What is the Celtic Catholic Church?

There is a wonderful, dynamic Church you might want to know more about. It is not a new Church in terms of age (it has been around since the early beginnings of the Christian Church), but it is new in that its message has not been heard, truly heard, for hundreds of years. It is the ancient Celtic Catholic Church which has roots far back in the history of Christianity, founded originally by people who lived with, traveled with, and were devout followers of Jesus Christ.

History

The Celtic Catholic Church is the Christian Church as it was founded among the Celtic peoples in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany almost two thousand years ago. It traces its history back to the time of Jesus and his Apostles, and indeed, the Church was established by disciples of our Savior shortly after his crucifixion and Resurrection. Ancient legend says the first missionary to Britain was St. Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus' great uncle. Whether this is strictly historically true or not, it does attest to the ancientness of the Church among the Celtic peoples. Long before there were the divisions between Orthodox and Catholic, and later between Catholic and Protestant, the Church was one in doctrine and belief, with no serious divisions but geographic ones. The Celtic Catholic Church is simply that part of the Church which was founded in the Celtic lands, just as the Roman Catholic Church is the Church founded in Italy, and the Greek Orthodox Church in Greece.

For centuries the Celtic Church flourished through out Europe, drawing its strength from areas of Celtic influence such as Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. The Christian Church among the Celts developed different styles of spirituality, history, organization, and tradition than those of the Roman and Eastern Churches. The seemingly petty differences and disputes between the western and eastern sections of the Empire never really touched the Celtic Church nor distracted it from the central message of the Gospel of Christ.

Similarity to other Churches

The similarities could be shown in several ways, but here we present them through a visitor's experience attending a Sunday morning worship service.

A visiting Roman Catholic on Sunday morning would find much that is recognizable. The Mass is recognizably similar, but by no means identical, to the old Tridentine (the Latin Mass) though it is celebrated in English. The basic structure is the same as the Mass currently used in the Roman Church, and some parts use the same words that the visitor would be used to every Sunday. The same Scripture readings are used, the priest is vested the same way, the presiding ministers and the congregation alternate parts.

A visiting Eastern Orthodox would also find much that is familiar. The deacon plays a similar role in the Liturgies of the two Churches, the Nicene Creed is recited without the filioque (the Holy Spirit is said to proceed "from the Father," not "from the Father and the Son."), the elements of bread and wine are prepared at the Jerusalem Altar and processed to the Heavenly Altar in a way similar to the Great Entrance.

A visiting Protestant would also feel at home with some parts of the service. The Bible is held very dear and the preaching is Scriptural. The emphasis is on the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ and the first-hand experience of salvation and relationship with God, neither priest nor people being content with performing rituals and mouthing traditional words which have no meaning to the person.

Community oriented

Having been formed among the Celtic peoples, a non-urbanized, tribal culture, the model for the fellowship of the Church was the clan, the family, not the city. What distinguishes the Celtic Catholic Church from the other historic divisions of Christianity is perhaps the unusually strong emphasis on the community of the entire Church which Celtic Christianity always had. Our emphasis has always been on relationships with other persons, not with hierarchical structures.

But that is not to say that the structure is not important to us. As is true of all the ancient Catholic Church, there are orders of ministry, each with its unique rôle to play in the running and governance of the Church. The Bishop of the diocese, especially, is "in charge;" but he is seen first and foremost as the "father of the family" rather than a functionary, prelate, or president. The people with their clergy, not the clergy as a separate group, constitute the Church, and yet they are guided and instructed by the ministers, who lead them in reverent worship and teach them correct theology.

Basis of Doctrine

The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds are the basic summaries of faith and doctrine. (See also our Statement of Belief.) The Bible is the foundation of teaching: everything which is taught as dogma flows directly from Scripture. Where Scripture is silent or subject to multiple understandings, the unified voice of the Church from the beginning of the faith till now (Tradition) is consulted, but the testimony of Tradition never contradicts the testimony of Scripture. It is, rather, our best available commentary on Holy Writ. Reason and personal experience are also held in high regard, but they are always tempered and disciplined by Scripture and Tradition. Neither the Church as a whole nor her ministers individually ever teach anything as doctrine based solely on Reason or experience.

We are not a "Bible only" Church. Firstly, this doctrine is a recent innovation, and is taught nowhere in Scripture nor in the apostolic Tradition. In other words, we are not "Bible only" because we, like the rest of the ancient Church from the time of the Apostles on, never were "Bible only." The Scriptures are seen in the context of the Body of Christ, the Church, to whom and through whom they were given. Second, although appealing to an infallible Bible as the sole basis of teaching may be a fine idea, it falls apart unless the interpreter also is infallible. Otherwise, too many oddities of individual interpretation, often quite contradictory, happen. The Tradition of the Church, which is the voice of the Holy Spirit working among his people, gives us a reliable guide to reading the Bible.

Types of ministry

We are a "clergy-intensive" Church, probably having more clergy per capita than any other Church, and calling a greater percentage of its members into official ordained ministry than any other. We maintain the old minor orders, giving us nine different kinds of official, formalized ministry: tonsured cleric, Porter, Lector, Exorcist, Acolyte, Subdeacon, Deacon, Priest, and Bishop. This give a place for everyone who is called by God to ministry either to the Church or to the rest of the world. Although no one is forced to enter any of the ministerial orders, and some people perhaps should not, those who have a specific calling from God are encouraged to do so. For example, those who seem especially directed toward Scripture and have a gift for teaching it would be encouraged to become Lectors and in that ministry would read the Scripture readings to the assembly during services, teach classes, and make the fruits of their intensive study of the Bible available to all of us, on a permanent basis as a life-long ministry. Similarly, an accountant may well find a ministerial vocation as a Porter (door-keeper), among other duties keeping track of the money so the doors of the Church stay open.

Who we are now

The modern Celtic Catholic Church stands proud in its historic Faith and in the heritage and tradition of its early missionaries and great saints, but this is not a Church which lives in the past, inflexible and bound to the fad and fashion of another age (nor, we pray, to the fad and fashion of this age). On the contrary, the Church is always in reform, though we have known no Reformation, willing to face any new obstacles and challenges in order to proclaim the Gospel and bring the Good News into the lives of people everywhere. While living very much in the modern world, we remain faithful, to the best of our ability by the grace of God, to the traditions and example of our holy fathers and mothers the saints, such as St. Patrick and St. Bride. It is still not a Church of power and Empire, but family; it knows no national boundaries nor, despite its name, ethnic allegiance. It is the simple Faith brought to the Celts, not a Church exclusively for or of the Celts. Never part of the Roman empire, the Celtic Catholic Church still recognizes no papal prince or earthly king; still stands firmly within the catholic and apostolic Faith; and still rests its doctrine on the faith of a Jewish carpenter and his small band of followers, who were called to form a new kind of community. Its bishops trace their apostolic lines to the apostles, but more than that, the Church traces its apostolic faith to the Risen Christ.

The Celtic Church welcomes all persons who are seeking the Kingdom of God to become part of this old-yet-new Church. Even if you do not think of yourself as a Christian or church-goer, if you are seeking a Church of openness which endeavors to bring all people to God through the saving grace of Jesus Christ; if you are seeking a Church which is committed to preaching and teaching the historical Christian Faith; if you are seeking to establish a loving support model for Christian living, conduct, and understanding; and if you want to love, serve, and comfort men and women everywhere, the the Celtic Catholic Church can perhaps provide challenge, insight, vision, and fellowship for you. And you can provide the same for the Church, also.

Where two or more are gathered in His Name, He is with us! Come and gather together. Let us reclaim this beautiful but fallen world together!