Holy Church

The Holy Catholic Church International
...a World-Wide Community of the Faithful

The mission of our Church is unification based on uncompromising allegiance to sound doctrine. Our firm foundation for building a unified church is therefore the truth given us by the apostles and the early Church fathers. 

 We are part of the” Church Catholic”: the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Thus we share core beliefs with the Roman Catholic Church, the conservative Old Catholic Rites,  the Orthodox community, the Anglo-Catholic churches, conservative Episcopalians, and others who adhere to the principles of faith and morals believed everywhere, always, and by all.

            To our delight, we have signed an agreement for full intercommunion with the African Orthodox Church of Africa. Therefore our identities include Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox. All of our bishops are members of the International Conference of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops, consisting of 800 bishops world-wide, all adhering to the faith of the Church Fathers. We are also a member of the Ecumenical Canonical Orthodox Church World-Wide (ECOCW).



[Archbishop James (Peter) Bramhan, D.D., left, U.S. Primate, African Orthodox Church, with Archbishop Catholicos Scholarios-Gennarius III, shepherding the Ecumenical Canonical Orthodox Church World-Wide.

We strongly assert that division in the Body of Christ causes our Lord to grieve; He prayed that we might all be one. Further, there is no disputed issue among these various expressions of the faith that is important enough to justify separation. Those who hold valid lines of apostolic succession, celebrate a real Eucharist, and uphold historic standards of faith and morals are welcome with us and should be welcome with each other.

We honor the education and dedication of men serving the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches, perhaps others who have avoided “tickling ears” doctrine and other major departures from Holy Tradition. There are some conservative ministers in these denominations who lack only the apostolic succession to become one with us.  A few already have, and we pray that many more will come. For well-educated ministers, we streamline the educational process by designing a program unique to the individual candidate according to his needs.

Another reason for our existence is that many of the independent "Catholic" churches have gone wild in their departure from Holy Tradition, not to mention doctrine. We hope to be a stabilizing force in this very large arena.

We are inviting independent priests whose churches have departed from the unchanging doctrines which have been historically believed "always, everywhere, by everyone".
 
We hope to be a doorway through which detached Roman Catholic priests can return to the altar and through which former Roman Catholic people can reclaim their faith.

We love our Blessed Mother deeply, along with all the saints, on whose intercession we rely for help. We hold to the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed. We honor the fathers and doctors of the church.

We believe that there is only one church; even though it has many parts, it is not divided regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ, the savior of all men.

Our beloved, late John Paul II, in fact, proclaimed that all churches possessing the Apostolic Succession and having a valid Eucharist are "true particular churches". The statement has been endorsed as well by our present Holy Father, Benedict XVI.  [Dominus Iesus]

 

We believe in Holy Scripture as the inspired word of God when correctly interpreted by knowledgeable people in its completeness with all 73 books, not 66 as in the Protestant translations that reflect the editing, omissions, and other errors of Martin Luther. We look to Holy Tradition as an authentic source of God’s revelation of Himself to men and hold that Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition complement each other.

We practice all seven Holy Sacraments, with the Holy Eucharist ranking as highest of all, by which Christ gives of His very self to men, women, and children in a perpetual sacrifice. No-one can perform this mystery except for a validly ordained priest with historic lines of apostolic succession.

Also see The Credo.

High Regard for Women
Although we do not ordain women to any ecclesiastical office, we highly honor their very strong and unique callings to various forms of religious life.

Our Apostolic Validity

We confirm our valid lines of Apostolic Succession through multiple historic roots.  During our early formation, we were part of the Catholic Charismatic Church (CCC), decended from the Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada(CCCC) due to its foundation being laid in Montreal.

In 2009, the Most Reverend Joel G. Clemente, D.D., was consecrated  a bishop by the Most Reverend J. Paul A. Boucher, D.D., and the Most Reverend Robert J. Russell, D.D., both of whom were first ordained in the CCCC and later elevated to the office of Bishop. A third co-consecrator was the Most Reverend Edward Haynes, D.D., now Patriarch of the Holy Nicene Orthodox Church.

