old catholic ledger 2012 v1 n1

7/31/2019 Old Catholic Ledger 2012 V1 N1

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In this issue

Metropolitan Musings 1

From the Provincial Office of

Communications and Media Relations 2

Prayer Requests 3

Joseph Vilatte - Father of American Old

Catholicism 3

Consecration and Ordinations 12

Welcome! 14

Learning Notes 15

Share and support this newsletter 15

Vestment Exchange 15

Support the National Church 15

Feisty Frying Friar 15Third Quarter Saints Word Search 17

Fourth Quarter Newsletter Deadline:

August 25th

Volume 1 Number 1 Third Quarter 2012

Metropolitan Musings

Grace and Peace,

I am pleased to write you all on this Feast of

Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church. As a

branch of the One, Holy, Catholic andApostolic Church, we preserve and pass on

to the world the fullness of the teaching of

Jesus Christ through Apostolic Tradition,

Holy Scripture and the Sacred Sacraments

entrusted to us. Continuing to persevere in

the spreading of the Good News, defense of

the least, lost and forgotten and standing as

sentinels on the walls, we are ever guided

and refreshed in our ministries through thepower of the Holy Spirit. The action of the

Holy Spirit leads us into all truth and

empowers us to endure for the sake of

Christ, carrying our crosses each day as we

witness the power of Christ in us and the

ever present revelation of the kingdom of

God.

As a Church, we must maintain faith withour traditions, all that makes us truly

Catholic whilst being relevant to the

societies in which we live. This is not an

easy task, but one we are called by Christ to

accomplish. Be in the world and not of it

we are admonished. So we are asked to

enter fully into our humanity, into what

makes us living persons, accepting and

embracing the good and the bad within

ourselves. By celebrating the good and


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redeeming the bad the power of Christ and

the Holy Spirit enables us to work out our

salvation and makes of us a pleasant

offering to the Lord. No Saint of God ever

ran from the sinful nature within them;rather, they embraced it, allowing Christ to

redeem it, buying it back and consecrating it

to the Lord, making them a whole and

pleasing offering. Please note, I have not

said accept the sinful within us, rather

embrace it so that it might be redeemed by

the all cleansing and restoring sacrifice of

the Lord Jesus Christ.

In a similar way, we are called to live in the

world and to become salt and leaven,

causing an acceptable, redemptive change

in the place we find ourselves. In each

situation we are to bring the light of Christ,

the presence of Christ and in many cases to

recognize Christ's presence in a person or

situation. In this way we cause change by

allowing the Holy Spirit to bring life into thesituations Christ has lead us. Christ

especially in our own hearts, then in our

homes, in the work place, the schools, the

neighborhoods, the streets, markets and

the Church!

We, as a Province have much to do! Our call

is to be a mission people, spreading the

good news of Christ Jesus in every aspect ofour lives through our actions; may they

speak more loudly than our words! We are

growing; we are receiving letters of inquiry

each week and are pleased to see growing

interest in our Church. Bishop Godsey

works tirelessly on the website and as our

Communications Director; we thank him

with all our hearts. Bishop Ted and Deacon

Bill recently attended the Ordination of Fr.

Myke Beckett the Fr. Protector of the RCCDominican Order and the Ordination of our

beloved brother Friar Phil Gerboc to the

Holy Priesthood. We are grateful to them

for taking the time and expense to attend

this important event. Throughout this

Season of Pentecost, which focuses on the

growth of the Church, we too should focus

on Church growth. I encourage each of you

to pray about your ministries. Considervolunteering at a shelter or food pantry,

starting a bible study group, prayer group or

working for social change in your

communities. In this way we bring the

message of Christ to a world in need, one

person at a time.

Remember that YOU are the CHURCH!

Christ is alive in you and working througheach of you to bring His love to the world.

This is how they will know the Father has

sent each of you, that you LOVE one

another. Let the hallmark of our Church be

our mutual love and service to each other!

God Bless you all,

+Edmund

From the Provincial Office of

Communications and Media

Relations


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website, shields and logos for the Province

as well as internal and external

communications. Please remember, if

contacted by the media do not lie to them.

It is better to say that you do not know butwill find out and get back to them then to

make something up.

You can find the interim guidelines for

dealing with Public Relations at the clergy

only section of the OCAC USA website

located at http://www.lcacusa.org.

Should you have any questions or concerns,

my staff and I stand ready to assist you.

God bless!

+Gregory

Prayer Requests

Please keep the following intentions in your

prayers. Please send any prayer request to

[email protected].

