Who Are We?

The Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch is a Catholic church that is fully Catholic:  meaning that it embraces all people everywhere no matter who you are.  We don't discriminate against anyone for any reason.  Your marital status or sexual orientation is not a barrier.  Your age or socio-economic status is irrelevant.  Your gender or race is not a factor.  What you think, feel or believe is a matter of your personal conscience.

We believe that what unites us as Children of God is much stronger than what can divide us, for ultimately what divides us is created by people out of fear or ignorance.

 This is a rather strong and for some, a strange description of a Catholic Church.   Yet it helps to describe who we are as a church.  We value and hold the Apostolic Succession, handed down from the days of the apostles.  We value and share the seven Sacraments: Holy Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation, Annointing of the Sick,  Holy Orders.

Our Holy Orders are open to all people.  Sofia Divinity School offers a great opportunity for preparation, study, and spiritual formation process that leads to ordination.  We may incardinate (accept) priests from other jurisdictions.  In fact, in our church are priests and bishops who have come from the Roman, Orthodox and Anglican churches as well as others.

 We are a "non-dogmatic" church.  This means that while we have teachings and we have a voice in our world, we do not force people to think or believe something either to the edification or the detriment of their souls.  We firmly believe in the primacy of conscience:  God gave us a mind, it's up to us to use it.  We open our doors, our altars and our hearts to all people without exception.

 We are a church of Love, remembering that Jesus told us "Love one another as I have loved you".  We take that seriously, and remember that we are all loved by God unconditionally.  This alone is the single most important precept of the entire New Testament.

Our Spiritual Principles:

 We believe in One God, the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Source of all goodness, love, beauty and truth.

We believe in Jesus, the Christ, God made manifest in the flesh, our Example, our Teacher, our Redeemer and our Liberator.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who maintains all of Creation, who is ever present with us for guidance, for comfort, for purification, for strength and for inspiration.

We believe in the forgiveness of sins; our forgiveness of ourselves and of others, being the measure of our alignment with God’s infinite Love.

We believe in a life of prayer balanced with service. We acknowledge that our response to our obligations is a measure of our growth in the life and nature of  Christ.

We believe that there is grace for every need, that every need is supplied, and that those who live in the nature of Christ lack for nothing.

We believe that the Word of God is eternally revealed in the nature of  Christ, Whom Jesus made manifest in his life, and Whom we seek to manifest in ours.

We believe in the Church as a community of the sons and daughters of God, a center for worship, for service and for growth in perfection.

We believe that truth, harmony and balance shall prevail, resulting in a dynamic quality of life, beginning here on Earth, and continuing throughout all eternity.