A New Jurisdiction, Old Catholicism, and Returning to the Basics

This blog post covers several different topics including a new jurisdiction, my affiliation, and certain aspects of Old Catholicism.  I believe in transparency on this site, so you know my affiliations.  I came into the ISM movement unaffiliated after having left the Roman Catholic priesthood 5 years earlier.  This website allowed me to compile as many jurisdictions I could find to narrow down options for possible incardination.

 As I looked at different communities, I spoke with Bishop Rob who was then the bishop of the American Catholic Communities.  I felt comfortable discussing issues regarding my background and theology.  We met monthly to review the canons, the liturgy, and I was invited to join the Convergence (annual meeting) in the summer of 2024.  Upon much discernment and prayer, I was incardinated in September of 2024. 

Bishop Rob is not only a bishop, but also a friend.  He visited and convalidated my marriage to Leslie; my wife Leslie and I subsequently traveled to visit Bishop Rob’s family.  Moreover, Bishop Rob and I engaged in theological discussions on road trips halfway across the country while visiting parishes and attending the annual gathering.  Imagine my surprise when Bishop Rob resigned as the bishop of the American Catholic Communities earlier this year, several months after my incardination, and started a new type of jurisdiction.  I spent time in prayer over the months discerning if I should follow Bishop Rob as he forms the Ordinariate. 

After much prayer, I resigned my role in the American Catholic Communities. For the sake of transparency, I wanted you to know that I am no longer affiliated with the American Catholic Communities.  I pray for their continued success and wish them nothing but the very best.  I am now incardinating with The Old Catholic Ordinariate for Specialized Ministries - U.S.A.

I normally would recommend people to stay with their jurisdiction for an extended time unless it is completely dysfunctional.  It looks bad when people jump from jurisdiction to jurisdiction as it shows a lack of continuity.  I hesitated leaving the American Catholic Communities so soon for this reason.  At the same time, I also know this situation is a bit different as the bishop who incardinated me left the jurisdiction shortly afterwards to form the Ordinariate.  I want to explain why I believe the formation of the Ordinariate is not just another jurisdiction.

Bishop Rob feels that many individuals in the Old Catholic Movement are called to alternative forms of ministry.  There are ministry options beyond opening a parish.  The ordinariate he is forming, The Old Catholic Ordinariate for Specialized Ministries - U.S.A, focuses on alternative forms of ministry such as “ministry in healthcare centers, prisons, among the homeless and less fortunate, and the homebound.”   I am going to spend time explaining why I believe this is a more viable form of “Old Catholicism” than many jurisdictions in the United States. 

I think we need to be honest with who we are.  As I look at some jurisdiction websites, I see pictures of large Cathedrals and listings of clergy with numerous titles.  I fear that many jurisdictions pretend to be more than what they are.  What I admire about Bishop Rob and his Ordinariate is that it just wants to minister to the marginalized.  Many people are not going to be coming into a parish church, but we can meet people where they are whether it be at a hospital, on the street, or in an assisted living.  We can bring church to people beyond the confines of a building. Bishop Rob knows what he is doing and is honest and transparent.  He has a sound theological background, pastoral sensitivity, and is simply wanting to bring God’s presence in the lives of people hurting, struggling, and hoping.  If you are looking for a jurisdiction to call home, I hope that you read about our jurisdiction and will consider us.

As I spoke with Bishop Rob about incardination, I was very impressed by the discernment process to start the Ordinariate.  Rather than simply being upset with his former jurisdiction or starting a vanity project, he consulted other bishops he knew.  Bishop Rob provided the basic template for the ministry he felt called to establish and other bishops recognized this as a valid and viable path.  How many jurisdictions are birthed out of confirmation by other bishops?  This seems much more orthodox as it connects the Ordinariate to the broader church.

Prior to my departure from the American Catholic Communities, I recently attended the 2025 Convergence for the American Catholic Communities, and the theme was back to the basics of Old Catholicism.  We reviewed the historic documents of the Old Catholic Church.  As I sat and listened, I thought about how many individuals join the “Old Catholic” tradition in the United States without knowing the theology.  People come to our jurisdictions because they want a place to function as clergy rather than affiliating because they believe the theology. 

I came to the Old Catholic tradition because of the theology instead of it simply being a place for me to function as a priest.  I read countless books on the topic.  One of my favorite books is: “The Pope and the Professor: Pius IX, Ignaz von Dollinger, and the Quandary of the Modern Age” as it explores the history behind papal infallibility.  Yes, Old Catholicism finds its origins long before the German Old Catholic movement, but this book explores what I think is the golden age of Old Catholic thought.  If you are attracted to the ISM movement, question why that is the case.  Are you drawn because you want to minister but cannot in the Anglican, Orthodox, or Roman Catholic churches?  Or are you drawn to the theology of the ISM movement and respective traditions such as Continuing Anglican, Independent Orthodox or Old Catholic?

I mentioned this before but please find a jurisdiction whose theology you believe in.  If you are looking to be ordained or incardinated, do not simply join a jurisdiction that is the easiest.  God’s people deserve so much more, and you do too.  A professional sports team is not going to recruit a player who refuses to practice.  Why?  Practice develops skills that are needed to be a successful player.  The point of formation programs is to help you develop skills needed to be an effective minister. What is the point of you being ordained if you cannot effectively serve God’s people?  Bishop Rob and I agree that formation is serious business. 

Finally, I want to turn to a point I made several times.  We in the ISM movement should not attempt to replicate traditional churches.  Many of us come from mainline churches with vibrant parishes, faith formation programs, music programs, and stable structures.  We do not have the resources to replicate large cathedrals, large staffs, hospitals, universities, parochial schools, and great social services/charity outreach.  We simply do not have the resources to make these a reality.  ISM parishes flourished when there was a pastoral need such as discrimination against race or ethnicity.  Instead of trying to build parishes, we can seek to bring God’s presence to people who are marginalized and neglected by the mainline churches.  Rather than our lack of resources being a liability, we can focus on the lost sheep.  We do not have 99 sheep waiting in the pews on Sunday morning.  We can go to the one who is not even missed by the 99.  The ministry we do is not glamorous, but we can bring Christ to those on the margin.  Jesus, help us to seek you in the least and bring your peace, healing, and reconciliation to others.

Peace,

Ben