Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Article I - The Organization of the Church
Article II - Ministries
Article III - The Sacraments
Article IV - Particular Churches and their Groupings
Article V - Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Article VI - Ecclesiastical Discipline
Article VII - Exercise of Ecclesia Supplet
ARTICLE I
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH
CANON 1: Governance
Sec 1 (a). The Governance of the church shall consist of the following: the Metropolitan
Archbishop or Presiding Bishop, the Board of Directors (known herein as ‘Leadership Council’),
and the Holy Synod.
(b). The Holy Synod shall consist of three separate bodies: the College of Bishops, the
Leadership Council, and the College of Clergy and Laity. Each body shall be distinct and of
equal rank in the Synod.
Sec 1 (a) Only persons consecrated as a Bishop shall be elected Metropolitan Archbishop or
Presiding Bishop. There must be a minimum of 3 (three) active and voting bishops in the
Clergy elevated to the office of Bishop and RDB are entitled to and shall meet the following:
Sec 1 (a) Only persons having received Holy Orders (Diaconate and Priesthood) shall be
elevated to the office of Bishop.
(b) Only persons who meet the criteria as established in the Constitution of this Church shall be
eligible to be elevated to Bishop.
(c) No person shall be elected RDB unless he/she has reached 40 years of age and has been a
bishop a minimum of 3 (three) years.
(d) The RDB shall be elected by the bishops and/or clergy of his/her diocese or region. Laity of
the diocese or region should also participate in the election as circumstances permit.
(e) The office of Bishop and/or RDB may be vacated for reasons of ill health, or advanced age.
(f) The RDB may, at his/her request, retire from the office and shall upon retirement be made
Regional Diocesan Bishop Emeritus.
(g) Should a RDB or other Bishop be found guilty of crimes violating Church law, he/she shall
be deposed by a vote of the Holy Synod. He/she may also be deposed if found guilty of serious
crimes violating Civil law by a vote of the Holy Synod.
Sec 1 (a) All consecrations to the episcopacy shall be ratified in advance by the Council in order
to address any concerns and to affirm the Metropolitan Archbishop or Presiding Bishop's power
to consecrate.
(b) The Council shall elect a member to serve the judicial body of the Church when the Church
must hear cases involving violations of the Canons of the Church.
Sec 1 (a) The Holy Synod is the only body that shall pass legislation and/or amend canons.
(b) The Metropolitan Archbishop or Presiding Bishop shall announce the time and location of
the Synod on a biennial basis (every two years). The Synod date shall be announced no less than
6 (six) months prior to the meeting.
(c) The Synod shall take place in as central a location as possible so as to be convenient to as
many bishops, clergy and laity as possible.
(d) The Synod is to typically take place over a weekend but shall not exceed five days in
duration.
(e) The Synod shall review and pass the budget presented by the Leadership Council.
(f) The Synod shall set aside time for worship and reflection.
(g) Unless circumstances require otherwise, all consecrations to the episcopacy shall take place
at the biennial meeting of the Synod. Ordinations to the priesthood and diaconate may also take
place at the Synod.
Sec 1 (a) The College of Bishops shall meet either in person or through other means, typically a
phone or video conference, at least 4 (four) times during the year.
Sec 1 (a) The Judicial Body shall hear cases of clergy or laity who have been accused of
violating the Canons of the Church or the Laws of the United States or of the State in which the
accused live.
(b) The accused shall be presumed innocent until found guilty.
(c) The decisions of the Judicial Body shall be final.
(d) The Judicial Body shall report any criminal violations of Civil law to the appropriate legal
authorities.
ARTICLE II
MINISTRIES
Sec 1 (a) Only ordained persons with sufficient knowledge and experience in the ministration of
theology, Scripture, liturgy and Canon Law shall be considered for election to the office of
Sec 1 (a) No person shall be ordained in this Church unless they have reached at least 25 years of
age. Candidates for ordination to the priesthood shall also first complete a minimum of 6 (six)
months as a deacon.
(b) Any person pursuing ordination to the priesthood in this Church must show themselves to
have sufficient knowledge in theology, Scripture, liturgics, homiletics, and Canon Law. It shall
be the place of the Diocesan Ordinary in consultation with the Vocations Director to judge
whether or not the candidate meets the minimum criteria for ordination, and shall pass his or her
findings onto the Leadership Council and Metropolitan Archbishop or Presiding Bishop for final
approval.
(c) All candidates for priesthood in the Reformed Catholic Church, either through ordination or
incardination, shall be subject to a full criminal background check at the local, state, and federal
levels.
