Thursday, October 27, 2005
WHY DOES ROSSNER AND THE ORDER OF THE TRANSFIGURATION MATTER ?
The short explanation is "Because of the ICCC," but you need the long explanation to understand what I'm talking about.
ICCC stands for International Council of Community Churches. Notice the statement there:
Council affiliation by any church is entirely voluntary. Each individual congregation makes this decision based on its acceptance of the Council's constitution and its willingness to enter into covenant with the Council and every other congregation affiliated with the Council.
What does "covenant" mean? Websters says "formal, solemn, and binding agreement" - a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action."
The constitution is not online, unfortunately. Something of what they stand for can still be discovered by reading their Vision statement:
- To affirm individual freedom of conscience.
- To protect and promote church self-determination.
- To proclaim that the love of God, which unites, can overcome any division.
- To be an integral partner in the worldwide ecumenical movement.
Also their Purpose statement:
- To be an answer to Christ's prayer: "That they may all be one" (John 17)
- To affirm the worth and dignity of every person.
- To attend to human need and suffering throughout the world.
- To seek and share the truth.
- To build toward a new world of peace.
Their History webpage describes the formation of this Council:
In 1950, two fellowships in the Community Church Movement joined in a historic merger. At the time, their joining represented the largest interracial merger of religious bodies in America. The new creation was the International Council of Community Churches. Member churches and centers united to be a fellowship of ecumenically-minded, freedom-loving churches cooperating in fulfilling the mission of the Church in the world.
As a post-denominational movement for over 40 years, the Council has witnessed and worked for Christian unity and reconciliation in human society. And this is the work it carries into the 21st Century.
Certainly sounds noble. How does it shake out in real life?
You can see the fish, their symbol, on Fr. John Rossner's Order of the Transfiguration webpage. You can also see it at the website of the Orthodox Church of the Mother of God Transfigured.
The ICCC Members webpage lists four distinct groups. Look at the first one - the Christian Catholic Rite of Community Churches, which is sometimes abbreviated CCRCC, whose Bishop is listed as Most Rev. Serge A. Theriault. Here he is again. His church is located in Quebec. This statement is given on the website:
The first Christian Catholic Church in America was organized among French-Canadians in St. Anne, Illinois, in 1859, under the leadership of the Rev. Charles Chiniquy. The Parish in the Outaouais (Gatineau-Hull) was inaugurated in December 1976.
It is dedicated to St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Gregory of Parumala and remembers the Rev. J.B. Gauthier and Bishop J.R. Vilatte, who were both teachers in the Outaouais before joining Dr. Charles Chiniquy's reform movement in 1880.
The Outaouais Parish has been the cathederal church for the Christian Catholic Rite since 1982, when Rector S.A. Theriault succeeded the late Msgr O'Neill Cote (1939-1986)as 4th Bishop Ordinary and the Episcopal See was transfered from Montreal-Longueuil (St. Stephen's Church) to Hull.
Bishop Vilatte had transfered the See from Green Bay, Wisconsin (Parish Church of St. Louis, King of France), to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1901.
Rene Vilatte is quite a colorful priest. You can read the story of this wandering bishop at the CCRCC website. At one time or another he was a member of the Order of Christian Brothers, a member of the Christian Catholic Church which was founded by Charles Chiniquy, worked for the Presbyterian church as a missionary, served at Calvary French Church in Green Bay, Wisconsin, founded the Church of the Precious Blood of Jesus for which the Episcopal Bishop of Fond du Lac presided at the consecration, founded the Society of the Precious Blood.
The support for Vilatte's consecration came from the Independent Catholic Church of Sri Lanka, Goa, and India, through Father Bernard Harding, a priest in Roman orders who had been a missionary there before joining Vilatte's Society. Two Indian Malabar bishops were also involved in his consecration. In fact the story defines the meaning of "wandering bishops" which Stephen Hoeller, bishop of the Gnostic Catholic Church, describes here. Vilatte was associated with many and loyal to none.
Perhaps this could be excused considering the fact that the territory he was serving was just emerging from wilderness. However, he has one infamous disciple. Aleister Crowley. You can read about this succession by which the Gnostic Catholic Church and the Ordo Templi Orientis claim apostolic succession through Rene Vilatte here.
