Greetings from our Presiding Bishop

Welcome to our church website! The pages presented here will give you information about the Ecumenical Catholic Church+USA (ECC+USA) and introduce you to our ministries, congregations and clergy. If you have questions about our church or if you are interested in pursuing ministry with us, please email me at DomDavid@ecc-usa.org

We are a small, somewhat new, church with long roots in the Old Catholic Church movement in the USA. A couple of years ago, we separated from another independent Catholic church because our clergy and people wanted to more positively witness the liturgy and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church especially regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the same time, we remain totally independent of the Roman Catholic Church in all matters, with particular reference to papal infallibility and authority, remarriage after a divorce, family planning, clerical celibacy, and ordination of women. Our specific beliefs regarding these issues are presented elsewhere on this website.

 

Being a theologically open and ecumenical church, we make all sacraments available to anyone who believes in the divinity and teachings of Jesus Christ. Specifically, the sacrament of Holy Orders at all levels (deacon, priest, bishop) is open to both men and women. Indeed, women who are ordained as deacons, priests and bishops serve with the same rights, privileges, responsibilities, and obligations as our male deacons, priests, and bishops.

 

We are a missionary church. Even though ministry within our church takes many forms, every clergyperson must have an active ministry which is specifically designed to actualize our church mission statement.

The mission of the Ecumenical Catholic Church+USA is fulfilled in ministering to all people by preaching the Word of God, offering the Seven Sacraments of the Church, and witnessing Christ's mercy and love using an ecumenical approach that maintains catholic tradition.

Our clergy serve as pastors of parishes; as chaplains to nursing homes, police and fire departments, prisons, and hospitals; and as pastoral directors of religious institutions. Each of our clergy holds a full time job through which he/she supports his/her family and ministry. We are worker-priests (deacons, bishops) who live in the world and bring Christ into this world both in the workplace and at the altar.

There are many places and ways for you to serve Christ as a clergyperson in the ECC+USA and/or as a member of one of our congregations, several religious orders and institutes.

If you think you might be interested in partnering with us in ministry, let's talk.

God bless you.

+David

Bishop David Mark Kocka
Presiding Bishop

Beliefs Statements + what we believe; what we teach

 

Church History + about our roots