Welcome to
The National Catholic Church
of North America!
An Autocephalous Catholic Jurisdiction
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We are happy that you came by to say hello. Please stay long enough to read what is written on these pages so that you can began to understand what it truly means to be a Catholic.
First, perhaps we should discuss what is the real definition of the word "catholic". If you were to look up the word in the dictionary, the definitions would be (dictionaries vary, but this is a montage) -
| 1. |
broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal. |
| 2. |
universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all. |
| 3. |
pertaining to the whole Christian body or church. |
If you understand this definition, you will understand why so many churches call themselves Catholic. There is only one "Catholic" church but many, many jurisdictions.
Catholic history is much more complicated than most people realize. The greater Catholic Church has split a fair number of times, generally over matters of discipline and governance, much more rarely over matters of faith. The two largest splits - usually called schisms - are those with the Eastern Orthodox in 1054 and with the Anglican Communion in 1534. Both the Orthodox and the Anglicans can properly be called Catholics.
In 1870 another large schism occurred when a group of European Bishops broke away from the Roman Catholic Church when Rome began to "declare" new dogma - that is new articles of faith - which is something that had been considered impossible up to that time.
The things that all Catholic were to believe had been written down in great detail and sealed before the year 1000. This "Deposit of Faith" had been considered complete until Rome began changing it during the First Vatican Council, which opened in 1869.
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The group of Catholics that broke with Rome over the issue declared themselves to be "Old Catholics", meaning that they were staying with Old Catholicism and rejecting the New Catholicism that Rome wanted to implement.
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| St. Francis |
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Ever since 1870, these Independent Catholics have remained "true" to the original roots of the faith. Most of these Independent Catholic jurisdictions believe the same tenets of faith, which was handed down in complete form prior to the year 1000. There is a unity in the faith. But each jurisdiction is separately organized and managed - therefore, it is important not to confuse matters of faith with matters of church governance.
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