“NON NOVA SED NOVE” ~ “NOT NEW THINGS, BUT THE OLD THINGS IN NEW WAY” ~ St. Vincent of Lerins

AN INTRODUCTION & THE HISTORY OF OUR CANONICAL ANGLICAN RITE METROPOLITAN ARCHDIOCESE ~ A LIVING TESTAMENT THAT THE BOOK OF ACTS CHURCH IS ALIVE & WELL IN THIS MODERN ERA

ALMIGHTY GOD SAVE THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THE UKRAINE & DELIVER THEM FROM THE ENEMY & GRANT PEACE AND AN END TO THE ATROCITIES PERPETRATED IN THE HOLY LAND

WE INVITE YOU TO COME AND LET US REASON TOGETHER. HOLY ORTHODOXY WHERE COMMON SENSE IS UNDERSTOOD TO BE A BIBLICAL INJUNCTION AS LIVED OUT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS. IT WAS THIS APPROACH OF ST. PHILIP WITH THE ETHIOPIAN MAN THAT RESULTED IN HIS CONVERSION AND BAPTISM. REASON AND FAITH ARE THE HALLMARKS OF THE HISTORIC CHRIST FOUNDED HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH IN ITS FULLNESS & UNIVERSALITY. WE INTERPRET THE HOLY CANONS GUIDED BY THE LOVE CHRIST COMMANDED HIS APOSTLES TO SHOW FORTH TO HIS REDEEMED. CANONICAL ORTHODOXY WITH UNDERSTANDING & CARING CLERGY WHO UPHOLD BIBLICAL MORALITY & FAMILY VALUES. WE ARE ORTHODOX IN BELIEF ~ CATHOLIC IN COMMUNION ~ BOOK OF ACTS IN MISSION ~ APOSTOLIC IN MINISTRY. IN THE ANGLICAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA ~ SARUM-CORINTHIAN WESTERN RITE METROPOLIA OUR BISHOPS ARE SHEPHERDS LEADING OUR MEMBERS IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST. NOT UNBENDING TYRANTS WHO RULE BY INTIMIDATION. ON THE PAGES OF THIS WEBSITE YOU WILL FIND FULL DISCLOSURE & TRANSPARENCY. WE HIDE NOTHING. WHAT YOU READ & SEE HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL FIND WHEN YOU VISIT & MEET US FACE TO FACE. THIS IS A JURISDICTION WHERE COMMON SENSE IS STILL COMMON. YOU WILL FIND NO SHADES OF GRAY IN OUR ARCHDIOCESE. HERE BLACK IS STILL BLACK AND WHITE IS STILL WHITE. THIS WAY YOU KNOW WHERE WE STAND AND WHY WE DO. OUR CLERGY SPEAK THE TRUTH WITH CANDOR AND APOSTOLIC VIGOR IN PLAIN ORDINARY WORDS. IN THE SPIRIT OF ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE WE CARRY ON THE MISSION OF THE UNDIVIDED CHURCH.

THE HOLY ORTHODOX CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC CHURCH WITHOUT PAPAL SUPREMACY & LEGALISM

LONG BEFORE THE BISHOP OF ROME & THE PROTESTANT (STATE CHURCH OF THE UK) SEE OF CANTERBURY WERE ESTABLISHED AND RECOGNIZED AS HAVING AUTHORITY IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH ~ DECADES PRIOR TO ST. PETER’S ARRIVAL IN ROME ~ HE AND HIS WIFE ST. PERPETUA WERE ON BRITISH SOIL ENGAGED IN MINISTRY AND EVANGELIZING THE CITIZENS OF THE BRITISH ISLES ~ BEFORE ROME ~ BEFORE CANTERBURY ~ BEFORE UTRECHT ~ BEFORE CONSTANTINOPLE ~ BEFORE ALEXANDRIA ~ THERE WAS GLASTONBURY THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH IN THE WEST ~ THE GATES OF HELL HAVE NOT PREVAILED AGAINST “MATER ORTHODOXA ECCLESIA ANGLICANA”. WE ARE THE CHURCH OF THE SEVEN ECUMENICAL COUNCILS.

