Old Catholic Order of Paul the Apostle 

The Old Catholic Order of Paul the Apostle is a Monastic Order of Old Catholic Priests. We serve in the Apostolic Tradition of going out to the faithful and serving them “where they are” both physically and spiritually.

Who We Are

We are an Order founded on the Monastic tradition of “Clerks Regular”, a  body of Priests in the Church who by the very nature of our institute unite the perfection of the religious state to the priestly office, i.e. who while being essentially clerics, devoted to the exercise of the ministry in preaching, the administration of the sacraments, and other spiritual and corporal works of mercy, are at the same time a religious community, in the strictest sense of the word. As Clerks Regular, Old Catholic Paulists Priests do not live and work in a monastery, but live in our own homes and work in the community.

Clerks regular are distinguished from the purely monastic bodies, or monks, in four ways:

• We are primarily devoted to the sacred ministry; not so the monks, whose proper work is contemplation and the solemn celebration of the liturgy.
• We are obliged to cultivate the sacred sciences, which, if cultivated by the monks, are yet not imposed upon them by virtue of their state of life.
• We as clerics must retain some appearance of clerical dress distinct from the habit and cowl of the monk.
• We are less given to the practice of austerity, due to our ministries, which is a distinct feature of the purely monastic life.

We are distinguished from the Friars in that though they are devoted to the sacred ministry and the cultivation of learning, and that they are not primarily priests. We differ from Canons Regular in that we do not possess cathedral or collegiate churches, but devote ourselves more completely to ministerial work in place of choir-service, and have fewer penitential observances of rule.

We are administered in the Monastic traditions, led by a Superior General, who is a Bishop consecrated in Apostolic Succession. Our current Superior General (Presiding Bishop) holds valid Apostolic Succession through Apostolic Lines from both the Holy See of Antioch and the Holy See of Rome.

Our Priests have all been Ordained by Bishops holding valid Apostolic Succession.

What We Do

We minister in the Old Catholic tradition, which is rooted in the Apostolic tradition. We accept teachings both from the Eastern and Roman Rite Churches, through the Great Schism of 1054. We respect the teachings and dogmas of both the Eastern and Roman Rite Churches since the Great Schism, but are not held by dogma or doctrine created thereafter.

We look to, and accept without question, Sacred Scripture as God's final Word in all matters. We do not believe that Sacred Scripture is open to personal interpretation, but is to be read, understood, and lived, literally.

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Our Liturgies and Ceremonies follow the current Roman Rites.

The few differences that we observe are as follows. We offer:

"Open Communion" - Communion is offered to, and encouraged to be received by, all Baptized Christians.

"General Absolution" - During the Penitential Rite of Mass, a moment is taken to confess sins silently and personally to God, then the Priest grants General Absolution.

Sacraments may be administered outside the confines of a church.

Holy Orders are open to Married or Single Men.

Holy Matrimony is offered to those who have been previously married, without pre-condition.

Contraception is a personal decision between a husband and wife; with the exception of abortion.