Orthodox Catholic Home Page | The Many Incarnations of a Typical Human Spirit | Church News | Logia of Melchizedek | Interpreting the Logia of Melchizedek | F A Q's | Life and Works of J. S. M. Ward | Teachings of Melchizedek | The Motherhood of God | The New Age and the Return of the Salvator | The Real Meaning of Adam and Eve | Further Information | BOOKS FOR SALE

Orthodox Catholic Church of the New Age

Frequently Asked Questions

This web-page is designed to provide brief answers to a dozen Frequently Asked Questions. More detailed information is available on request.




What is your Line of Succession? We have many, which come from not only the Catholic and Orthdox Churches, but also from the almost extinct Church of the Far East. Our Principle Line of Succession comes through Ignatius Peter III, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. In 1877 he consecrated Paul Athanasius and since then the succession has descended as indicated below:

NAME
YEAR CONSECRATED
NOTES
Paul Athanasius
1877
Consecrated by Syrian Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Peter III and appointed Patriarchal Legate in Malabar
Francis Xavier Alvarez
1889
Paul Athanasius consecrated Alvarez assisted by Malabar Bishops Evanius and Gregorius.
Joseph Rene Vilatte
1891
Alvarez consecrated Vilatte as Archbishop Metropolitan for America, assisted by Athanasius and Gregorius
Frederick E. J. Lloyd
1915
Consecrated by Vilatte assisted by Bishop Paul Miraglia. Lloyd succeeded Vilatte as Archbishop in 1920
John Churchill Sibley
1929
Consecrated by Lloyd assisted by Archbishop Gregory and Bishops Daniel, Francis and Axel then appointed Archbishop Metropolitan for British Empire
John S. M. Ward
1935
Consecrated by Sibley and then succeeded him as Archbishop in 1938. Gained additional lines of Succession in 1945
Colin M. Chamberlain
1946
Consecrated by Ward and others in 1945 and succeeded him as Archbishop in 1949
Peter Gilbert Strong
1951
Consecrated by Chamberlain and Andrews in 1951. Succeeded Chamberlain as Archbishop in 1965
John Reginald Cuffe
1989
Consecrated by P Strong and M. Cuffe in 1989. Contactable through this website.


Villatte with his Consecrators in 1892

consecratorsofvillatte.gif

Front from left; Joseph R. Vilatte, Paul Mar Evanius, Bishop Divanyosious, Paul Athanasius, Bishop of Kottayam, George Mar Gregorius, Bishop of Niranam and Francis Xavier Alvarez

Why are there no women priests and bishops in your Church? Valid orders are quite simply the transfer of Apostolic Authority from one who has received that authority to another under the same or similar conditions that it was received. As Christ and his Apostles only appointed males as their successors, no subsequent bishop has the right to confer this authority on a female. Much more can be written about why Christ acted thus, but until He comes again, no female, so-called bishop can claim to act with the full Apostolic Authority because no MAN has the right to give it to her.

Why are your priests encouraged to marry? Again there are many reasons. Most, perhaps all of the Apostles were married and our Church seeks to replicate Apostolic norms. It is also true that a couple working together for God, can do far more than either a man or a woman working alone.

Is sex wrong? The short answer is a resounding "NO". Sex is one of the two essential elements of the Sacrament of Matrimony, and as such is not only, not-wrong, it is RIGHT and necessary. It is the abuse of sex that is wrong, just as it is wrong to abuse any other Sacrament.

What is your view on Contraception and Abortion? It is not usually wrong to take measures to stop a child being conceived, but it is always wrong to kill an unborn infant. Occasionally, however, it may be that killing an unborn child would prevent a greater wrong, as for instance the death of the mother, but Abortion can never be justified on purely selfish grounds.

How do Orthodox Catholics differ from Roman Catholics? Obviously there are many differences, but probably the most obvious is the fact that our priests are encouraged to marry.

Can average persons be trained to contact their departed loved ones? The short answer is yes, though the training is neither quick nor easy. However, for those who will make the effort and take the time, the Orthodox Catholic Church will normally be able to help them to do so.

What is the difference between a Psychic and a Mystic? A Psychic, even a very competent one, is able to reach only those spirits who dwell on the Astral Plane and occasionally some parts of the Spirit Plane. But he/she does so either through his/her own efforts, or with the help of those contacted, who may or may not be more spiritually evolved than he/she. Certainly they are not of a significantly higher spiritual nature and the Psychic rarely makes significant spiritual progress through such contacts. By contrast, a Mystic seeks contact, and ultimately a spiritual union, with God and works only through Him or those Saints and/or Angels that He delegates to that task. Because of this spiritual link with more-than-human Entities and his/her desire to draw nearer to God he/she may make much spiritual progress through mysticism and is sometimes permitted to travel to those higher spiritual realms that mere psychics can never reach.

What are the Seven Sacraments? A Sacrament is usually described as an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual Grace. Grace is a traditional Christian term for the good karma of Christ that He sometimes gifts to His followers to help them on their journey. In our Church the Seven Sacraments are: The Eucharist or Communion Service, Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Matrimony (marriage), Holy Orders (the priesthood) and Unction (anointing).

When will Christ Return? As Christ Himself tells us that even He does not know the exact time of His Return (St Matthew 24; 36), we do not presume to give an exact date. Like other Churches we can point out the "Signs of the Times" – those Biblical prophecies which have already been fulfilled, and our own mystics have provided more detailed information, but for all that we will not claim to give even an approximate date. We say merely, that in comparison with the twenty centuries that have intervened since his last Coming, it will not be long. And to emphasise this fact we also point out that there was only a little more than 2000 years between the Coming of the Salvator as Melchizedek and His coming as Jesus of Nazareth.

Why do we revere the mystics John and Jessie Ward? Because like the original Christian Church ours is based on mysticism, and its present mystics derive much of their own abilities from the training and knowledge provided by them when they were on earth, and to a certain extent still provided now from their more advanced state.

How can I learn more of the Ancient Wisdom? These FAQ’s and indeed this whole website is intended to serve merely as an introduction to the Ancient Wisdom of the Orthodox Catholic Church. Those who seek further knowledge can obtain it through the books advertised hereon, most of which are not available elsewhere. Alternatively they may make personal contact with the authors of this website through the e-mail address or phone number provided.

 
 
For Further information
Contact:  Rt. Rev. John Cuffe
               St Cecelia's Orthdox Catholic Church
               Caboolture Qld 4510 Australia.
               email orthcathcab@yahoo.com.au
               Telephone  61 7 5495 3393