The Catholic Apostolic National Church
Who We Are…
The Catholic
Apostolic National
Church is a community of
Christians committed to Jesus Christ and His teaching. We accept and believe
the testimony of His Apostles, eyewitnesses of His life, death and resurrection
from among the dead. They passed on, to succeeding generations, their own
testimony about Jesus Christ and His life. By the proclaiming of His Gospel,
and the giving of their own testimony (called the Apostolic Tradition), the
Church, which the Lord instituted, was built up. The Catholic
Apostolic National
Church is a historic part of the One,
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church.
The Birth of the Catholic Apostolic National Church
of Brazil…
Bishop
Carlos Duarte Costa was consecrated as the
Roman Catholic Diocesan Bishop of Botucatu, Brazil, on December 8, 1924,
functioning as such uneventfully, until certain concerns he expressed about
collaboration with Nazi War criminal in World War II, the inequitable
distribution of wealth in the country, and the terrible treatment of the
Brazil's poor, by both the civil government and the Roman Catholic Church in
Brazil, caused his removal from the Diocese of Botucatu. In the 1930s Bishop
Costa was the most outspoken Brazilian bishop in defending the poor. In 1937,
at the insistence of the dictatorial Getúlio
Vargas régime in Brazil, the
Vatican
forced Bishop Costa to retire as Bishop of Botucatu, and he was appointed as
Titular Bishop of Maura. Nonetheless, he continued in speaking out on behalf of
the poor and, in 1944, was even imprisoned for several months, but his resolve
did not falter. He was branded a communist, which of course he was not, and he
did not quit. Finally, in 1945, after protesting the Vatican's
having assisted several Nazis and Nazi sympethizers find refuge in Brazil, Bishop Costa broke with Rome.
Bishop Carlos Duarte
Costa went on to found the “Igreja
Catolica Apostolica Brasileira” (ICAB), a church which
spawned a movement of Catholic Apostolic National Churches around the world.
Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa fell asleep in the Lord, on March 26, 1967, after
service to the people for over forty-two years as bishop. He is revered by the Brazilian Church
and her daughter churches around the world, including this church, as
“St. Carlos of Brazil”.
The Brazilian Church
suffered much persecution at the hands of hostile governments, tyrants and,
unfortunately, even fellow Christians. Many of the early deacons, priests and
bishops were persecuted for many, many years, and many are alive today, giving
their accounts of arrest, imprisonment and even torture. The grey cassocks and
soutanes worn by clergy, a result of that early persecution, are now worn as a
symbol of honor, in faithfulness and steadfastness, as modern-day confessors of
the faith. The Catholic Apostolic National Church of Brazil has helped millions
of people worldwide, established educational and social programs designed to
feed, clothe, house and educate those in need. The Catholic Apostolic National
Church of Brazil recently celebrated its 60th anniversary, in
concert with its daughter churches throughout the world, represented by their
bishops, under the fraternal and loving care of DOM Luis Fernando Castillo
Mendez, Patriarch of the Worldwide Communion of Catholic Apostolic National
Churches. The dedication, courage and love of service to Christ, through service
to His people, of “St. Carlos of Brazil”
are part of the Catholic
Apostolic National
Church, as are his lines
of Apostolic Succession.
ICAB Comes to the United States…
Bishop Stephen
Corradi-Scarella was consecrated Bishop in 1949, by (now Patriarch) Dom
Fernando Castillo Mendez and Dom Carlos Duarte Costa. He was given the mission
to build an Exarchate of ICAB in the United
States, and began his missionary work in Albuquerque, New
Mexico. There he established the first Diocese in America, “Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira-USA”
(ICANUSA), of what later would develop into the Western Orthodox Church
in America
(WOCA). During the 1960’s communication with the Mother
Church in Brazil broke down, and the American
Diocese became essentially autonomous and no longer attached to the mission of
ICAB. It is important to note that WOCA later ceased to enjoy the Patriarch's
blessing when it was apparent that it could no longer be considered canonically
Catholic.
Bishop Stephen guaranteed
the continued viability of the work by consecrating additional bishops for the
United States before retiring from the active ministry in December, 1974.
Bishop Stephen reposed in Christ in 1979, but his mission continued in a
variety of smaller independent jurisdictions. In 2005 Patriarch Luis named
Bishop Andre Queen, SCR of Chicago, as his
Apostolic Delegate to the United
States, and charged him with the mission of
reuniting these children of the Church with their common identity. Many have
rejoined their brothers and sisters under their mother church of Brazil,
and again the ministry of Bishop Stephen bears fruit. Notably the WOCA has
joyfully been received back into the communion, thereby honoring and continuing
Dom Carlos's mission of 1949.
A concise history
of the development of ICAB’s mission in the United States is provided
graciously by Archbishop
Randolph Brown, following the years and changes seen. The
initial mission, called “Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileira-USA” (ICANUSA), which later gave
birth to the “Western Orthodox Church in America”
(WOCA) and other jurisdictions, would later experiences what few divided
churches have: reunion and renewal, into the Catholic Apostolic
National Church.