A HOME FOR CLERGY & LAITY SEEKING HOLY ORTHODOXY AS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF ACTS

OUR METROPOLIA IS WHERE THE OLD WORLD AND THE NEW COME TOGETHER WITH DECENCY AND ORDER ~ BRINGING HOPE & STABILITY FOR CHRISTIANS LIVING IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES OF MORAL DECAY AND CIVIL UNREST ~ A SAFE HAVEN AND A BEACON OF LIGHT & CLARITY FOR CLERGY AND LAITY ALIKE ~ ANGLICAN RITE APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC ORTHODOXY ~ TRADITION WITH RELEVANCE & MEANING ~ WE BELIEVE THAT – COMMON SENSE + OBJECTIVE FACT + FAITH = THE MEASURE OF CHRISTIAN REALITY IN THE SALVIFIC EXPERIENCE OF CHRIST’S REDEEMED

AN OVERVIEW ON THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH ORTHODOXY ~ PART 1

The Anglican Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of America owes her Patrimony to Mater Orthodoxa Ecclesia Anglicana which literally translates from the Latin as the Mother Orthodox Church of England. Holy Tradition and Secular History points to Circa 37 A.D. when the Archiepiscopal See of Glastonbury was Established. St. Joseph of Arimathea (the Uncle of the Holy Mother Mary) assisted by St. Mary Magdalene, Sts. Mary and Martha and St. Lazarus of Bethany (whom Christ wept over as He Raised him from the Dead) were the first Missionaries to arrive in England. Together they firmly planted the Orthodox Christian Church in the British Isles by a Mandate and Commission of the Original Apostles ………….. THE ARCHIEPISCOPAL SEE OF GLASTONBURY BECAME THE (ORIGINAL) FIRST GREAT PATRIARCHATE OF HOLY ORTHODOXY IN THE WEST FOLLOWING ANTIOCH & JERUSALEM IN THE EAST. THUS, GLASTONBURY TOOK HER PLACE AS THE THIRD PATRIARCHATE OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH .…………. For Centuries the propaganda promoted by Rome that she was the Mother of the Western Church was accepted without being challenged. There is strong Evidence (as maintained above and below) to suggest that nearly two Decades before the Church of Rome was Organized, the Archiepiscopal See of Glastonbury was a Living Parochial Reality standing on Her own Apostolic Foundation within Holy Orthodoxy. The Historic Episcopate was Established and Priest’s Ordained to serve the newly formed Missions. THE FEAST DAY IN HONOR OF ST. JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA-GLASTONBURY ~ IS CELEBRATED WITH A SOLEMN HIGH MASS-LITURGY ACCORDING TO THE SARUM-CORINTHIAN RITE OF SALISBURY ~ AT OUR ALTAR’S ON MARCH 17TH ~ OLDE SARUM ORDO.

ENGLAND FIRST. ST. PETER ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE ST. PERPETUA WERE EVANGELIZING GREAT BRITAIN DECADES PRIOR TO BEING PLACED IN ROME. It is the Witness and Testimony of Holy Tradition that St. Peter the Apostle at the behest of St. Paul the Evangelist went to the British Isles on a Preaching and Church Planting Mission. This was to insure that the Work of St. Joseph be secured and given additional Episcopal oversight. Accompanied by his devoted WIFE St. Perpetua they took up residence in the Archiepiscopal See of Glastonbury and traveled throughout the country. St. Peter was busy Teaching, Preaching, Ordaining and establishing local Missions. St. Perpetua had the task of Ministering to the Woman and Children there while being a Help-Mate to her Apostle-Spouse & Alleged 1st Roman Catholic Pontiff. THIS IS UNEQUIVOCAL PROOF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST APPROVED & BLESSED A MARRIED EPISCOPATE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SELF SERVING TRADITIONS OF MEN OBSCURED THE WILL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THIS ALL IMPORTANT MATTER. It has been further suggested by more than one reputable Scholar, considering the timing of St. Peter’s Episcopate there, he authored his Second General Epistle to the Church’s (The Letter of II Peter) on British soil. This would have been during the later part of his stay in Great Britain while in Glastonbury or in close proximity thereto around 55 to 60 circa A.D. There are scant historical sources which account for St. Peter Exercising his Episcopate in any other Land other than Great Britain during these years. Holy Tradition and what can be pieced together using sound logic and the resources at hand make our contentions a verifiable certainty. Not withstanding the efforts of Rome to suppress this knowledge to bolster her claims of Primacy and God-like Authority above all other Church’s.

