Geek Bishop

Jeff Duntemann referred to me as "perhaps the world's only genuine geek bishop" in a post today -- and y'know, I think he's right. On IRC, I have a pop-up that I fire off whenever anyone expresses surprise that I work for a living:

"Since Old Catholic Parishes are small, and cannot support a priest, I work as a UNIX Tech Support Engineer to support my clerical habit."

This usually gets a grin. I take myself a good deal less than seriously -- although my mission as a clergyman I do take very, very seriously. Much to the confusion of the genuine "big-O" Orthodox who occasionally wander into the chat room I run on DALnet (#oldcatholic, natch), the Topic is:

"Geek Orthodox Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel, Destroyer of All Bugs"

I often have to explain: "No, not 'Greek', -- _GEEK_'!"

Explication of the rest is left as an exercise for the reader.

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Spoiler: What follows is long and intricate -- you are hereby absolved from having to read it.

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Old Catholicism is widespread in the US -- you can find one or more of us in most large towns and cities. It is a small movement -- it is said (with some justice) that the average Old Catholic cngregation consists of 3 bishops, two priests, and an altar boy who will be ordained a priest next Tuesday.

There are several large groups -- St. Matthew's in Orange, CA; Christ the King in Aurora, CA, St. Mark's in Louisville, KY; and Our Lady of Guadelupe (IIRC) in St. Petersburg FL; Holy Angels in Milwaukee, WI. The theological outlook of the various groups varies from very conservative to wildly liberal. I am conservative theologically and liturgically, but I have read and thought about the Documents of Vatican II, and I find a great deal of value there. (Anybody trying to sell you snake oil labeled "Spirit of Vatican II" is one of them flamin' liberals, who ignores what the Documents actually say.)

How do we relate to Rome? Distantly -- we exist because of a jusrisdictional -- political -- fight in the 1st quarter of the 18th Century between Rome and the See of Utrecht. For various political reasons, Rome wanted to impose their tame German Bishop on Utrecht, who had had the right to elect their bishop for about 1,000 years. The Dutch wouldn't have him. When the Dutch (Protestant) Government declined to become involved (they laughed), Rome went away mad, and ignored Holland for a century or so -- then sent in Jesuits to establish new parishes and dioceses without reference to the existing Church. Various efforts were made up until Vatican I to heal the breach -- but Rome was simply not interested.

We have managed to retain the Apostolic Succession as it is understood in both Rome and Constantinople, and Rome agrees about the validity of our Orders and Sacraments -- but views us as "illicit" (not under obedience to Rome) and "schismatic" (Not in Communion -- as the Orthodox are not).

The present-day Old Catholic See of Utrecht has been in Communion with the Anglican Church (Canterbury) since 1930, and has followed them in matters theological and ecclesiological -- including ordaining women. American Old Catholic bodies are _NOT_ in communion with Utrecht, due to a disagreement in 1910, and due to the attitude of the Polish National Catholic Church from 1930 to 1975. They took the attitude that THEY were the only real Old Catholics in the US, and blocked any other groups from entering into Communion.

The PNCC is no longer in communion with Utrecht, over the issue of ordaining women, but cannot rejoin Rome, because they have ex-Roman priests who married, whom they will not abandon, and Rome will not accept. The Utrecht Union has formally recognized the split, and voted the PNCC out when they weren't present to object.

Given the calamitous drop in religious membership in Europe, there are probably more Old Catholic bishops in the US than there are Old Catholic parishioners in The Netherlands.

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My ministry is very Geeky -- I talk to people on IRC, maintain several Web sites now & then, and a discussion list -- if you are interested in any of that, email me at BpSam@am-cath.org.