----------------------------------------------------------

Bishop Gregory Godsey Continued healing

Bishop Edmund Cass for the strength to

lead the church

Bishop Adrian Glover for wisdom and

strength to lead the church

Bishop Cass Cousin Frannie Healing

Joseph Vilatte - Father of AmericanOld Catholicism

The last several months have been

interesting to say the least! We are happy

to announce the consecration of our new

Metropolitan Bishop, The Right Rev. Aaron

Edmund Newton Cass and the consecrationof the new Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese

of Saint Bartholomew (NC & VA), The Right

Rev. Edward (Ted) Wooldridge. These two

gentlemen deserve our support and prayers

as they continue to lead the US church.

I am also pleased to announce the

ordination of Friar Philip Gerboc to the

priesthood. Many will remember that Friar

Father Philip Gerboc was unable to attend

the consecration due to his health, but God

had something bigger and better in the

works for Fr. Gerboc. He was able to help

cement the relationship we have with The

Most Rev. John Bell and the Reformed

Catholic Church by being ordained at one of

their churches in Ohio.

As the Director of the Provincial Office ofCommunications and Media Relations it is

my job to release the Provincial newsletter

each quarter. It is a monumental task that

will only grow as we grow. I ask that each

and every one of you take a few moments

each quarter to send me articles and

pictures to use in the newsletter. It is your

help that will make this newsletter a

success. As we grow, and as the need arises,we may make this a monthly newsletter.

But as they say, we will cross that bridge

when we come to it.

It is also my job to prepare certificates,
http://www.lcacusa.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.lcacusa.org/


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being informed that he would need to serve

in the armed forces for seven years, he

moved to Belgium, joining the Congregation

of the Christian Brothers at Namur.

However, he decided to try for the secularpriesthood and once again immigrated to

Canada in 1876.

Vilatte envisioned a Church beyond

denominations:

"I visited the various families and

urged them to ignore their doctrinal

differences for the present and unitein one Community Church. I felt I

could preach nothing but the Gospel

of Grace; that neither Roman

Catholicism nor Protestantism could

satisfy the needs of these people

but a Christian Catholic Church

without any other qualification. A

purified Church which would

present the Gospel to them as didthe Primitive Church, and exercise

authority according to the spirit of

free America." Rene Vilatte,

Autobiography, 1910

In Canada he studied with the Congregation

of the Holy Cross Fathers at the College of

St. Laurent in Montreal, until, about three

years later, he met a former RomanCatholic priest turned Presbyterian

minister, Charles Chiniquy, who persuaded

him to turn Protestant. Chiniquy introduced

Vilatte to a Protestant pastor who helped

him to get admission to McGill University.

Archbishop Joseph Ren Vilatte (24 January

1854 - 8 July 1929) was, at different times,

a Roman Catholic, Presbyterian,

Episcopalian, Russian Orthodox and

Jacobite. He is best known, however, for his

activities as an Old Catholic cleric.

Vilatte was born in Paris to French parents

hailing from the Maine region and who

belonged to the Petite Eglise, a sect formed

by so-called rigorist Catholics angry with

the Holy See and the dioceses for signing or

accepting the Concordat of 1801, which in

their eyes was a betrayal of the Catholic

Church and an heretical liberal compromise

with the French revolutionaries of 1789.

Vilatte was baptized as an infant by a

layman as the sect had become priestless.

His mother died soon after his birth and he

was raised in a Parisian orphanage operated

by the Brothers of the Christian Schools

after having been conditionally baptized. He

finally converted to Roman Catholicism and

was accepted into the Roman Catholic

Church in 1867.

Around the 1870s, Vilatte decided to

immigrate to Canada where, near Ottawa,

he worked as a catechist in a small school.

After two years he returned to France, but


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After two years, however, Vilatte once

again reconciled with the Roman Catholic

Church and entered the Clerics of Saint

Viator at Bourbonnais, Illinois. Here he once

again met Chiniquy, who told him ofFranco-Belgian Catholics in North-East

Wisconsin who wished to integrate with the

American mainstream as Protestants.

Chiniquy also introduced Vilatte to another

former Roman Catholic, Hyacinthe Loyson,

formerly a Carmelite who had been

excommunicated in 1869 after marrying an

American widow and founding the "Gallican

Catholic Church". Under the inspiration ofChiniquy and Loyson, Vilatte moved to

the Green Bay area of Wisconsin as a

Presbyterian minister.

