A Catholic church by any other name may not be Roman
JULIE GREENE | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT
Posted: 2.23.10
ORLANDO | You periodically hear about them in parish circles, you may stumble across them on the Internet, you see them in the Yellow Pages or on billboards or simply drive past them on your way to somewhere else and wonder what they are about.
Non-Roman Catholic churches known in the Orlando Diocese
Orlando
Sacred Heart Traditional Catholic
Iglesia Rey de Reyes
Sanford
St. Thomas More Chapel (Society of St. Pius X)
Lakeland
St. Thomas More Old Catholic Mission
Belleview
St. Paul Polish National Catholic Church
Eustis
St. Filumena Roman Catholic Church (Traditional Latin Mass)
Tavares
All Saints Roman Catholic Chapel (Traditional)
Melbourne
Holy Family Traditional Catholic Church
Liberal Catholic Church of St. Pierre
St. Cloud
Santas Perpetua y Felicidad Iglesia Católica/Santuario Divino Niño de Jesus
Note: The churches above are known to exist in the Orlando Diocese. Others may exist but were not uncovered during research. When in doubt, visit the diocesan Web site,www.orlandodiocese.org, for a full listing of official Roman Catholic parishes in the Orlando Diocese.
Non-Roman Catholic Churches in communion with Rome in the U.S.
Armenian Catholic Church (eparchies in New York for the United States and Canada)
Syrian Catholic Church (eparchy in Newark, N.J.)
The Maronite Catholic Church (eparchies in New York and St. Louis)
The Chaldean Catholic Church (eparchies in Chicago and San Diego)
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (eparchy in Chicago)
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (eparchy in Newton, Mass.)
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (eparchies in Philadelphia; Parma, Ohio; Chicago; and Stamford, Conn.)
The Ruthenian (or Bzyantine) Catholic Church (eparchies in Pittsburgh; Parma, Ohio; Passaic, N.J.; and Van Nuys, Calif.)
The Romanian Greek Catholic Church (eparchy in Canton, Ohio)
Non-Roman Catholic churches in the U.S. NOT in communion with Rome
Traditional
St. Pius X
United Catholic Church
Old Roman
Reformed Roman Rite
Free Catholic
Independent Catholic
American
Polish National*
*The Polish National Catholic Church is the only schismatic Catholic Church that is in dialogue with the USCCB.
They have names like Traditional Catholic, Old Roman Catholic, United Catholic, Reformed Rite Roman Catholic, Society of St. Pius X, Polish National Catholic, Independent Catholic, Free Catholic — the list goes on.
What are these churches and are they legitimate?
The answer depends on a myriad of factors.
In most cases, they are churches not in communion with the Vatican or with the local Roman Catholic diocese; they are sprinkled across the nation, the state and even the Orlando Diocese.
They are often referred to as “independents” or “vagantes” (Latin for “wandering”) churches. Many Catholics who worship in diocesan parishes year-round are aware that these churches are not associated with the diocese and, therefore, not associated with the Vatican. But what of the thousands of visitors to the central Florida area, the engaged couples from other states seeking a Catholic church or priest to marry them, or people who settle here from locations across the country and globe where such churches are not as prevalent?
“People who attend these churches by mistake are usually surprised and confused. It’s not what they are intending to participate in,” said Msgr. Michael Souckar, chancellor for the Archdiocese of Miami. “They perceive the word ‘catholic’ as Roman Catholic.”
Father Gregory Parkes, chancellor for the Orlando Diocese, said he has concerns about the security measures used by some of these churches when it comes to the people they ordain. He fears that people are attending these churches without realizing that the sacraments provided there may or may not be valid or licit, depending on the situation, the person performing the sacrament or even the words they use to perform the ritual.
“Churches like this that pop up were generally started by priests who at one time were validly ordained and, for whatever reason, left the Roman Catholic Church or were possibly forced out,” said Father Parkes. “We have no idea where these people have come from. In some cases they are promoting themselves through the Internet and using their ordination for profit and we have a problem with that.”
The Orlando Diocese appears to have a large number of these vagantes churches in Florida, based on research conducted by the Florida Catholic. In some cases, these churches are associated with organized schismatic churches that have been around for decades or even centuries as a result of disagreements within the Roman Catholic Church. The Old Roman Catholic and the United Catholic Church are offshoots, for example, from the 1870 schism over papal infallibility through the See of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Traditionalist Catholics and those associated with the Society of St. Pius X broke off as a result of the changes from Vatican II. Others broke off even earlier because of disputes over celibate priesthood and changes in the Nicene Creed as far back as 1054.
