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Funerals
FAQ |
What is a
National Catholic Parish?
The first question people ask
about Saint Patrick Catholic Church is usually this one:
What is the difference between this parish and a Roman Catholic
parish?
To answer this question properly requires some brief historical
background. For the first 1000 years of Christianity, there was, for
the most part, one unified Church, though there were numerous
individuals promoting division. In 1054, a major break in communion
involving a major portion of the Church occurred. The Eastern part
of the Church, (the Eastern Orthodox) and the Western part (the
Roman Catholics), severed communion with each other through mutual
excommunications.
Division within the Western Church continued during the 16th century
as various Reformers protested what were seen as Roman Catholic
abuses and established several Protestant denominations on the
European continent and the Anglican Church in England (known as the
Episcopal Church in the USA). These churches all left the communion
of the Catholic Church, which from then on was commonly called the
Roman Catholic Church.
By rejecting the concept of a priesthood that offers sacrifice (the
Mass) and by changing their ordination rites to institutionalize
this rejection of a sacrificial priesthood, these denominations lost
the historic episcopate, and, in so doing, lost the Real Presence of
Christ in their Eucharist, which comes about through the ministry of
that same priesthood they had rejected.
This is how the Roman Catholic and National Catholic Churches view
the history of Christianity's sad divisions. There are many factors
which brought about these divisions, theological, political and even
personal (Henry VIII's serial marriages, for instance), but because
all of them involved the rejection of the authority of the Bishop of
Rome, the Pope, independence from Papal authority is something all
these denominations have in common.
Into this general picture of independence from Papal authority comes
the National Catholic movement, though with very important
differences as we shall see very shortly; and while "National
Catholicism" is not widely known today, it nonetheless plays an
important role in the history of modern Catholicism.
The National Catholic movement differs from
the various Protestant divisions in that National Catholicism kept
its belief in the Mass and in the priesthood necessary to have the
Mass. To insure this, National Catholicism did not create new
Ordination Rites, but simply translated the official Latin Roman
Catholic rites. Thus it has never lost the historic episcopate, has
maintained a validly ordained clergy and possesses an authentic
Eucharist in which Christ is truly present. For this reason, in the
eyes of the Roman Catholic Church, National Catholic parishes are
seen as "separated" from Rome, (the official theological term for
this is schismatic),
but maintaining valid sacraments, rather than separated and
theologically defective like Protestant denominations (the official
theological term for this is heretical).
National Catholic churches originate from one of two historical
sources. The older movement began in Europe at the conclusion of the
First Vatican Council in 1869.
The chief concern of this Vatican Council was the promulgation of
Papal Infallibility, a concept and doctrine which was strongly
objected to by some bishops who saw it as over-reaching the
traditional concept of the Pope as head of the College of Bishops
and separating himself too independently from consultation with
them. In reaction, some German theologians left the Roman Catholic
Church and established a Catholic Church apart from Rome, with valid
orders obtained through the schismatic Catholic Church in Utrecht,
Holland. They differentiated themselves by keeping their doctrine to
the "old practices" before the Vatican Council, hence they are known
as Old Catholics. Today, in the United States, the largest successor
to this movement is found in the Polish National Catholic Church,
founded in 1898 as a federation of Polish parishes independent of
the Roman Catholic Church, obtaining its valid Orders also through
the schismatic Old Catholic Church of Utrecht. This church has
recently reached an accord with the Roman Catholic Church allowing
for an open Communion between the two churches.
The second source for National Catholicism comes from the Roman
Catholic Church in Brazil.
At the conclusion of the Second World War, Bishop Carlos Duarte
Costa (a Roman Catholic Bishop) came into disagreement with many
practices of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil and this led to his
leaving and severing ties with the Roman Catholic Church and to the
establishment of the Brazilian National Catholic Church. This church
movement has spread to many countries, including the United States,
and is the National Catholic authority upon which Saint Patrick
Catholic Church exists.
Today, from coast to coast, the National Catholic movement continues
to grow and spread, bringing Christ to many who had given up the
hope of Catholic reforms or even their Catholicism altogether.
This parish differs from Roman Catholic parishes in matters of
discipline only, maintaining all authentic Catholic theology and
doctrine as it existed prior to the First Vatican Council.
Differences of discipline are seen in the ability of all ranks of
the clergy to marry, if they desire, the practice of General
Absolution of Sin, admittance of all the baptized to Holy Communion,
and allowance both for remarriage and for the admittance of the
remarried to all of the Sacraments of the Church, to name just a
few.
One of Bishop Duarte Costa's first reforms was the translation of
the Mass from the Latin into the native language of the people. The
Roman Catholic Church codified the same change, nearly 30 years
later. Perhaps, over time, Bishop Duarte Costa's other disciplinary
changes may be adopted by Rome as well. In the mean time, this
parish remains a glowing torch of hope for Catholics in need of
acceptance and understanding.
To sum up: Saint Patrick Catholic Church celebrates the same
sacraments as any Roman Catholic Church and with identical validity.
This parish was erected in the year 2000, is self-sustaining and
constantly growing both in parishioners and in the spiritual zeal
necessary to bring the "Good News" to all people.
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