About Us

Continued From the Home Page
We believe that after the Great Schism of 1054 the Orthodox Churches of the East continued to guard the Holy Tradition in its fullness, and that they remain today the complete and authentic expression of the undivided Catholic Church of the first millennium. We declare ourselves to be united with the Orthodox in Faith. 

We celebrate the Holy Eucharist according to the ancient western rite.  In the course of the first millennium the western Church, under the Patriarchs (Popes) of Rome, adopted a form of liturgy which became known as the Mass, and which survived in its essentials until the Second Vatican Council. This ancient liturgy – or Western Rite -  is part of our heritage from the undivided Church, and we have adopted it, in vernacular form, for universal use throughout our Church. 

While acknowledging that the Roman Catholic Church remains, through its Creeds, its Sacraments and its Apostolic Succession, part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, we believe that it has departed from the Holy Tradition in claiming that the Bishop of Rome, as successor of St Peter, has spiritual powers superior to those of other Bishops. In asserting this claim it has created a fourth level of ministry above the threefold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons which was established in the undivided Church, where the Patriarchs were regarded as first among equals in relation to their fellow bishops. 

We have no connection with the Anglican Church. By abandoning unilaterally the Catholic tradition of an all-male ministry and willfully pursuing compromise in its doctrine and moral values, Anglicanism has relinquished any claim to be part of the Catholic Church. 

We also dissociate ourselves emphatically from so-called 'continuing Anglicanism'. With its confused aims, its myriad factions, its ever-shifting alliances and its fatal reliance on negotiated compromise this movement is self-destructive and has no future. 

Our vision is of authentic Christian unity, achieved by all Christians returning to the universally-accepted faith of the undivided Church.  That faith does not have to be negotiated, nor does it need to be reconstructed. It is there for all to see in the Orthodox Churches, who have added nothing and taken nothing away from the faith of the first millennium. The Holy Catholic Church – Western Rite lives, whole-heartedly and without question, the faith of the undivided Church.

Below we answer some of the questions that are most often asked about our Church.

“WHAT IS THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH - WESTERN RITE?"
The Holy Catholic Church - Western Rite is not Roman Catholic, not Anglican, not Protestant. It is the ORIGINAL Church that existed before those names were even thought of. For the first thousand years of the Church's history all Christians accepted one Catholic faith, and we have restored this faith for the 21st century. We are the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, ordained by Jesus Christ and founded by his Apostles.
While they lived the Apostles passed on their own personal experience of what they had seen Jesus Christ do, what they had heard him say and what he had taught them privately. They knew their teaching was right because Jesus Christ had promised them that the Holy Spirit would guide them into the truth.
At first this teaching was by word of mouth, but quite soon much of it was put into writing - for example, by St Paul in his letters to the new Christian churches, and by the Gospel writers. After the Apostles died their successors continued to teach the same Christian message to an expanding Church, and for a thousand years the Church was truly Catholic (which means universal) because it was united in the faith it had received from the Apostles.
Unfortunately that undivided Church has since split up. But we believe that the faith of the first thousand years of Christianity, passed on by the Apostles and carefully preserved by the undivided Church, is God's authentic message to us through his Son Jesus Christ. That message needs no Roman Catholic additions nor Protestant subtractions. We believe, too, that only by returning to the faith of the undivided Church will Christians ever be truly reunited.

"YOU CLAIM TO BE A CHURCH, BUT DO YOU HAVE PROPER BISHOPS AND PRIESTS?"
Yes. We have the traditional three-fold male ministry of bishops, priests and deacons, plus the order of Subdeacons. Our bishops are in the Apostolic Succession - that great line of bishops that stretches back to St Peter.

"DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE POPE?"
We honor the Pope as the Patriarch of the Western Church and a great religious leader, but we believe that, as a bishop, he is 'first among equals'. We cannot accept that one bishop can have greater spiritual power than another. During the first thousand years of its history the Church had no Supreme Pontiff; if important decisions affecting the whole Church had to be made all the bishops met to decide the matter. That is how our own Church works.

"TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WORSHIP."
We offer all seven Sacraments, including the Sacrament of Penance (Confession), but the Holy Eucharist, the Mass, is at the heart of our worship, and we regard it as the most important thing we do. You can find the Order of Mass by clicking 'Our Liturgy' on the home page of this website. Our faith is identical to that of the Orthodox Churches, but the 'Western Rite' part of our name indicates that we use the ancient Western Liturgy of the Church, as opposed to the Eastern Liturgy used by the Orthodox. Clergy are strictly forbidden to make their own amendments to the Liturgy. All our services are conducted with reverence and dignity, and in traditional language. We do not feel the need to change or modernize our worship.