Both ICANUSA and WOCA have been reunited and incorporated into the CANC. Thus
the Catholic Apostolic
National Church,
both through direct “Duarte-Costa” Apostolic Succession and through
direct historic lineage, is today, in faith, fact and application, the church
that Bishop Stephen Corradi-Scarella was mandated to establish by Bishop Carlos
Duarte-Costa in the United
States.
What
The Catholic Apostolic National
Church Professes…
The faith of the Catholic Apostolic National
Church is simply that as
taught by the Church from Apostolic times to the present day. The Oecumenical
Councils clearly express what we believe without the need for apology or
excuse. We affirm the ancient creeds of
faith, the “Athanasian Creed”, the “Apostles’
Creed” and the “Nicene Creed”. Thus, we, tracing our Apostolic
Succession through the ancient churches back to the Apostles, participate in the
full sacramental ministry. The Rule of Faith of the Catholic Apostolic
National Church
is faithful adherence to Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, as protected
by the teaching Magisterium of the Church.
How
Do We, As Catholics, Differ From Roman Catholics?
In matters of discipline,
administration and procedure, we differ from the Roman Catholic Church. For
example, clerical celibacy (which is a matter of discipline) is optional in the
Catholic Apostolic National
Church. Married men may
be ordained, as in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and in many of our dioceses
clergy may, with prior Episcopal consent, enter into Holy Matrimony after
ordination. Liturgical expression is also a matter of discipline determined by
the local bishop. Consequently, many communities have adopted the liturgical
renewal promulgated following the Second Vatican Council while still
maintaining Tridentine liturgy, in Latin or direct translation into classical
or modern English, in those parishes that desire it. Eastern Rite parishes
exist as well, which follow the ancient liturgies of that rich tradition.
Because communities are small, they are able to success fully implement the Ignatian model of the Church referred
to earlier. This concept views the faithful with their clergy and bishop as a
community or family in loving concern for each other and each working together
to live the Scriptural commands in their daily lives as Christians bringing the
love of Christ to others. The communities utilize their size and lack of highly
detailed structure to the very best advantage organizationally by their ability
to expedite decisions affecting the sacramental and community life of the
faithful, within the revelation and authority of Holy Scripture and Apostolic
Tradition.
Other
Distinctions…
There are other
differences by which Catholic
Apostolic National
Church communities are
differentiated from Roman Catholic parishes. The matter of papal infallibility
defined by Vatican Council I is a non-issue
for us, since we are not under papal jurisdiction. All Catholic Apostolic
National Church
communities accord the Holy Father that respect due him as Successor of St.
Peter, Prince of the Apostles and Patriarch of the West. We likewise respect
the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Patriarch of the Syrian
Orthodox Church of Antioch.
We adhere to the teaching from apostolic times that the Church in General
Council is infallible. Our theology recognizes that the Church's teaching magisterium has no less than two
objects: the formation of conscience, in which case authority has an
instructive quality; and the nurturing of a properly formed conscience to full
maturity, in which case authority is guiding and directive.
The
Catholic Apostolic National
Church Today…
In recognition of this
Church’s unity of faith, familial lines of succession, and as a result of
full communion with the Igreja
Catolica Apostolica Brasileira (ICAB), and the “Igrejas
Católicas
Apostólicas Nacionais” (ICAN
Communion), in August of 2005 the church changed its name to the “Catholic Apostolic National
Church”. Today, the Church stands as an independent
but participating member of the ICAN Communion, and enjoys permanent communion
with the Patriarch of the ICAN Communion, His Beatitude, Dom Luis Fernando
Castillo-Mendez.
The church welcomes those
individuals who have broken ties over the years, into our family of faith. Our church’s official catechism, “Credo”,
offers a solid, understandable explanation of our faith and practices. Our
history is rooted in solid practice and orthodox doctrine.
By developing new methods
and ideas with an emphasis on community, and Catholicism, which expresses a
warmth and interest in the total person, Our communities are able to address
the needs of today's society in the beginning years of the Twenty-First
Century. The Catholic
Apostolic National
Church is an
understanding of the Western and Eastern traditions in one complete tradition.
For the contemporary Catholic searching to maintain his/her Faith but desiring
to do so without excessive institutionalism that often loses contact with the
individual; for those with a Catholic background who feel impeded from full
participation in the life and Sacraments of the Church; for the many unchurched
who desire the joy and peace of Our Lord's Word and His Holy Sacraments, our
communities provide a viable alternative and allow a person to be a part of
Christ's Church, and be at peace with his/her conscience. Our communities,
because of their size, can give individual attention to the individual
spiritual needs of the faithful and, where necessary, develop unique ministries
to meet those needs. Come to the Catholic
Apostolic National
Church this Sunday and
worship with us!
The Patriarch, Dom Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez, gives his
Patriarchal Blessing at the end of Mass, at the 3rd International
Bishop’s Council of Catholic Apostolic National Churches in July 2005, in
Brasilia, Brazil.
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– Catholic Apostolic National Church
ESBN: 82730-060126-999870-78
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