In November, 2009, Bishop Clemente founded the Holy Catholic Charismatic Church (HCCC) under the authority of a mandate, dated November 29, 2009, issued by His Excellency the Most Reverend Edward Haynes (or “Primus ++Jacob”) of the Holy Nicene Orthodox Church.  

Metropolitan Clemente governs his church in Pampanga, the Philippines. On February 4, 2010, Bishop-Elect Heyward B. Ewart, Ph.D., was consecrated by His Excellency as a bishop in the Holy Catholic Charismatic Church and assigned the world-wide Diocese of the Risen Lord.

After much prayer, with strong confirmation and the encouragement of a sister church, Bishop Ewart founded the Holy  Catholic Church International (HCCI) This young ministry is a response to an inner call to conform as strictly as possible with historic doctrine. His title now is Metropolitan Archbishop of the HCCI, or Most Reverend Heyward Bruce Ewart, Ph.D., D.D.  The Church was registered as a religious nonprofit organization  with the Tennessee Department of State on May 4, 2010.

Our devotion to St. Francis of Assisi 

We try to emulate the holy example of this great saint, especially his dedication to peace, servanthood, and love of all of God's creatures.

The Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, your pardon Lord;

and where there's doubt, true faith in you;

O Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada
Since our history includes Old Catholic ties from the Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada, a description of the CCCC follows, courtesy of Wikipedia.

History [from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia]

...The Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada was established and organized by Patriarch Andre Barbeau in 1968. Barbeau was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on November 21, 1940 and served in that capacity for 28 years in the Archdiocese of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 1968 Barbeau left the Roman Catholic Church and was consecrated a bishop and first autonomously appointed patriarch of the new Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada by pro-uniate Old Catholic bishops in Europe. Barbeau served in this capacity until his death on February 14, 1994. Succeeding Barbeau is Archbishop Andre Letellier, who was installed shortly after Barbeau's death in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Cité de Marie.

The Catholic Charismatic Church of Canada immediately erected faith churches and faith communities in Canada and in several northeastern states in the United States; by the early 1990s the church's jurisdiction had spread as far south as Florida and later into the south as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas
[Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Rev. Heyward B. Ewart, Ph.D., D.D.
Metropolitan Archbishop (Patriarch)


 BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
Also see WHO WE ARE

As previously stated, the Holy Catholic Church International (HCCI) identifies with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, the Old Catholic churches, the Holy Orthodox Community, and others, and thus believes the undeniable, that the Church is visible and alive; that Christ Himself established the Church in order to lead and feed His flock through the ages, mainly through the Apostolic Succession.

The Issue of Celibacy
 
We believe it is sometimes best for a priest not to marry but only if called by God to be single.Since our doors are open to Orthodox and Anglican clergy, we are not in a position to forbid marriage. Forced celibacy as a condition for the priesthood has led to all kinds of problems. However, celibacy does not increase the incidence of pedophilia; in fact, most pedophiles are married.

We sternly caution that a priest cannot allow marriage to interfere with his primary calling to the priesthood.

By permitting certain marriages that do enhance a man’s ministry, we have become a home for Roman Catholic priests who had previously abandoned their first calling because they could not manage the requirement for celibacy.

We receive these priests as teachers, not as students. They are their own gift to us.

We believe in Holy Scripture.

We regard as inspired texts the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments. The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of the Second Vatican Council states: “For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit…they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself. “ These books “firmly, faithfully, and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures.” [Declaration “DOMINUS IESUS” On the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ and the Church; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Paulist Fathers]Most tragically, however, there are countless under-educated or uneducated preachers who know very well what Holy Scripture says but have a very restricted understanding of what it means. They gather great numbers of people unto themselves to hear a single man’s (or woman’s) opinion as though it had some reliable value. Totally ignored are the scholars of ancient times who walked with the very writers of the gospels.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