St. Simon the Apostle also known as Simon the Zealot has some interesting connections to the the Primitive Church in the British Isles. Holy Tradition, early sources of Christian Antiquity and Documents suppressed by the Vatican for centuries give him (as well as St. Peter as cited above) a unique role in the Evangelizing of the British Church. There are two distinct periods of time that Researches have contended that St. Simon was active in the British Isles. In both instances it has been suggested he was Mandated to replace men who had done significant work before his arrival. And that he was sent by those Apostles to Evaluate the Work already Established and to do what he could to see it Prospered and Flourished. The first sources claim after the departure of Patriarch St. Joseph; St. Simon was sent on a Preaching and Fact Finding Journey and remained long enough to accomplish his Mission. This would have been circa 44 to 47 A.D. The other time given equal credence was shortly after St. Peter left England sometime in the early 60’s A.D. It is tenable St. Peter would have wanted an Apostle to follow him and report back the findings of that Apostle (St. Simon) on the health and well being of the Church. There is a third Tradition which maintains he was there during both time periods. Whatever the case, there is far too much Tradition and History to dismiss the reality that St. Simon the Zealot had an important role in the Establishment of the Holy Orthodox Ancient British Church.

St. Aristobulus one of the Seventy Commissioned by Our Lord Jesus Christ whom He sent forth to Spread the Gospel spent many years in Missionary Work in Great Britain. He was the HUSBAND of St. Mary Salome, (the Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary; one of the Holy Woman at the foot of the Cross at Calvary) and the Brother of St. Barnabas. We know he spent time in the Glastonbury Patriarchate and carried on in the footsteps of St. Joseph of Arimathea the Apostle of Great Britain. It is impossible to determine the exact dates he exercised his Episcopate. It was either shortly before St. Peter arrived (circa 50 to 55 A.D.) or shortly after (circa 60 to 65 A.D.) he departed. Some authorities maintain they were both in the British Isles during the same period of time and their Path’s did in fact cross. Several Researchers of Apostolic History suggest they spent time in Prayer and in the Breaking of the Bread together in Episcopal Collegiality. All three scenarios are attested to by Holy Tradition and each equally plausible. The various Sources which Document the Early History of the British Church present an most fascinating possibility. That is, St. Peter the Apostle, St. Simon the Zealot and St. Aristobulus of the Seventy were all at the same time (several months to a year) Resident and Cultivating the Work of Patriarch St. Joseph of Glastonbury in Orthodox England.

THE ANCIENT EASTERN RITE OF HOLY ORTHODOXY BEARS WITNESS TO OUR BRITISH PATRIMONY

THE ARCHIVES OF THE EASTERN CHURCH’S HAVE PROVIDED EXCELLENT SOURCES BASED UPON HISTORY AND SACRED TRADITION WHICH GIVE US TREMENDOUS INSIGHT INTO HOLY ORTHODOXY IN 1ST CENTURY ENGLAND. IN PARTICULAR, WE CITE THOSE OF THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH, THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, THE COPTIC CHURCH OF EGYPT AND THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO CHURCH. IN THE ARCHIVES OF THEIR MOST ANCIENT AND REVERED MONASTERY’S ~ MANUSCRIPTS HAVE BEEN UNCOVERED THAT REVEAL SEVERAL OF THE ORIGINAL APOSTLES ~ AS INDICATED ABOVE ~ DID IN FACT ~ DO EXTENSIVE MISSIONARY WORK IN SECURING THE HOLY ORTHODOX FAITH IN THE BRITISH ISLES. THERE WOULD BE NO MOTIVE ~ OTHER THAN BEING FORTHRIGHT FOR THESE GREAT HISTORIC EASTERN RITE COMMUNIONS TO MAKE THESE MANUSCRIPTS A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD. WE OWE THESE BRETHREN OF THE EASTERN RITE PATRIMONY A SINCERE DEBT OF GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION FOR THEIR GOODWILL IN CHRIST.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH ORTHODOXY ~ PART 2