Sec 1 (a) There are two forms of the diaconate: the Transitional Diaconate, where the deacon
intends to continue on to the priesthood, and the Permanent Diaconate, which is a state chosen
for life.
(b) Each candidate must show themselves sufficiently knowledgeable in the following: theology,
Scripture, liturgics and homiletics to the satisfaction of the Diocesan Bishop in conjunction with
the Vocations Director, who are responsible for overseeing their training.
(c) The same regulations governing background checks and issues involving sexual crimes
against minors that are to be found in Canon 3 apply to all candidates for the Diaconate as well.
(d) The stylization for Permanent Deacons is The Reverend Deacon. Transitional Deacons use
The Reverend Mister/Mrs./Miss/Ms.
(e) If a Bishop chooses to appoint an Archdeacon, he/she may choose a Permanent Deacon or
Priest who has distinguished him/herself in leadership. The Archdeacon is addressed as The
Reverend Archdeacon, The Venerable (in writing) or Archdeacon.
Sec 1 (a) Since the Lay Licensed Minister is a licensed ministry rather than an ordained one, the
regulations governing them are at the discretion of the Bishop.
(b) The license of an Licensed Lay Minister may be revoked at any time.
Sec 1 (a) Religious communities must petition the Holy Synod for permission to be established
under the Reformed Catholic Church.
(b) If approved for establishment, they must submit their Constitution and Rule of Life to the
Synod for approval.
(c) Once established and approved, religious orders are under the guidance of the Metropolitan
Archbishop or Presiding Bishop but autonomous in their daily operation.
Sec 1 (a) The laity shall enjoy an equal role in the governance of the church and as such shall
make up the greater portion of the College of Clergy and Laity.
(b) The laity shall come into membership of this church through either the Sacrament of
Baptism, Confirmation or Reception.
(c) Any member of the laity who is in good standing within this church is eligible for election to
the College of Clergy and Laity.
(d) A member in good standing is defined as one who attends and participates in the Holy Mass
on a regular basis and gives financially to the support of their parish and the Church at large.
ARTICLE III
THE SACRAMENTS
CANON 1: The sacraments are historically understood in the Catholic and other churches as
visible signs of God’s grace to be celebrated and shared with the holy people of God. As such,
they are celebrated and offered free of charge. Clergy of the Reformed Catholic Church may not
charge a fee for sacraments. It is customary for some members of the church to give clergy a
monetary stipend for sacramental services performed, and clergy may receive such stipends
gratefully. However, stipends should not be expected and definitely not requested. Where travel
expenses may be involved for a wedding or other sacramental celebration, clergy may require
that these expenses be paid for by the person(s) receiving the sacrament or their
family/representative before clergy commit to traveling and celebrating the sacrament.
Sec 1 (a) The celebration of the Eucharist is considered “the source and summit” of Christian life
to which we direct our thanks and praise to God while receiving a renewal of grace and faith.
(b) The minister of the Holy Eucharist (also referred to as the Presider or Celebrant) is ordinarily
a Bishop or Priest. In their absence, a Deacon or Licensed Lay Minister may lead the celebration
using pre-consecrated Eucharistic hosts and omitting the Eucharistic Prayer and any other
prayers or gestures reserved to a Bishop or Priest.
(c) All Catholics, Christians and other people of goodwill are welcome to participate in the Mass
and to receive Holy Eucharist as well as the other sacraments of the Church according to their
personal desire and state in life. The reception of Holy Eucharist (also referred to as
Communion) in the Reformed Catholic Church is not reserved only to members “in good
standing” or without sin. Similarly, all present should be encouraged to take an active role in the
celebration by proclaiming the readings, leading music or singing, and/or by helping to distribute
Communion.
(d) The weekly/regular celebration of the Mass is also the appropriate and preferred setting in
which to celebrate other sacraments of the Church including Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing
of the Sick, Marriage and/or Holy Orders.
CANON 9: The worship and sacramental celebrations of the Reformed Catholic Church shall
follow the patterns set down by the church catholic as it is found in its Roman, Anglican, Old
Catholic and Orthodox branches. This church shall not be bound to follow any one form but
shall use any such forms, customs and languages as best suits the needs of the local parish or
community.
ARTICLE IV
PARTICULAR CHURCHES AND THEIR GROUPINGS
ARTICLE V
INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE
ARTICLE VI
ECCLESIASTICAL DISCIPLINE
ARTICLE VII
EXERCISE OF ECCLESIA SUPPLET