As Vilatte was not able to make much

headway with the Franco-Belgian

immigrants, after a few months of trying

and at the advice of Loyson, he turned

to John Henry Hobart Brown, the EpiscopalBishop of Fond du Lac for support. Vilatte

suggested to Brown that his (Vilatte's)

Presbyterian mission should be taken over

by the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac as

an Old Catholic outpost. Brown seized on

this as a means of building a bridge with the

Old Catholics in Europe and agreed to

support Vilatte.

At the same time Loyson, who had

migrated to France, wrote to Vilatte to

come over and be ordained a priest

by Eduard Herzog, the Old Catholic Bishop

of Berne, Switzerland, as a first step in

founding the Old Catholic Church in North

America. With the support and

encouragement of Brown and his fellow

Episcopal bishops, Vilatte then traveled to

France where Herzog ordained him to thediaconate and priesthood on 6 and 7 June

1885.

In 1888 Brown, who had supported Vilatte

morally and financially, died and was

succeeded by Charles C. Grafton. Grafton,

unlike Brown, did not favor Vilatte and

conflicts soon arose. In order to correct the

canonical situation created by Brown,Grafton demanded that Vilatte surrender

ownership of his missions to the diocese,

which had paid for them in the first place;

Vilatte complied in August 1890. Despite

this, however, the relationship between the

two deteriorated fast.

At the heart of the dispute was the

conflicting vision for Vilatte's missions heldby Vilatte and Grafton. Vilatte hoped that

Grafton would continue Brown's policy of

financing these missions in the hope of

converting Roman Catholics to non-papal

Old Catholicism and of using these missions

as a springboard to founding the Old

Catholic Church in North America. Grafton,

on the contrary, wished to integrate these

missions into his Episcopal diocese.

Adding to the dispute was Vilatte's refusal

to break with the Franco-Belgians' adamant

rejection of Anglican orders as invalid, while

accepting the validity of Old Catholic


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orders; an attitude carried from Roman

Catholicism. Brown had been willing to

countenance this but Grafton took this as

an affront to the legitimacy of his own

orders as a bishop.

In the meantime Herman Jan Heykamp, the

archbishop of the Ultrajectines in the

Netherlands, hearing of Vilatte's difficulties

with Grafton, wrote to him to disassociate

himself from Episcopalians. In reply, Vilatte

asked whether the Ultrajectines would

consecrate him as the Old Catholic bishop

for North America. When Grafton wasinformed of these developments he wrote

to the Ultrajectines that he would not

oppose their consecrating Vilatte as

a coadjutor Episcopal bishop for the Fond

du Lac diocese, but if Vilatte was

consecrated as the Old Catholic bishop for

North America, he (Grafton) would no

longer support him and without his

financial support Vilatte would be anobody.

As the Ultrajectines of the Netherlands and

the Old Catholics of Germany and

Switzerland delayed answering Vilatte until

they had met in their congress at Cologne,

Vilatte next sought to affiliate himself with

the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). To this

end he began correspondence with ROCBishop Vladimir of Alaska and the Aleutian

Islands. He also opened negotiations to

reconcile with the Roman Catholic Church.

When Grafton learned of these

developments he published warnings to

Episcopalians to stop supporting Vilatte. He

also demanded from Vilatte that he cease

operating from the Old Catholic missions

owned by the Episcopal diocese. In

response Vilatte announced in September1890 that he was severing relations with

the Episcopal Church and founded a new

independent mission near Green Bay.

Probably due to Grafton's letters, the Old

Catholic Congress of Cologne informed

Vilatte that they would not consecrate him

as the Old Catholic bishop for North

America. Isolated by both the Episcopaliansand the Old Catholics-Ultrajectines, Vilatte

turned once again to the ROC Bishop

Vladimir of Alaska who, in May 1891,

publicly announced that Vilatte was

accepted by the ROC as a priest and under

its jurisdiction.

At the same time an associate of Vilatte,

another former Roman Catholic cleric andmissionary in British India, Augustine

Harding, advised Vilatte to seek

consecration from a church recently formed

by former Goan Catholics in Goa and British

India under the leadership of Fr. Antonio

Francisco Xavier Alvares and Lisboa e Pinto;

Alvares being consecrated as Mar Julious I,

the Latin Rite Jacobite bishop for this sect,

by the Jacobites of Antioch and the MalabarCoast. Collecting $225 and being elected

bishop by his small flock (according to the

records of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du

Lac, Vilatte had about 500 adherents),

Vilatte sailed to Colombo in Ceylon where


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Alvares and two other Jacobite bishops

consecrated him with the permission of the

Jacobite Patriarch of Antioch as Mar

Timotheous I, Jacobite Old Catholic Bishop

of North America on 29 May 1892; Dr.Lisboa e Pinto, acting as the U.S. Consul,

attested to the consecration. When news of

this reached North America the Episcopal

Church excommunicated Vilatte.