The Polish National Catholic Church, founded in 1897 in Scranton, Pa., is the only independent church that is currently in formal dialogue with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, although like Orthodox rites it continues to be separated from Rome.
Roman Catholic leaders fear that in some cases these “catholic” churches are run by people who may not be legitimately ordained clergy but have simply taken legal advantage of their ability to use the word “Catholic” in their title as a way to draw in specific populations, such as the Hispanic community.
In the Orlando Diocese, there are about a dozen independent Catholic churches spread across the diocese’s nine counties. It is particularly disconcerting for those who deal with the diocese’s Hispanic population. Ninety percent of Hispanic countries are Catholic, and 80 percent of Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. are Catholic, according to the Office of Hispanic Ministry. Many immigrants become confused about the difference, automatically assuming that the word “catholic” connects them to the Roman Catholic Church, the office said.
At least one church in St. Cloud — Santas Perpetua y Felicidad Iglesia Católica/Santuario Divino Niño de Jesus — and one newer one in Orlando — Iglesia Rey de Reyes — are specifically directed toward Hispanics and were founded by former members of Roman Catholic parishes who left the Church and were ordained by schismatic denominations.
In some cases, these churches are located near or have names similar to diocesan parishes and have created some confusion for visitors or newcomers.
In 2005, St. Paul Polish National Catholic Church in Belleview once had a large billboard off State Road 441 in the same county as St. Paul Catholic Church in Leesburg, which is associated with the Orlando Diocese. While the billboard specified its PNCC association, it was not always seen or understood by people unfamiliar with the differences.
When St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Summerfield, located near the Belleview church, was dedicated in 2005, it caused some Catholics to speculate whether it was a Polish National Catholic Church since it is run by priests from a Polish order.
“When the Pauline Fathers first came to St. Mark’s Church in Summerfield, there was much confusion and questions as to our parish being part of the Polish National Church, since St. Paul’s Polish National Church existed in the neighboring town of Belleview,” said Deacon Bob Esposito. “Through the years, with continually placing articles in our in our church bulletin, and teaching and explaining that the PNCC is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, the telephone calls and questions have lessened considerably. However, occasionally we still get inquires by new people moving into the area about the different affiliations of both parishes.”
Independent or schismatic churches often appeal to Catholics who have broken away from the Church for some reason or have misunderstood basic procedures in the Church, such as annulments. These churches describe the Roman Catholic Church as too legalistic and often feed myths. For example, a few of the Web sites claim that annulments are too expensive, a charge disputed by the Orlando Diocese Tribunal Office.
While the Orlando Diocese does charge a token fee for annulments based on the amount of time an annulment takes, these fees are often waived if people indicate they cannot afford them.
“The fee simply reflects the amount of man-hours and administrative costs that go into it,” said Ydia Medina-Diaz, a Tribunal staff person. “We accept whatever people can pay us to recoup some of our expenses.”
To further the confusion, these churches sometimes have a photograph of the pope in their vestibule, which gives the impression to strangers coming to the church that they are in communion with Rome.
“In order for a parish to be validly erected in the Diocese of Orlando, it has to be decreed by our bishop,” said Father Parkes.
While Father Parkes agrees that, legally, these churches have the right to use the word “catholic” in their names, there is an important legal distinction that could be made in using the term “Roman Catholic.”
All valid parishes for the Orlando Diocese are listed on the diocesan Web site — www.orlandodiocese.org. Included in this list of recognized Catholic churches are those in communion with Rome that fall under the jurisdiction of Eastern Rite bishops in the United States, such as the Maronite, Ukrainian and Byzantine Churches. The Orlando Diocese has four such Churches — two Byzantine in Orlando and Ormond Beach, one Maronite in Orlando and a Ukrainian in Apopka.
These Churches are separated from Orthodox rites because they accept the pope of Rome as the head of their Church. In recent years, the Vatican and Orthodox leaders have made some strides toward reunification, but remain divided on several issues.
While many “catholic” churches not in communion with the Vatican articulate openly on their Web sites about their dissociation with Rome and the Vatican, others are more ambiguous.
“Some sacraments offered at these churches may be valid. Others may be valid but illicit since they do not have the faculties of the diocese. Each sacrament would need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine both validity and licity,” said Father Parkes.
This story was originally published in November 2005, and was updated by Karen Osborne and Mary St. Pierre. For more information, contact the chancellor’s office at 407-246-4845.
IMAGE :1 of 2
Posts