In 314 A.D. at the Council of Arles in France the British Church was represented by a small Delegation of English Bishops. The other Bishops at this local Synodical Council marveled at the arrival of these unknown Churchman. Until this very hour no one knows how they learned of this French Council. The English Bishops according to Sacred Tradition informed those at the Council of the Ministries of St. Joseph, St. Peter & (his wife) St. Perpetua, St. Simon, St. Aristobulus and their Missionary Work in the England. The word got out quickly that Holy Orthodoxy was Alive and Well in the British Isles. Unfortunately the wiles of Paganism among Uncivilized Vagabonds indigenous to the Region and the Political Enemies of the Church and State all but obliterated the See of Glastonbury over the Centuries. History and Tradition have given us the ability to look back over those troubled Times and piece together the story of the beginning of Western Christendom at the Holy City of Glastonbury. The Emperor’s of Rome felt threatened and were suspicious of Christians who pledged their allegiance to Christ the Heavenly King. Given this mind-set and their thirst for Blood and Power, they persecuted the Church and the Druid Religious Tribes in the British Isles. Although Glastonbury was left in ruins, fortunately the Church in other Regions of the Country survived the various onslaughts faced by the enemies of “MATER ORTHODOXA ECCLESIA ANGLICANA” ~ “THE MOTHER ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ENGLAND”.

“THE GATES OF HELL DID NOT PERISH AGAINST THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ENGLAND“

There is a curious part of our History which has never been fully explained by the most Learned of Church Historians. St. Augustine of Rome arrived at Canterbury in England in 597 A.D. Upon landing on British soil he was greeted by an array of Bishop’s, Priests’s, Deacon’s, Subdeacons and Laity. He was astonished and did not know what to make of it all? He expected to find nothing of the kind and certainly no Established Church structure. After all, the whole Purpose of his Journey to England was to Establish the Church in “the waste lands inhabited by pagans”. He was more than surprised to learn his Work was already completed Prior to making the trip. Augustine quickly learned the British Church employed a Liturgy and followed a Church Calendar (ORDO) unfamiliar to what he was accustomed to in Rome. This is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of the Veracity of what we have detailed thus far of our History and Patrimony. It is also proof positive of the lengths the Bishop of Rome has employed to re-write history both Ancient & Modern. The sole purpose of these tactics being to bolster his claim of Universal Primacy of Jurisdiction above all other Bishops who have always been ~ “PARES INTER PARES” ~ “EQUALS AMONG EQUALS“.

Throughout the Centuries following our Glorious Beginnings, the British Church remained a Stalwart Witness to the Faith once Delivered to the Saints. Sadly a combination of weak self serving Monarch’s and the influence of the Bishop of Rome whom they allowed to rule above them led to periods of Confusion, Turmoil, Religious Wars, Moral Decay and Spiritual Unrest. Unfortunately the Clergy became slothful, impious and motivated by the lure of filthy lucre. The Bishop’s and the Abbot’s often being the gravest of offenders in this low ebb of moral depravity. The Laity were innocently caught up in the midst of it all looking only to Worship in the Parish Church’s at the hands of Dedicated, Honest and Vigilant Clergy. Libraries are full of Volumes written over the Centuries which detail the plight of the English Church during these turbulent Centuries.

During the 16th Century you had the Bishop of Rome on the one side and the Puritanical Calvinist’s on the other looking to hijack the already compromised Religious System that existed in Ecclesia Anglicana. Each for their own selfish gain and without regard for the Truth of Holy Orthodoxy looking to completely strip her of her Glorious Patrimony. In the end it degenerated into two rival claimants to the Throne of Canterbury, the Protestants verses the Roman Catholics. Neither being proper Lawful Spiritual claimants to the tarnished See. This division and the tiny group of faithful who were True to Holy Orthodoxy have remained at odds until today.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH ORTHODOXY ~ PART 3

In successive Centuries their rose up factions within ECCLESIA ANGLICANA who in the best way they could did what was necessary to stay within the confines of the Orthodox Faith. The most significant being those in the late 19th Century. Under the Guidance of the Spirit of the Living Christ all was not lost.