In 1893 Vilatte had a booth at the World

Parliament of Religions in Chicago, although

he had not been invited. Shortly thereafter,

reduced to penury, Vilatte traveled the EastCoast offering the sacraments to, and

soliciting monetary aid from, Episcopalians

and Roman Catholics, but was rebuffed; in

some places he was driven away by the

Franco-Belgian Catholics. Then he once

again opened negotiations with the Roman

Catholic Church for reconciliation. In March

1894 he approached Archbishop Satolli,

the Apostolic Delegate to the USA, whowrote to the Bishop Messmer (Roman

Catholic) of Green Bay that Vilatte was

ready to reconcile. Three weeks later

Vilatte himself wrote to Messmer that he

was preparing his people for reconciliation.

Further correspondence took place with

Satolli and Messmer. In August 1894 Satolli

advised Messmer to finance Vilatte's

journey to Rome and that the CongregationPropaganda Fide (Sacred Congregation for

the Propagation of the Faith) would refund

him the money.

However, in spite of the offer of a journey

to Rome at the expense of the Diocese of

Green Bay, Vilatte continued to waver.

Matters dragged on for almost four years.

Eventually both Archbishop Satolli and

Bishop Messmer realized that Vilatte wouldnot submit to Rome.

At this time Vilatte began his dalliance with

Polish Roman Catholics who, dissatisfied

with non-Polish Roman Catholic priests,

sought to set up an independent Catholic

church at the urgings of the priests Anthony

Kazlowski and Francis Hodur, eventually

founding the Polish National CatholicChurch in the United States independent

from Rome. In 1894, Fr. Kolaszewski invited

him to dedicate a church in Cleveland.

Anthony Kazlowski obtained consecration

from the Dutch Ultrajectines (Old Catholics

in Holland) on 17 November 1897. After

Kazlowski's consecration, Vilatte was

approached by a Father Stephen Kaminski,pastor of the Roman Catholic Parish of the

Holy Mother of the Rosary, Buffalo, New

York, to raise him to the episcopate. This

priest had failed to persuade the Old

Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht to raise him

to the episcopate. Vilatte arrived in Buffalo

on 21 March 1898, and consecrated

Kaminski. However, the new bishop fled the

United States to Canada because ofcreditors. He was excommunicated by

Rome and he abandoned Vilatte.

After the consecration in Buffalo, Vilatte

sailed from New York to England, to meet


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Flemming, Defender General of the Friars

Minor and Consulter of the Congregation of

the Holy Office, issued a statement to the

effect that Joseph Rene Vilatte had

expressed his most sincere and heartfeltregret for having taught many errors and

for having attacked and misrepresented the

Roman Catholic Church; that he withdrew

any such teachings and that he regretted

that he had illicitly and sacrilegiously

conferred upon others various orders. This

Vatican cleric called upon others whom

Vilatte had ordained to submit to the

Roman Pontiff. On 25 May 1899, BishopZardetti wrote to Bishop Messmer of Green

Bay that Father Flemming had the case well

in hand.

Then came reports that Vilatte had not

made his final abjuration with Rome or

been reconciled with the Church. It was

explained that he was awaiting the result of

the process before the Holy Office.Meanwhile, the Holy Office received an

eight page report from the Diocese of

Green Bay, in which the bishop laid stress

on the insincerity of Vilatte in the past;

suggesting that he merely wanted Rome to

say that his orders were valid so that he

could go to England and validate the orders

of the Anglicans.

By 1900, Vilatte was in France. His hosts

were the Roman Catholic Benedictine

monks of the Abbey of Saint Martin, near

Poitiers, in order to make a careful study of

his orders from the Syro-Malabar Jacobite

with the Anglican Benedictine Joseph

Leycester Lyne (1837 - 1908) and

his Llanthony Monastery which he founded

in 1869 in the Honddu valley of the Black

Mountains of South Wales; Lyne styledhimself "Ignatius of Jesus, O.S.B."

(Lyne's Llanthony Monasterymust not be

confused with the Catholic Llanthony

Monastery suppressed by the Protestants,

although they are near each other).

Vilatte arrived in England three months

after the Kaminski consecration. Lyne was

visiting the United States in 18901891,raising funds for his work in England, when

Vilatte became acquainted with him. Lyne

claimed that he belonged to the "Ancient

British Church", the oldest after Jerusalem

and Antioch. Vilatte first visited Frederick

George Lee of the "Order of Corporate

Reunion". Lee gave Vilatte a letter of

introduction to Lyne.