"I'M TOLD YOU TAKE A FIRM STANCE ON MORALITY."
Yes. The moral beliefs of the Holy Catholic Church - Western Rite are clear and carry the authority of the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church. We believe that the Commandments really are commandments and not suggestions, and for further guidance we look to the Holy Tradition of the Church. That includes the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, the wisdom of St Paul and the other Apostles and the inspired decisions made collectively by the spiritual leaders of the Undivided Church.
We believe that only through traditional morality, tested over many centuries, can a Church, a family, a community or a nation be stable and at peace with itself.
To take as examples some of the issues that are causing so much misery in our own day:
We believe that there is no substitute for faithful marriage. Too many children suffer from the breakup of short-term relationships.
We believe that, while homosexuality is not a sin in itself, 'gay sex' is unnatural and an offense to God. We respect greatly the many homosexuals (men and women) who lead honorable lives of sexual restraint.
We believe that the huge increases in teenage pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases among young people show that the sex education currently used in schools has failed completely. Children need to be taught the benefits of sexual abstinence.
We believe that human life begins at conception, and that abortion (the deliberate killing of a child) is a form of murder. So is the practice of euthanasia, which is now being actively promoted.

"YOU APPEAR VERY MUCH OUT OF TOUCH WITH SOCIETY. ISN'T THERE ROOM FOR COMPROMISE IN THESE MATTERS?"
No. If you believe that the moral teaching of Christ and his Church exists for our guidance you cannot pick and choose the bits that are convenient. You must accept it all - and accept it as it stands, without trying to force new meanings on to it.
We regard with despair the continuing retreat by Anglican Churches from absolute moral principles, and the growing pressure in the Roman Catholic Church to do the same. Christian morality cannot be continually adjusted to fit in with social trends.

"IS YOUR CHURCH CONFINED TO AMERICA?"
Certainly not - it is world-wide. In addition to the Diocese of America there is the Archdiocese of Europe, the Diocese of the Rio Grande (Texas border and Mexico), the Diocese of Umzi Wase Tiyopia (South Africa), the Diocese of India and the Diocese of the Caribbean (centred in Colombia). We also have a Missionary District in Canada. The vast majority of our members are black, Asian or hispanic, and most of them are poor.
The worldwide Church is overseen by a Metropolitan Archbishop - currently Archbishop Leslie Hamlett (Europe) The diverse and cosmopolitan membership reflects the desire of people throughout the world for true Catholicism.

"WHAT PART DO THE LAITY PLAY IN THE CHURCH?”
Clergy and lay people alike submit themselves to the authority of the Synod of Bishops, which has absolute jurisdiction in matters of faith and order. (This was once the case in all Catholic Churches, but discipline of that kind has all but disappeared.) Each bishop has a Council of Advice on which lay people are prominent, and each diocese holds an annual conference at which decisions on the day-to-day running of the diocese are made. Once a Mission reaches a certain size it has its own council. The powers of all these bodies are confined to financial and administrative matters; they cannot rule on matters of faith or liturgy.

"WHAT ABOUT MONEY?"
We are a poor Church operating with minimum expense. (The reason you haven't heard of us until now is that we can't afford expensive advertising.) The vast majority of our clergy are unpaid. Individual dioceses and Missions are expected to raise for themselves the money they need. When it comes to resources we have to make do with what God provides for us.

"I LIKE MUCH OF WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT YOUR CHURCH, BUT I AM NOT SURE I CAN COMMIT MYSELF HERE AND NOW."
You are right to use the word 'commit' because all our members are committed - we don't carry passengers. If you decide to join us you will need to be received into the Church. But we realize that people need to experience the worship of the Church and get some first-hand knowledge of it before committing themselves. You will therefore be welcome to attend services and share our fellowship, although you may not be able to receive Communion until you make the decision to join us. (If you are already a member of an Orthodox or Catholic Church you can receive Communion immediately.)
You do not, of course, have to wait. You can ask to be received at any time, and if you have not been baptized or confirmed we can arrange that in due course. The important thing is that you should be sure that the HCCWR is the Church for you.

A FINAL WORD....
It doesn't matter if you have not been to church for a long time. It doesn't matter if you have never been to church in your life. We will gladly accept you as you are because you need us, and we need you.
YOU NEED US because you need salvation, and the only sure way to find it is through the sacraments of the authentic One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, ordained by Christ himself and established by his Apostles. Our Church can give you everything you need to find the eternal life that Jesus Christ promised to all who follow and serve him faithfully.
WE NEED YOU to strengthen our witness to the true faith of the Catholic Church. We need your support in proclaiming the Gospel of Christ honestly and without compromise. That proclamation, constantly sustained through our public worship and private prayer, is the only hope of sowing the seeds of revival in a world that desperately needs it.

For further information about the history and beliefs of the Holy Catholic Church Western Rite click HERE . If you decide to inquire further we guarantee that you will not be harassed in any way – no phone calls, letters or e-mails unless you initiate them.