What are Ecumenical Catholic Churches?
Click here to listen to Presiding Bishop Frank Krebs of the ECC reflect on “Where are you on the Catholic landscape?”
We are independent Catholic faith communities in that we are not under the jurisdiction of the Pope nor are we subject to the canon law or the guidelines of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Mission Statement of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, of which we are a part, reads:
We are members of the Body of Christ and join together by the name, “Ecumenical Catholic Communion” or “ECC” or “Communion.” We recall the words of the second Century church father, St. Ignatius of Antioch, when referring to the Church: we are a “communion of communities” joined together by the Spirit to form a household of faith.
We serve the poor, the outcast, the sick, the disabled, the old, the young, and the imprisoned. We offer a refuge in Christ for those who suffer prejudice because of race, color, culture, philosophy, gender, sexual orientation, or educational deprivation. We conform our lives to the life and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ through prayer and study, service, and the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments. We do as Christ commanded, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
We profess our faith in Christ in the living Catholic Tradition handed to us from the Apostles through many generations. And we stand open to a dialogue with those of other religious identities and faith traditions.
All are welcome.
Click here for a wonderful article about us in the Eden Prairie Local News!
How is the ECC “catholic?”
We uphold our catholic tradition with respect to the following principles:
- The teachings and person of Jesus Christ
- The New Testament
- The Nicene Creed
- The Sacramental & Liturgical tradition practiced
- Apostolic Tradition and Succession affirmed
We share a common theology and liturgical tradition with the Catholic Church. Our deacons, priests and bishops participate in the same historic apostolic succession as do the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and other apostolic Churches. We share the same historical developments as Western Christianity.
We trace our modern roots to the emergence of the Old Catholic movement which began in 1870 as a response to the first Vatican Council’s pronouncement of Papal Infallibility and the primacy of papal jurisdiction.
For more information on the ECC as a whole, please visit http://www.ecumenical-catholics.org