Vilatte arrived in the Black Mountains on 18

July 1898, bringing all of his documents and

vestments and offered ordination to any

and all; including Lyne, explaining that he

was on his way to Russia. Eventually Lyne

and others received ordination from the

hands of Vilatte, using the Latin Rite.

In January 1899, most Catholic newspapers

of Europe and North America reported thatVilatte was in Rome seeking reconciliation

with the Roman Catholic Church instead of

with the Russian Orthodox Church.

On 2 February 1899, Father David


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While Vilatte was in England and Europe a

series of conflicts between the anti-Catholic

Government of France and the Roman

Catholic Church broke out, arising from thegovernment's anti-clerical legislation. This

gave Vilatte inspiration to return to his

native country to exploit the situation with

the hope of setting up a State-controlled

Gallican National Church, under influence

of the anti-clerical liberal and proto-socialist

French government, in opposition to the

official Roman Catholic Church. This he did

in the summer of 1906. The previousDecember the government abrogated the

Concordat that made Roman Catholicism

the official religion of France. Vilatte was on

friendly terms with Aristide Briand, one of

the leaders of this liberal anti-Roman

movement and the Minister of Education.

The new legislation confiscated Roman

Catholic Church property and made them

State property. Soon after his arrival inParis, Vilatte managed to obtain possession

of the former Barnabite Church in the Rue

Legendre, which he reopened for Old

Catholic services in the vernacular. One of

his former priests from Wisconsin assisted.

On 21 June 1907 Vilatte consecrated a

formerly Roman Catholic, former Trappist

monk, Louis Marie Francois Giraud, whohad been expelled from the Roman Catholic

Church for dabbling in magic and the occult.

Shortly after this consecration Cardinal

Richard issued a warning to the people

about apostate priests who were

(Oriental Orthodox) Church, so that Vilatte

could convince the Holy Office in Rome of

the validity of his episcopate. While living as

a guest of the Benedictines of Poitiers,

Vilatte did not cease his subversive, anti-Catholic activities, although conducted

secretly. News of this reached Cardinal

Richard of Paris who, on 17 April 1900,

circulated a warning among his clergy to be

on their guard against men who claimed to

be ordained or consecrated by Vilatte. At

this time, on 6 May 1900, Vilatte

consecrated an Italian, Paolo Miraglia-

Gulotti as the Old Catholic Bishop of Italy,with the title of Bishop of Piacenza; this

later became known as the Italian National

Episcopal Church, a church modeled in an

Anglican fashion and moderately anti-

Roman.

When the authorities of the Catholic Church

learned of this, they issued on 13 June

1900, major excommunications againstboth Vilatte and Paolo Miragila-Gulotti.

Vilatte decided to once again return to

Canada.

In the summer of 1903, Vilatte was back in

South Wales and raised to the episcopacy

Henry Marsh-Edwards, with the title of

Bishop of Caerleon. Marsh-Edwards was a

former Anglican priest of the Diocese ofSouthwell. The next day both men

consecrated Henry Bernard Ventham as

Bishop of Dorchester. Priests were ordained

that summer in both England and the

Continent.


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founded, on 18 July on 50,000 acres, a

communal settlement called Vilatteville.

Vilatte felt it was a blessing to live there.

On 10 May 1911, Generals Pasqual Orozcoand Pancho Villa captured Ciudad Juarez.

Fifteen days later Porfiro Diaz resigned.

Abraham Gonzalex, the new revolutionary

governor of Chihuahua, dismembered the

settlements sold to foreigners by the

former government, including Vilatteville.

Father Taylor stayed in Chihuahua and

acted as a community church worker.

In 1910, Vilatte founded the "American

Catholic Church (ACC)"at the Cathedral of

Buffalo. The Council of oversight included:

Vilatte, Kaminski, and Miraglia.

The council agreed:

a council of churches open to all

persons having their residence in

this country, whatever may be theirnationality;

united in the fidelity to the true faith

in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the

sole Head of the Universal Church

and our High Priest;

imbued with the American Spirit of

democracy and liberty;

a branch or section of the true

(Christian) Catholic Church of God,with its own Synod and Conference

of Bishops.

Vilatte received Frederick Ebenezer

Lloyd into his newly-founded sect and on 19

celebrating mass under cover of a pseudo

American Bishop, and excommunicated

Vilatte a second time. Soon thereafter

Vilatte returned to the United States.

