“This means that you are stranger and aliens no longer. No, you are included in God’s holy people and are members of the household of God, which is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Jesus as the capstone. In Christ the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in our God; in Christ you are being built into this temple, to become a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22
As a Communion, we affirm the Catholic tradition of synodal governance as expressed in the Trinitarian relational ecclesiology and our way of life together. Synodal governance includes the participation of all three voices of laity, clergy, and bishops in the life and decision-making of each community, diocese, as well as our Communion.
We adhere to the principle “in essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, and in all things charity.”
We believe that the Holy Spirit speaks through all the voices of the Church: laity, clergy, and bishops, in their separate yet interdependent roles. These voices all come together to speak as one voice in synod as the sensus fidelium, (sense of the faithful) which is essential to the synodal process. As in the early Church, we believe that all three voices of laity, clergy, and bishops must be involved in the election of our pastors and bishops and continue to maintain this ancient practice in the Communion and its dioceses.
We understand that we are called first to be church, the blessing of God is paramount to all we accomplish. Every synod, whether for the Communion every two years or annually for a diocese, or even our regular community meetings, are not just a legislative gathering, but rather a gathering of the body of Christ, born of the holy eucharist from which we live our life of community and self-giving for others. These gatherings give time to building up the body of Christ with collegial, educational, relational, spiritual, and ministerial opportunities.
We adhere to the principle “in essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, and in all things charity.”
We believe that the Holy Spirit speaks through all the voices of the Church: laity, clergy, and bishops, in their separate yet interdependent roles. These voices all come together to speak as one voice in synod as the sensus fidelium, (sense of the faithful) which is essential to the synodal process. As in the early Church, we believe that all three voices of laity, clergy, and bishops must be involved in the election of our pastors and bishops and continue to maintain this ancient practice in the Communion and its dioceses.
We understand that we are called first to be church, the blessing of God is paramount to all we accomplish. Every synod, whether for the Communion every two years or annually for a diocese, or even our regular community meetings, are not just a legislative gathering, but rather a gathering of the body of Christ, born of the holy eucharist from which we live our life of community and self-giving for others. These gatherings give time to building up the body of Christ with collegial, educational, relational, spiritual, and ministerial opportunities.
| OCC Constitution_ratified 06.14.2023.pdf |
| ACC Constitucion_ratified 06.14.2023_Espanol.pdf |
| OCC Covenant of Unity of Bishops.rev2023.pdf |
Memories of Holy Synod 2023
Courtesy of Rev. Pam Kern, Holy Cross Old Catholic Diocese of the Midwest
