Excerpt from discussion of my Church’s apostolic succession/legitimacy…
[… my Church has as strong a claim to being a legitimate heir to the Christian tradition as any “orthodox” church (better than most). -Thomas]
Dear [deleted],
I am a Priest in the Ecclesia Gnostica, and I believe you fail to
understand that the Ecclesia Gnostica is different than most other
independent Gnostic Churches. Not only do we have an initiatory
system consisting of Lay degrees (Baptism, Confirmation and Lay
Server) but we have 5 degrees of minor Orders (Cleric, Doorkeeper,
Reader, Exorcist/Healer, Acolyte), and the preparatory order of
Sub-Deacon, before the Ordination to the Deaconate and Priesthood.
In our Church, progression through the Orders and degrees goes hand
in hand with a Gnostic Study/Seminary program designed by Dr.
Hoeller, to teach each candidate for the Priesthood the particular
Theology pertaining to Gnosticism. This, and attendance of Sr.
Hoeller’s Lectures on central Gnostic Teachings and related
subjects, are necessary to become a Gnostic Priest. More
importantly, participation in the all-important ritual of the mass
and other services offered by our church is needed to immerse us in
Gnostic Practice.
No one in our church becomes an “instant ” Priest. All must start
from the “ground up”, so to speak, passing through every degree of
minor orders, the Sub-Deaconate and the Deaconate. Becoming a Deacon
in our church also does not automatically qualify one for the
Priesthood. Many of our Deacons either have remained Deacons, or
became Priests after several years in the Deaconate.
The average amount of time spent in each minor order (cleric and
above) is 6-12 months, and a minimum of one year each for the
Sub-Deaconate and the Deaconate before entering the Priesthood. A
candidate for orders must also be baptized and Confirmed, and have
regularly attended our church for at least a year. They also spend
3-6 months as a lay server before being admitted as a cleric. So, In
other words, becoming a Priest in the Ecclesia Gnostica is a 6-10
year Commitment. You must also participate regularly and
consistently in services at a Gnostic Parish, and demonstrate to the
Bishop by changes in your character and knowledge of Gnosticism that
you are making personal progress in order to be considered for
advancement. We have no “mail order” Clergy.
Actually, a Bishop friend of mine from another Independent Church
used to teach at a Benedictine Seminary when he was a Roman Catholic
Priest. He is familiar with our Bishop, Dr.Stephan Hoeller and our
Clergy Training system, and commented that we were better trained
than most Catholic Priests.
This is not surprising, since our Bishop who is also our teacher,
attended a Catholic Seminary in Rome before leaving to pursue his
more Gnostic and Theosophic Interests. He also received training
from both the Liberal Catholic Church, where he first entered Minor
Orders, and the American Catholic Church where he was later Ordained
a Priest. He also has a Doctorate in Comparative Religious Studies,
is a well known Author of several books on Gnosticism and lecures
frequently. We are very fortunate to have the privilege of being
admitted into his clergy.
You may not like the elaborate “Old” Catholic ceremonial we use, but
you must understand that the traditions we came from have retained
and use a Pre-Vatican II Old Catholic Ceremonial, similar to the the
ceremonial we use. These are merely the trappings of the authentic
Old Catholic Ceremonial that we have learned from those who have
proceeded us in our tradition. Our Mass, in fact, is based on the
short form of the LCC Mass.
Being a Gnostic Priest is not simply a Matter of Theology and
Training, or being knowledgeable about the History, Practices and
Writings of Gnostic’s, it is an initiatory becoming and
transformation of the Candidate for the Priesthood him/or herself.
It is the Transformation we assert was taught by Christ Himself, and
if we are truly to become his imitators, we must be able to
penetrate his Mystery, not merely recite his words.
Finally, We Do have Apostolic Succession which is Catholic and
Orthodox, and ten Primary Lines of Succession; which Includes:
Syrian-Antioch, Old Catholic, Chaldean-Uniate, Syrian-Chaldean,
Roman Catholic, Syrian-Malabar, Old Catholic (Snr. Line),
Syrian-Gallican, Coptic Orthodox, Mariavite, Greek Melkite, Russian
Orthodox, Old Catholic (jr), and Liberal Catholic.
We can trace Our Lineage back to 431 A.D., and before that to the
“Mother” Church of Jerusalem. This has all been documented and
published by The Gnostic Press in a booklet Called “Sucessio
Apostolica, the Sources of the Apostolic Succession of the Ecclesia
Gnostica”
Rev. Donna Owen