Chicago became the next home to

Archbishop Vilatte. At this time, he had

severed all relations with Alvares'

Independent Jacobite Church of Ceylon,

Goa and India, the Indian Orthodox

Church and the Old Catholic Churches of

Europe. The establishment of the Polish

National Catholic Church and the

consecration of Francis Hodur was the finalblow to his hope of being recognized as

the Old Catholic Archbishop of North

America.

In 1910, Vilatte ordained William H. F.

Brothers, prior of the Anglican-

Benedictine Saint Dunstan's

Abbey, Waukegan, Illinois. This was an Old

Catholic group of men, legally incorporatedin Fond du Lac in 1909 by Charles Grafton

as "The American Congregation of the

Order of Saint Benedict"(In 1911 the Abbey

was united with the Polish Old Catholic

Church).

In 1910, with a group of Society of the

Precious Blood Religious, led by Father

Gildas Taylor, who had joined the Societyafter his ordination, Vilatte went to Texas,

to a place in Presido County called

Candelaria. From there, they crossed the

Rio Grande to an area in the vicinity of San

Antonio El Bravo in Mexico where they


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Episcopalian minister; the African

American George Alexander McGuire in

Chicago for McGuire's newly

founded African Orthodox Church.

Soon Vilatte was again reduced to penury.

In 1925, he returned to France where he

sought the assistance of the Gnostic

magician Monsignor Johnny Jean Bricaud.

However, as this did nothing to improve his

finances, he sought to be reconciled once

again to the Roman Catholic Church. On 1

June 1925, Vilatte made his formal

declaration before Bishop Ceretti, ApostolicNuncio at Paris, regretting and repenting

having illicitly received holy orders and

having conferred them on others. The

Roman Catholic Church sent him on to

the Cistercian abbey at Pont Colbert to do

penance. A week later La Croix and other

newspapers announced that Vilatte, with

an American boy-servant (named Maxey),

was staying at Pont Colbert at the requestof Pope Pius XI. The Holy See granted him a

pension of 22,000 francs annually.

On 23 June 1925, the Bayerischer

Kurieg published a statement on the orders

of the "Swiss Christian Catholic Church", to

the effect that Vilatte had never been a

priest of this body nor any other genuine

Old Catholic church in the widelyrecognized Union of Utrecht.

Bishop Ceretti, papal nuncio, replied to the

newspaper as follows:

December 1915 consecrated him at Saint

David's Chapel on East 36th Street, Chicago.

Vilatte was assisted by Paolo Miraglia-

Gulotti, formerly of Italy and then of New

York and working with Vilatte in the UnitedStates. During this consecration Vilatte

addressed the congregation and newly

consecrated prelate saying:

It needs no prophet to foretell for

you and the American Catholic

Church (ACC) a great future in the

Province of God. The need for a

Church both American and Catholic,and free from Paparchy[rule of the

Pope] and all foreign

denominations, has been felt for

many years by Christians of all the

denominations. May your zeal and

apostolic ministry be crowned with

success.

Subsequently, in a synod held in Chicago on10 April 1920, Vilatte retired from his newly

founded "American Catholic Church (ACC)",

naming Lloyd as his successor as Primate

and Metropolitan. The clergy attending

granted Vilatte the honorary title of Exarch.

He lived in retirement at 4427 North

Mulligan Avenue, Chicago and did not

perform any more Episcopal functions until

22 September 1921 when he ordainedWallace David de Ortega Maxey to the

priesthood.

On 28 September 1921, Vilatte

conditionally consecrated a former


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For the next three and a half years, Vilatte

led a quiet and secluded life in a cottage

within the abbey grounds. He was

addressed as "Archbishop" but wore a

simple black cassock. Pope Pius XI offeredto conditionally re-ordain him, but he

declined. He attended daily Mass,

receiving Holy Communion on Sundays. His

end came suddenly of heart failure on 8

July 1929 and he was buried in the Roman

Catholic cemetery in Versailles.

During his lifetime he consecrated some

seven to eight bishops. Shortly after hisdeath most of his papers vanished.

While the validity of Vilatte's orders was

never finally settled, most non-Roman Old

Catholics believe that his orders were valid.

(Edited by Bishop Godsey with help from

Wikipedia, Bishops at Large, Independent

Wiki and the collected works of BishopWeeks.)

Consecration and Ordinations

April and May were longs months when it

came to preparing for ordinations and

consecrations. We had the distinct pleasure

of welcoming the Metropolitan Archbishop

of our church, His Eminence Adrian S.

