"A Welcoming Community of Faith Rooted in
the Catholic Tradition"
Welcoming Back Inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious
The Evangelical Catholic Church is well aware of the existence of many fine inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious who have been pastorally orphaned, discarded or forced into inactive status. Not only has such shameful unprofessional behavior and attitudes deprived our sisters and brothers from experiencing the grace of their vocations, it has also robbed the People of God of highly qualified pastoral care and support.
We, the Bishops of the Evangelical Catholic Church, wish to extend an invitation to those Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious, who are without a sacramental and vocational home, to consider continuing their sacramental and vocational life with us. Such institutional malpractice must not be permitted to deny our sisters and brothers their sacramental and vocational lives. This Catholic jurisdiction was consecrated and mandated to reach out to all who have been pastorally disenfranchised and this includes inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious.
If you are an inactive Deacon, Priest, Bishop or Religious who is currently inactive for reasons other than being convicted of felonious sexual abuse or sexual assault, our Catholic family would like to talk with you.
Our Catholic jurisdiction receives calls from people asking us to please establish new parish missions in their communities and we simply do not have enough qualified clerics or religious to respond to their pastoral needs. Maybe you are currently living in a community that would welcome a reformed Catholic jurisdiction establishing a mission right there. You could once again be that pastoral or religious presence uniting or reuniting the People of God with the gift of the Sacramental and Liturgical Life of Catholicism in an unconditionally welcoming environment.
The standards of this Catholic faith community are high and non-negotiable. We are totally serious about our vocations and we expect our candidates considering our formation program or our program for Incardination to be equally serious.
We have no money for stipends. Our "compensation" comes in the form of our bonds with one another and with the People of God. We have no opulent cathedrals. Our vocations and our Liturgical and Sacramental lives radiate within the hearts of our mission communities. We have no pension plan. We trust in the promise of Life Eternal. We have borne the dysfunctional and have come out as healers. We are simply worker priests responding to Jesus' invitation to "Come, Follow Me."
It would be wrong for us to fail to acknowledge those inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious amongst us who chose to suspend their vocations. In recent years, the Evangelical Catholic Church has been contacted by inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious who left of their own choosing, but who now once again feel called to re embrace their vocations. Many of these people have either married, entered into committed relationships or are at a place in their lives which now precludes them from return to their former homes. To these inactive Deacons, Priests, Bishops and Religious - we also invite and welcome you to consider our Catholic family for your vocational homecoming.
So please permit us to extend to each of you an invitation to share the gift of your vocation and the gift of your spirituality and the dignity of yourself with us.
Always know that you are in our prayers and we would be most grateful if you would please remember us in yours.
Welcoming Women to the Deaconate and Priesthood
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Office of Vocations
in the United States
Post Office Box 178388 Chicago Illinois 60617-8388
(T) 773-721-5383 (F) 773-721-2581
vocation@evangelicalcatholicchurch.org
Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Ireland
Apt 1 (OM) Main Street, Clarecastle, County Clare, Ireland
(H) 00 353 65 68 48 77 1 (M) 00 85 788 6171