We hold this devotion very dear to our hearts:Sacred Heart of Jesus
Consecration of Priests Prayer
 - The Raccolta    Lord Jesus, our most loving Redeemer and a priest forever, look down with mercy upon us Thy supplicants, whom Thou has deigned to call Thy friends and to make partakers of Thy priesthood. We are Thine, and Thine we wish to be forever. Therefore to Thy Most Sacred Heart, which Thou hast shown to toiling humanity as its only refuge and salvation, we dedicate and surrender ourselves today. Thou who hast promised to priests who are devoted to Thy Sacred Heart copious fruits in their divine ministry, make us, we beseech Thee, fit laborers in Thy vineyard, truly meek and humble, filled with a spirit of devotion and patience, so aflame with love of Thee that we may not cease to enkindle and keep burning this same fire of love in the hearts of the faithful.    Renew our hearts, therefore, in the fire of Thy Heart, so that henceforth we may strive for nothing other than to advance Thy glory and to win to Thee the souls whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy Precious Blood. O Good Shepherd, have mercy most of all upon Thy priests, our brothers, if such there be, who, walking in the vanity of their own mind, have saddened Thee and Thy Beloved Spouse, the Church, by their lamentable defection. Grant us grace to lead them back to Thine embrace, or at least to expiate their sins, to repair the damage they have done, and, by the consolation of our love, to lessen the sorrow with which they have afflicted Thee.    And lastly let each of us pray to Thee in these words of Augustine: O sweet Jesus, live Thou in me, and let the living coal of thy love glow within my spirit and blaze up into a perfect fire; let it burn forever upon the altar of my heart; let it give warmth to my inmost parts; let it flame up in the secret places of my soul. In the day of my consummation let me be found consumed by Thee, who, with the Father and the HolySpirit, livest and reignest God, world without end. Amen.

And we have these promises as our firm hopes:
Promises of the Sacred Heart of JesusOf the many promises Our Lord Jesus Christ did reveal to Saint Margaret Mary in favor of souls devoted to His Sacred Heart, the principal ones are as follows:1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of
My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall
have their names eternally written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.



We believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that they are every bit as much available today as in biblical times. We encourage the practice of these gifts, although in an orderly way, as St. Paul instructs us.

On Homosexuality

We do not claim to know why most people are "straight", some are "gay" and others identify themselves as "bi-sexual". We do know that the Lord we worship loves all of his children and that He endured the cross for all men and women.

He commands that we love each other as we love ourselves. We also believe therefore that hatred for an individual or a group is far more serious a sin than is a homosexual act. 

We do not believe that gay marriages exist; therefore it is impossible to endorse them.

We think that God hates all sin and that any sexual act outside the bonds of Holy Matrimony is a sin. Adultery and fornication are sins, and homosexual acts are a form of fornication.

We will not consider for the priesthood any man who intends to persist in fornication of any kind.

Emotional Distress

Servants of Christ are to be found everywhere who are miserably crippled by deep and intense emotional distress and conflict. We have a dual ministry for these: of practice and of education and training. Bishop Heyward Ewart, who is president of our seminary, has been a Catholic practitioner of psychotherapy for nearly 30 years.

Whether in-person, by telephone, or by the modern means of instant messaging and email, he remains active in relieving the pain of seriously troubled individuals and families. He is the personal mentor for all students in the Christian Clinical Counseling Program.

From bishop to lay person, each man or woman with this kind of need is assured the sacred seal of the confessional and the freedom from worry about financial costs. Most of the people he has treated over the years have sought help for decades from secular mental-health professionals but have gotten only worse.

Bishop Ewart maintains that so-called “mental-illness” is most often a reaction to abnormal or cruel treatment by others; that is, they have been sinned against.

His quote, “There is no normal way to react to craziness” has become a light to many kept in hopeless bondage. He personally trains his students to understand that the mind is truly the soul and cannot be understood without the active help of the Holy Spirit.

With his help, and now the help of his graduates, many are shedding the abysmal label of being mentally ill and at last finding their true mission in life. Pastors have been freed to return to their sheep, and priests in the same way will be unleashed to feed their flocks with full power in realization of Christ’s proclamation, “Freedom for the captives”.

Office phone: 903-923-5509