Fast forward to the USA and the state of the Episcopal Church in the 1970’s. It is well known to any individual familiar with what came to be called PECUSA of the turmoil, schismatic factions, immorality and heresy preached by her Ministers as a matter of routine from her Pulpits. The Book of Common Prayer was “revised’ and was left a shell of its former Dignity and Beauty. The totality of her Sacramental System was overthrown in 1976 when females were formally admitted and “ordained” to the Ministry. Since that time PECUSA (now ECUSA) has entered into Full Ecclesiastical Communion with the Lutheran Church in America. They exchange Ministers and Celebrate all Sacraments as having one and the same Ministerial authority. The Historic Episcopate in ECUSA has now given way to Synodical-Presbyterial Ministry. According to their own Words and in Deed, the fullness of the Historic Episcopate is no longer retained in Heretical ECUSA. As we write this, the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) is conducting talks with the United Methodist Church, The Presbyterian Church of the USA and the Congregational Church. The stated Purpose of this Dialog is to enter into the same Agreement they have in place with the Lutherans. Where all of this will end up is anyone’s guess?

Part 4 ~ AN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH ORTHODOXY ~ THE FINAL CHAPTERS ~ A GENUINE EXPRESSION OF THE ANGLICAN SHERBORNE OLD-SARUM CORINTHIAN RITE OF SALISBURY IS GIVEN CANONICAL STATUS WITHIN WORLDWIDE HOLY ORTHODOXY

The Spiritual Seed of our Glastonbury Forefathers is Replanted and Takes Root in the United States

The same Missionary zeal of St. Joseph of Arimathea and St. Mary Magdalene took root on the East Coast in the USA. The fires of Glastonbury were to burn bright once again. In the mid-1990’s, a group of concerned (ECUSA) Laity and Clergy in Maryland and Delaware decided action needed be taken to restore Orthodox Belief and Worship within their ranks. ++Peter Compton-Caputo of Maryland was the man of the hour. He met with groups of Clergy and Laity alike and formed Missions in several States as the need arose. They still exist and are active til this day. The work being fully realized and coming to fruition in the late 1990’s. Upon the death of ++Compton Caputo, Succession in the USA fell to ++John Gains of St. James Parish in Georgetown, Delaware. Within a few short years he and his Congregation joined the Independent Anglican Church-Canada Synod and leadership fell on his Coadjutor ++Josephus Johannes Palumbo, OCR who became the third Archbishop Metropolitan. It should be noted that under the present Archbishop “ORTHODOX” was added to our name to emphasize the Unique place of our Western Sarum-Corinthian Rite Jurisdiction within Holy Orthodoxy. This brand of Churchmanship and Practical Ideology which sets us apart from what has been termed “Continuing Anglicanism” is detailed on other Pages on this Website. In the decades ++Compton-Caputo led the Church, he often referred to us in Sermons and in Writings he penned as “The Western Rite Orthodox Church”.

Since early 2006 The Anglican Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America (formerly known as the Anglican Independent Communion-Original Province) has remained small, but steady and stable. We have stayed True to our Glastonbury Patrimony and Organizing Archbishop-Metropolitan ++Peter Compton-Caputo of Blessed Memory. We have held firm and fended off the Intrigues attempted to be inflicted upon us by the Papal Council of Trent and the Calvinist Puritanical 39 Articles of Religion of the Protestant sympathizers. The “VIA MEDIA” (Middle Way) of Mater Orthodoxa Ecclesia Anglicana has been safely Protected and Secured within our Humble, but Sacred Walls.

Regarding the Official Status of our Relationship to the UAOC

The Anglican Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of America has Been Given the Recognition as the Anglican Rite Metropolia of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church~ Tomos of 1924 as Issued by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for the Polish Orthodox Church. The Tomos was Extended to the Church in the Ukraine and in Turn Granted Autocephaly to the Patriarch of Kiev the Head of the Ukrainian Church. We are Sister Church’s Alongside of the UAOC as are Several Other Autocephalous Jurisdictions. Our Archdiocese is Self Validating and we Operate as Autonomous Equals With the UAOC. This Understanding Was Reaffirmed and Ratified by Both Automomous-Autocephalous Jurisdictions During the Western Rite Easter 2024. This is Explained in Greater Detail on the “Identity & Ideology” Page of this Website. Look for the Section Titled “Independent vs. Autocephalous”. Documentation Will Be Provided for This Official Declaration Upon Request From Proper Authorities Seeking Clarification.

(Continued on the “Identity & Ideology of the Archdiocese” Page on this Website)

“ESSE QUAM VIDERI” ~ “PRO DEO ET HUMANITATE“

“RATHER BE THAN SEEM” ~ “FOR GOD AND MANKIND”