Glover to our shores. Archbishop Glover

traveled to the United States to consecrate

a new Metropolitan Bishop, a Bishop

Ordinary and to install a Bishop Ordinary.

Archbishop Vilatte received

the Minor Orders and the Order

of Subdeacon on 5 June 1885, the

Order of Deacon on 6 June of the

same year, and on the followingday, 7 June 1885, the Ordination to

the Priesthood.

All these orders were conferred

upon him by Bishop Herzog (Old

Catholic Bishop) in the Old Catholic

Church in Berne.

This proved by documents, seals and

signatures of Bishop Herzog.

Concerning his Episcopal

Consecration, it took place on 29

May 1892.

Archbishop Vilatte was consecrated

by three Jacobite Bishops in the

Cathedral of Archbishop Alvares in

Colombo (Ceylon).Archbishop Vilatte is likewise in the

possession of the consecration deed

in question bearing the signatures of

the three above mentioned bishops

and of the American Consul, who

was present at the ceremony.

This letter was published in the same

newspaper and Vilatte was very pleasedthat Bishop Ceretti believed and accepted

his priesthood and consecration, even

though they were irregular from a Roman

Catholic view.


13/17

13

As you can see, it was not all work either!

The Episcopal Diocese of Upper South

Carolina was gracious enough to allow us

the use of Saint James Episcopal Church in

Greenville, South Carolina. This church

made an excellent setting for the

consecrations that were to occur on April

14, 2012.

The consecration was magnificent. We had

the opportunity to fellowship with many of

the clerics and laity within our church and

we witnessed the outpouring of the Holy

Spirit upon his servants in the Sacrament of

Holy Orders.

Rev. Mr. Terry Elkington was raised to the

Sub-Deaconate by Archbishop Glover.

Next came the Consecrations of

Metropolitan Bishop Aaron Edmund

Newton Cass and Bishop Ordinary Edward

(Ted) Wooldridge.

We were most honored and pleased to


14/17

14

have Bishop John Bell of the Reformed

Catholic Church participating as a co-

consecrator alongside Archbishop Glover

and our own Bishop Gregory Godsey.

On Sunday morning April 15th

, we gathered

in the chapel at Exaltation Hermitage to

celebrate Mass. Metropolitan Bishop Cass

offered his first mass as a Bishop and

Archbishop Glover delivered a moving

homily.

We took the opportunity to bless the

chalice and paten that Friar Father PhilipGerboc will be using in Wisconsin, at the

end of Mass.

On May 27, 2012, Friar Philip Gerboc was

ordained to the priesthood. After many

setbacks and delays, Friar Gerboc was able

to travel to Zanesville, Ohio and with the

help of Bishop John Bell and the assistance

of Bishop Edward (Ted) Wooldridge; he was

ordained on the Feast of Pentecost.

We are thankful to Almighty God for the

continued growth and blessing on our

church.

Welcome!

We would like to extend our most heartfelt

welcome to the newest members of the Old

Catholic Church USA:

Right Rev. Adolphus C. Howard III,

Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of Saint

Augustine of Canterbury

The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St.

Charitas

Goshen Community, an outreach to

clergy and those hurt by organized

religion.

We have also extended our Episcopal

Protection to the following clergy and

churches as they discern the call of God:

Msgr. William Cavins and Holy Angels

Catholic Community in Florida

We pray that God will continue to bless our

joint efforts as we strive to build up the


15/17

15

please email a list of items to

[email protected].

By the same token, if you have items which

you are willing to part with, send a list ofthe items as well as their condition to

[email protected].

Support the National Church

If you feel inclined to support the National

Church, you can do so at the following link:

http://www.lcacusa.org/support-us/. Your

donations are greatly appreciated and help

to keep the church running!

Feisty Frying Friar

A feisty, light lunch or snack, this little

chicken salad gets two thumbs up from me!

Cajun Chicken Salad Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

While this recipe calls for poaching raw

chicken breasts, you could easily just use

leftover cooked chicken.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken

breasts Salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp mustard

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 teaspoons paprika

Kingdom of God.

Learning Notes

We are pleased to announce that starting

September 8, 2012 we will begin enrolling

students into Sacred Heart Theological

Seminary USA. Classes in the new seminary

will start September 16, 2012 and will

feature a new model of education whereby

students will take one course a month.

The Franciscans of the Exaltation of the

Holy Cross are in the process of putting the

final touches on their Formation Manual.

The manual will be released over the next

month. It is a comprehensive course of

study for those interested in the Franciscan

way of life.

Share and support this newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter

with others who might find it interesting.

