Welcome to the official website of the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church



The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church (LCAC) is a fully independent and autocephalous Catholic denomination in the liberal tradition. It came into being as a result of the 2008 special commission to The Liberal Rite to continue the work of the late Archbishop Harold Nicholson (Mar Joannes I) (1905-68), founder of the Ancient Catholic Church, and the consequent union of this spiritual heritage together with that of The Liberal Rite into a new body in the form of the present LCAC. 

The LCAC derives its Apostolic Successions from the historic Churches of the East and West, and principally the successions of the Apostolic Episcopal Church as conveyed by its Emeritus Primate, Archbishop Bertil Persson. It has significant ties with the historic Liberal Catholic movement and is spiritual protector of the worldwide Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship. The Metropolitan of the LCAC is also the official representative for the UK of the Apostolic Episcopal Church.

Unlike many independent Catholic churches, the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church is non-dogmatic in nature, standing firmly in the liberal and esoteric traditions, and is open to the insights of all faiths and philosophies. This openness means that the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church has a unique spiritual character and appeal, and that its mission reaches beyond conventional boundaries to embrace a genuine universality. We see our work as firmly grounded in the wish of Our Saviour Jesus Christ that His church strive to attain unity in the face of its differences, and thus conceive the LCAC as a primarily ecumenical body.

The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church is a member of the International Council of Community Churches. The ICCC is a member of the World Council of Churches, Churches Uniting in Christ, the National Council of Churches (USA) and Christian Churches Together in the USA.

>>News and Announcements
>>An introduction to our work (pdf file, 753KB)

Where we are

The work of the Church centres on its three Oratories in London (Enfield), Bournemouth and Edinburgh, and on its parishes in Edinburgh and the United States of America. The Church also uses external venues for special services, in particular the Well Chapel in Suffolk, and participates in ecumenical outreach with other Christian churches. Through the Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship, we are part of a worldwide family of Liberal Catholics that extends beyond the UK to the Netherlands, Slovenia, Nigeria, South Africa, Mexico and beyond.

A list of our oratories, communities and their contact details may be found here.

Who we are

The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church is led by two Primates and governed by a College of Bishops. The Metropolitan and Titular Archbishop of Karim is currently Mar Joannes III (the Most Revd. John Kersey). The Titular Archbishop of Mount Carmel is currently Mar Andreas (the Most Revd. Andrew Linley). There is a separate Province of Scotland under the care of Mar Alexei (the Rt. Revd. Alistair Herrick Bate). Details of our clergy may be found here.

The clergy of the LCAC are ordained in the historic Apostolic Succession. Both men and women may be ordained up to the episcopate; they may be married or civilly partnered. Details of the clergy of the LCAC can be found in the clergy section of this website. All clergy serve voluntarily and without stipend, and most are financially supported by secular work.

The church is not simply a clergy association. Our ministries, through Eucharistic celebration, funerals, weddings, pastoral care and the provision of education among other activities, touch on average over two hundred laypeople each week - sometimes considerably more. The Mass is celebrated daily in one or more of our oratories.

Our ethos and ecumenism

The LCAC, like many Catholic churches, practices universality of membership through adherence to its services and teachings. However, there is no sacramental requirement for membership, and no requirement that members resign membership in other churches in order to become members of the LCAC. Our predecessor Mar Joannes I (Archbishop Harold Nicholson), founder of the Ancient Catholic Church, expressed the position as follows:

"The appeal of the ...Church is universal in the true sense of the term. We do not mind whether a man is a Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglo-Catholic, Evangelical, Anglican, Free-Churchman, Spiritualist, or even a Moslem, Buddhist, or Hindoo, or for that matter an Atheist or Agnostic. All alike are the children of God, and as such, our brothers and sisters, and are fully entitled to all our love and help. Christ Himself said that He had come to give us life, and that more abundantly!  and it is our task to free men’s minds from that narrow-minded bigotry and intolerance which disfigures religion. Through such misleading teachings men live in constant fear of disease, war, calamity, and death. It is our task to prove that all illness can be cured by the Spirit in the power of Divine Love, working through human instruments replete with that love; and that by the same power even war itself can be averted. Our appeal, then, is to all sorts and conditions of men and women, irrespective of age, sex, social position, race, colour or creed. To the spiritually homeless, that is, those without a Church, we offer a wonderful home; and to those who are already attached to other Churches, we say “do not desert your Priest, Vicar or Minister, but come here when you feel like it, and thus gain some spiritual strength and light, with which you can help him when you return to your usual place of worship.”

The Founder Primate of the Apostolic Episcopal Church, Mar John Emmanuel (Archbishop Arthur Wolfort Brooks) said in 1929:

"All are welcome, without exception, to the altar of God, and...here, all people may unite in the worship of God in the unity of spirit and the bond of peace."

Mar Georgius (Archbishop Hugh George de Willmott Newman), Metropolitan of the Catholic Apostolic Church (Catholicate of the West) said in 1947:

"There is nothing cold, sanctimonious, unctuous, condemnatory, or "puritanical" in our midst; the most spiritual people are usually the most natural. We hold that natural pleasures were given us by God to enjoy, and the people are encouraged not only to have fellowship together in public worship and works of mercy and love, but as members of the same Family of God to enjoy their social pleasures together also. We do not teach total abstinence from the good things of life, and our people are free to go to theatres, cinemas, dances, and so forth, and to take liquor and to smoke, just as they desire; although we do inculcate moderation in all things. The "killjoy" attitude is emphatically condemned by us, for it is really Manicheeism, an ancient heresy against which the early Church strenuously contended."

What we do

The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church is primarily a ministerial Christian community of worship and prayer. It has its own beautiful liturgies, recorded in Services of Love and Blessing (published under the imprimatur of Mar Joannes I in 1950) and celebrates the Mass according to a version of the Tridentine Rite in English, based on the liturgy of the Liberal Catholic Church and using its Act of Faith among other creeds.

In recent years, the Church has diversified its activities in different parts of the United Kingdom and, increasingly, abroad. This diversification process has included a welcome co-operation and liaison with other churches of various traditions. Today, those seeking ministry in our community have access to a worldwide network of like-minded churches, chapels and oratories available through the Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship.

The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church is the home to several religious orders which are discussed on the orders page. It is also active in educational outreach and sponsors its own distance learning institutions and programmes. Through these programmes, the Church has promulgated and published a number of books and monographs relating to our distinctive history and theology.

The Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship

The Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship is an international family of independent Catholics in the liberal tradition. Founded in order to promote unity within the Liberal Catholic movement, it embraces clergy and communities which share a common heritage and have established the basis for good relations and co-operation for the future.

Further information and contacting us

To learn more concerning the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church, please use the links at the top and to the right of this page. 

To contact us, please see the contact page.

Discover a Catholic church serving all people

Whoever you are and wherever you are in your spiritual journey, the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church welcomes you in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

"That which is on the Altar is the Mystery of Yourselves. Receive the Mystery of Yourselves."
St. Augustine

Find out more...

Memberships

The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church is a member of the International Council of Community Churches (ICCC).

The ICCC is a member of:

The World Council of Churches
Churches Uniting in Christ
The National Council of Churches (USA)
Christian Churches Together in the USA

The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church is a denominational member of the Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship.
The members of the College of Bishops of the LCAC are each members of the Sophia Circle, a non prescriptive gathering of free bishops in the esoteric tradition.