriarch. Upon her retirement church leadership was assumed by the Presiding Bishop with the title of Metropolitan
who will assume the title of Patriarch upon his enthrownment.
Many Catholic and Orthodox rites permit their clergy
to marry. Even those rites which do not, admit the principle there is nothing in scripture to prevent it. Accordingly, we
leave the option of celibacy to the individual. For we recognize that what may be spiritually helpful to one person, may be
an obstacle for another.
The clergy of the Church of Antioch are self-directed and self-supporting.
You may make of your ministry whatever you desire and are capable of. We do not require you to give up your current profession
or life-style.
Your own energy, intelligence, creativity, competence,
and resources are your primary tools in ministry. The church exists as a spiritual fellowship and community to provide support
and assistance to self-sufficient individuals who are assuming responsibility for their own lives.
FELLOWSHIP
Our church is a spiritual fellowship of followers of
the Spirit. We give ourselves and others encouragement to live the truth. To live the truth is to become ever more the Christ,
the true Self of all and the source of real happiness and abiding fellowship.
LOVE CENTERED
We are a church of love. We accept Saint John's testimony that God is Love. For us, Christ's ministry is the law of love: "Love
the Lord, thy God, with thy whole heart, thy whole mind and thy whole strength; and love thy neighbor as thyself. This is
the whole of the Law and the prophets." Saint Augustine epitomized
Christian ethics in the precept, "Love and do as you will."
UNIVERSAL
We maintain that the Holy Spirit acts through pure
channels everywhere, regardless of age, sex, race, creed or culture. There is only one true God, however this God is known
or worshipped; hence, there is eternally only one holy universal Church, regardless of the cultural form it happens to assume
in a given time and place. We revere the saints, sages, and holy ones of all ages and places.
MYSTICAL &
SPIRITUAL
We seek to draw back the veil, first to discover the
deeper intellectual import and then the experiential dimension which is the true meaning of spiritual symbolism in scripture,
ritual, liturgy and theology.
We are a mystical church, keeping in mind the Old Testament
words, "Be still and know I AM."
We give a primary place to Christ's saying, "The
kingdom of heaven lies within you" and the belief that love is spiritual knowledge par excellence. God is Love, and it is
through our love that we come to a real and abiding understanding of God and Christ.
You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth
fruit, and that your fruit should remain.
- John 15:16
The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: "You are a priest forever, according to the order of
Melchizadek."
- Psalm 109:4
As the Father has sent Me, so I send you. Then He breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit.
-
John 20:21-22
They presented these men to the apostles, who first prayed over them and then imposed hands on
them.
- Acts 6:6