If you would like to advertize your church,

ministry or religiously focused business in

our newsletter, please email our newsletter

editor at [email protected]. The

rates for advertising are reasonable and we

can assist you in creating an ad.

Vestment Exchange

We are in the planning phase for the

creation of a vestment exchange for our

clergy here in the United States. If you are

in need of any vestments or liturgical items,
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.lcacusa.org/support-us/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.lcacusa.org/support-us/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


16/17

16

1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green pepper 1/4 cup chopped green onion

Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste

METHOD

1. Set a 2-quart pot of well salted water

over high heat. As the water heats to

a boil, cut the chicken breasts into

large (2 1/2-inch) chunks. When thewater boils, add the chicken. Turn off

the heat and cover the pot. Let sit for

15 minutes (time it) or more while you

prepare everything else.

2. In a large bowl, mix the mayo,

mustard, vinegar, paprika, Cajun

seasoning and horseradish together.

Mix in the eggs, celery, green pepper,

green onion.3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the

chicken from the poaching water* and

dice it. Mix it in with the remaining

ingredients. Add salt and hot sauce to

taste. Chill before serving.

Serve over butter lettuce or between two

pieces of bread for a sandwich.

*The resulting poaching liquid is a light,

salted chicken broth. You can save it and

pour it into a cup and drink it as a light soup

if you want.

-


17/17

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Third Quarter Saints Word Search

L V J M T R I P C C P U A O A L O Y O L S U I T A N G I Y N

Z I D L A U M O R V J O L U M X P U X V B K R V B W A M K Y

Z Q T C G B R P P O R J M Q Y M L T O Q M Y N C E B S M W S

M N D O M I N I C U Z Q Q K K Y C I W G W I R X N N R P M WA U F X D G E K S T D E J V L A I X Y B L P J Z E E X X W Z

X R O R H U N V X Y M U G V K C A U S F A V C H D D Z Z S L

I Z K Q Y O X Q S F A Z Y V E C O Z L U O M S T I E E B L M

M B A R N A B A S R R E W T I Q Z J T Q I L B F C W C F F J

I H S A W A P V V D I N A F G S C P W S K P B D T S N N S A

L B U C D K Q J A H A E N A U U H S S G W F Y A O F E A U M

I P I A N A G U D M G L E L W T H T P N T C J U F O R U I E

A A D R O S E S B Q O E L R H Y R U Y T C J N O N T W G L S

N N O M N P B T E I R D E X T L E D L L N O K X U E A U U T

K T H E E B T I K L E G H V R O J M A T R I P C R G L S T H

O A T N C P U N A O T A H A E P Y R N Z I T V J S D O T E EL L E L U M X M P U T M E H B P E X V B H K R V I I W I G G

B E M A M K Y A Z Q I Y N T R I T C G O B R P P A R O N R R

E O J M Q Y M R L T O R R R O H Q M M Y N C B S M B W E S E

N N U Z Q Q K T K R Y A Y A N C I A W G M W I R X R P O M A

W U F X D G E Y K E S M T M D E S J V L O A I Y B L E F P T

J Z X X W Z R R O T R H U N V X Y U G V N K C A U F P H A E

V C H Z Z S L Z K E Q Y O X Q S F Z Y V I E C O Z L H I O R

M S T B L M R W T P I Q Z J T Q L B F F C F H A W A R P P V

V D F G C P W S K B D N B D K Q A H A U A H S S G W E P F Y

A N A G D M L W H Y T I N I R T T P N T C J U O S E M O B Q

R H R U Y T J N O N P B E I X E D L W E M O L O H T R A B N

O K X E B T K L V J M T R I P C C P U A O Y N Z I V J O L U

M X P U X V B K R V W A M K Y Z Q T C G B R P P O R J M Q Y

M L T O Q M Y N C B S M W S N U Z Q Q K K Y C I W G W I R X

R P M W U F X D G E K S T D E J V L A I Y B L P J Z X X W Z

EPHREM MARYMAGDELENE ROMUALD

BENEDICTOFNURSIA BRIDGETOFSWEDEN MONICA

AUGUSTINEOFHIPPO BARNABAS DOMINIC

GETULIUS JAMESTHEGREATER HENRY

LAWRENCE JUSTINMARTYR TRINITY

HELENA MAXIMILIANKOLBE PIUSXHIPPOLYTUS BARTHOLOMEW PANTALEON

MARTHA THOMAS METHODIUS

IGNATIUSLOYOLA NORBERT PETER

CARMEN MARIAGORETTI CLARE

old catholic ledger 2012 v1 n1

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