"A Welcoming Community of Faith Rooted in the Catholic Tradition"

Encompassing the Northwestern Province of the United States
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota,
Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Alaska.

DIOCESE OF THE NORTHWEST BULLETIN BOARD

■

The Evangelical Catholic Diocese of the Northwest shall ordain Peter Julian McGechie to the Order of Deacon on September 10, 2011.

■

Civil Unions
The Sacrament of Marriage
and
The Evangelical Catholic Church 

  

Recently, the State of Illinois has joined a number of other States which has enacted Civil Union legislation for any couple regardless of gender composition.  For gender common couples, this legislation offers them the right to legalize their relationships and to articulate legal rights never before available for them. 

The Evangelical Catholic Church believes that this civil legislation is consistent with the spirituality espoused in the teaching of the Theology of Social Justice and Peace. 

We also hope and pray for the day in which our nation provides all gender common couples Marriage Equality and the right to enter into fullness of marriage. 

At the time of its consecration, the Evangelical Catholic Church, based upon the Theology of Social Justice and Peace, committed itself to the unconditional inclusification of our catholic sacramental and spiritual life.  Thus since 1977, our Catholic community has welcomed gender common couples to enter into the sacrament of marriage. 

An important matter for understanding is that the sacramental ecclesiology of the Evangelical Catholic Church does not consider Civil Unions as fulfilling the sacramental nature and form of marriage. 

Thus our catholic community shall continue to welcome gender common couples to embrace their vocation to the Sacrament of Marriage. 

Until the time comes in which our nation provides marriage equality for all, the Evangelical Catholic Church shall recognize and accept valid Civil Union licenses as equal to that of a valid Marriage License  

Permit me at this time to provide an overview of our Church’s sacramental policy regarding gender common marriages:

1.      At least one of the couple candidates for the sacrament of Marriage must be of the Catholic faith.

2.      Both candidates for the sacrament of Marriage must be canonically free to enter into the sacrament of Marriage without impediment.

3.      Couple must complete an approved program of sacramental preparation.

 

To lean more about the Sacrament of Marriage, please visit our Sacrament of Marriage page. Please join me in praying for the day in which Marriage Equality becomes a reality.

I remain, 

Respectfully Yours in Christ,

James Alan Wilkowski
Presiding Bishop for the Evangelical Catholic Church
 
June 16, 2011

Diocesan Church Office
Post Office Box 178388  Chicago Illinois  60617-8388
(T)  773-721-5383   (F)  773-721-2581
evcathchurch@evangelicalcatholicchurch.org
©2011