Incredible as it might seem, the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin tells this story of the Church of the Precious Blood and Rene Vilatte on its website.
There is more information on Vilatte at the CCRCC website. Just click the various links.
Crossmap Christian Directory lists the churches that belong to the International Council of Community Churches. The first one listed is Rev. Serge A. Theriault's Christian Catholic Church. The Howland Community Church that I bloged about yesterday is there on the list. You can see the fish insignia on their Affiliations webpage.
Further down the list is the Order of Port Royal in the United States. The website for this Order has a long list of links which includes "Lectio Divina," "World Council of Churches," "World Community for Christian Meditation" (the John Main Seminar people), "Contemplative Outreach," and "Taize." There are also links there for "Saints of the Cistercian Order," "St. Bernard of Clairvaux," "Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance," "Cistercian Publications," "Monastic Studies," and "Rules for Hermits". There is a link for the "Altar Book of the Old Catholics in Germany."
According to their website this order practices Cistercian spirituality and "contemplative Christianity" Dom Gregory, of this Order, is a member of the American Benedictine Academy, the Eckhart Society, and Spiritual Directors International. Dom Mark is a retired ECUSA priest and a member of Forward in Faith. Their mission is ecumenical outreach. What sort of spiritual direction do they give, one wonders? The kind one would expect from a Roman Catholic Cistercian, the kind one would expect from a Contemplative Outreach, i.e. centering prayer, or something of the occult sort practiced by the Gnostic Catholic Church and the Order of the Transfiguration? Any of the three are possible given the convergence of religious streams in the ICCC.
To look at this website, you would think it were Catholic...all except for the name which seems odd. Msgr. Ronald Knox discusses Port Royal in his book ENTHUSIASM, in the chapter on Jansenism. It was a location near Paris. Port Royal is also discussed in the Catholic Encyclopedia entry for "Acadia". In this case Port Royal refers to what is now Annapolis with an off-shoot in Bar Harbor, Maine, and a story of persecution of French Catholics by the English. Neither may be applicable to this German Order of Port Royal.
Another member of the ICCC is Spirit United Interfaith Church. Their newsletter describes the church as "esoteric Christianity, Ageless Wisdom, and the unifying principles of all spiritual paths that demonstrate love, compassion and unity." The September calendar in the newsletter indicates that "meditation" is a common focus of services. One of the "Classes and Events at Spirit United" is "Conversation with Mikel - Rev. M. Jean Kellett" which is described as "Jean will share spiritual information from Mikel through an intuitive spiritual telepathic communication. Time for personal questions will be provided." Rev. Kellett is an ordained minister from Sancta Sophia Seminary. I guess the seminary teaches channeling.
Another member of the ICCC is the Franciscan Servants of the Holy Cross. This order is attempting to assist at the "rediscovery and restoration of the Ancient and Undivided Church with it's [sic] faith, order and tradition."
The order is "an ECUMENICAL Christian religious order of clergy, religious and laity that seeks fellowship, mutual support and common ministries that reflect unity, service, advocacy, education, and reconciliation of all who see themselves as Christ centered and biblically focused." I wonder how that works out with the ICCC's provision that all members exhibit "willingness to enter into covenant with the Council and every other congregation affiliated with the Council" when some of the churches practice spirit contact?
The Franciscan Servants of the Holy Cross indicate under "special Announcements:" that "The FSHC enters into full communion with the Fraternity of Ecumenical Franciscans of Spain, Cuba and Mexico (founded by the Anglican Franciscan Brothers of Spain and the Anglical Communion) and the Company of Jesus (Franciscan) of the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches!"
Their "Events" link shows a session of "Centering Prayer with the Holy Rosary."
Here is the website of the Company of Jesus. They don't seem to be affiliated with the ICCC, however. They too are ecumenical, but look Roman Catholic. They are part of the Anglican Province of Christ the Good Shepherd. Their website says they "fully support those faithful ECUSA bishops and priests who stand firm in the Apostolic faith and doctrine of the historical Anglican Church and who have not bowed the knee to the pressures of our secular culture." I wonder if they know what their affiliate is up to? Their links page indicates they are into "contemplation".
This is where ecumenism is taking us apparently...into post-denominationalism. And it seems to have the Pope's blessing. How do we fit this into Catholic doctrine and spirituality?
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
