Bishop James I. Wedgwood was the 1st Presiding Bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church in 1916.
Order of The 7 Rays (O7R)
Oratory of Saint Didymus
A Community of
Church of Saint Thomas Apostle Lcocci
Below will be just the shortest of history on one branch or line many of our Clergy have our Apostolic Succession from. Our LCC line founders were Theosophical and Gnostic line. That line coming from The Old Catholic Church of Utrich, Them forming the LCC for The English speaking Britain.
Our Theosophical Bishops were life long authors and speakers committed to study of the the perennial wisdom and the Western Mystery Traditions. Our Other lines include French Gnostic and others that are common in the GCU. We are a modern Gnostic Community with starting fellowships in a few cities . We don't concern ourselves with the power organizations that would still be burning people at the stake except to protest for Human Rights. You will have to look into our communities as we are all very different and we accept wide diversity in community and individual thinking.
The Ritual Rite we use is called the The Liberal Rite-LR. It is known as such for some decades in the circle of Valid Catholic Sacramental churches such as ours that are Independent of Rome.
Tau Corvus (Bishop David Lindley) is in valid Apostolic succession Directly to Saint Peter and Our Lord Christ. You will see below We owe
this Apostolic succession to the Old Catholic Church of Holland. Pope Eugene III of Rome granted The Old Catholic Church the right to be an independent Catholic jurisdiction and to consecrate her own Bishops in 1145. Pope Leo X in 1215 again confirmed this right of the Old Catholic Church . We are Independent NOT Roman and use the Liberal Rite.
All sacraments are available upon request.
The Liberal Catholic Church (1915) neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant but is an Independent Catholic Church. The Orders of its Clergy were derived from The Old Catholic Church of Holland which became separate from Rome over two centuries ago as you can see from our home page. It is a Ceremonial Church which combines the Ancient Form of Sacramental Worship with the utmost Liberality of Thought. It leaves its members Free in Matters of Belief. The Seven Historic Sacraments are administered to all who approach our altars with reverence.
Origins and Evolution of the Liberal Catholic Church
The Catholic Church in Holland
The ancient Dutch Catholic Church in Holland traces its history back to the seventh century when two British missionaries, St. Willibroad and St. Boniface, evangelized Holland, Belgium and Germany, and founded the Archbishopric of Utrecht, which remained in communion with Rome until its Archbishop Peter Codde was deposed in 1704. Eventually the See of Utrecht received a new Archbishop, Peter John Meindaarts, who was consecrated in 1739 by Dominicus Marie Varlet, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Babylon. From that time onward the ancient Dutch Catholic Church has been independent of Rome and been known as the Old Catholic Church because it maintained that
the Roman Catholic Church had departed from the faith of the Old Church by adopting new doctrines.
The Vatican Council of 1870 promulgated the controversial doctrine of Papal Infallibility. The Old Catholics refuse to accept this innovation in church teaching.
True Catholicism is not dependent upon Rome, but upon maintaining the historic organic link to the apostolic tradition. This tradition embodies the fullness of the magisterium of Jesus Christ, "The Deposit of Faith," which Jesus gave to the 12 apostles equally (in collegium). This magisterium embodies teaching, Holy Scripture, reason, and sacred tradition (sacraments).
The Liberal Catholic Church In 1902 in England a request was made to the Archbishop of Utrecht to establish in England a branch of the Old Catholic Church. Accordingly after due consideration and the selection of a leader, Bishop Arnold Harris Matthew was consecrated on April 28, 1908, in the Cathedral Church of St. Gertrude, Utrecht. Archbishop Gerardus Gul was the consecrator, assisted by the Bishops of Haarlem, Deventer, and Germany. Bishop Arnold Harris Matthew was then named Regionary Bishop (with jurisdiction) of the Old Catholic Church of Great Britain.
In 1914 Bishop Frederick Samuel Willoughby was consecrated to succeed Bishop Matthew, who then retired from active ministry.
February 16, 1916, Bishop James Ingall Wedgwood was consecrated to succeed Bishop Willoughby. July 22, 1916, Bishop Charles Webster Leadbeater was consecrated to assist Bishop Wedgwood. Both Bishops Wedgwood and Leadbeater were prominent British
Theosophists. With their theosophical insights and spiritual vision, Bishops Wedgwood and Leadbeater set about to reorganize the British section of the Old Catholic Church as a non-authoritarian, non-dogmatic, Catholic spiritual home for all those who because of their peculiar beliefs or lifestyles felt alienated and unwelcome in the traditional churches.
Thus after extensive revision and reorganization, in 1916, the Old Catholic Church in Great Britain was renamed the Liberal Catholic Church. Since that time the Liberal Catholic Church has maintained a distinct identity of it own, no longer affiliated with the Old Catholics.
Since its inception in 1916, the Liberal Catholic Church has spread all over the world and now exists in more than 40 countries, yet remains a tiny movement. It is estimated that there are approximately 45,000 members of the Liberal Catholic Church worldwide.
As it grew and became a worldwide movement differences of administration and policy arose within the Church so that today there are now 7 distant autonomous jurisdictions within the Liberal Catholic Movement.
The practical organizational, business, and administrative duties of the church are vested in a lay assembly. The Bishops have no hand in the business aspects of the church.
Peace to those of good will +
+ Tau Corvus